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4 @settitle Gnus 5.4.62 Manual
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255 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
262 \thispagestyle{empty}
264 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
266 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
267 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
268 are preserved on all copies.
270 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
271 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
272 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
273 permission notice identical to this one.
275 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
276 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
285 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
287 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
289 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
290 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
291 are preserved on all copies.
294 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
295 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
296 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
297 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
300 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
301 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
302 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
303 permission notice identical to this one.
305 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
306 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
312 @title Gnus 5.4.62 Manual
314 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
317 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
318 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
320 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
321 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
322 are preserved on all copies.
324 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
325 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
326 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
327 permission notice identical to this one.
329 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
330 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
339 @top The Gnus Newsreader
343 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
344 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
345 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
348 This manual corresponds to Gnus 5.4.62.
359 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
360 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
362 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
363 being accused of plagiarism:
365 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
366 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
367 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
368 even read news with it!
370 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
371 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
372 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
373 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
374 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
381 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
382 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
383 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
384 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
385 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
386 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
387 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
388 * Various:: General purpose settings.
389 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
390 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
391 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
392 * Key Index:: Key Index.
396 @chapter Starting Gnus
401 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
402 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
405 @findex gnus-other-frame
406 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
407 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
408 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
410 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
414 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
415 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
416 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
417 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
418 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
419 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
420 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
421 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
422 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
423 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
424 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
428 @node Finding the News
429 @section Finding the News
432 @vindex gnus-select-method
434 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
435 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
436 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
437 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
440 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
441 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
444 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
447 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
450 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
453 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
454 certainly be much faster.
456 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
458 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
459 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
460 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
461 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
462 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
463 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
465 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
466 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
467 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
468 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
470 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
471 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
472 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
473 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
474 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
475 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
477 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
479 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
480 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
481 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
482 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
483 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
484 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
486 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
488 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
489 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
490 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
491 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
492 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
493 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
496 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
497 would typically set this variable to
500 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
505 @section The First Time
506 @cindex first time usage
508 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
509 be subscribed by default.
511 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
512 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
513 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
514 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
517 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
518 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
519 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
521 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
522 help you with most common problems.
524 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
525 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
529 @node The Server is Down
530 @section The Server is Down
531 @cindex server errors
533 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
534 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
535 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
537 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
538 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
539 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
540 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
541 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
542 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
543 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
545 @findex gnus-no-server
546 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
548 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
549 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
550 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
551 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
552 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
553 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
558 @section Slave Gnusae
561 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
562 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
563 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
564 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
566 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
569 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
570 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
571 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
572 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
573 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
574 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
575 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
577 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
578 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
579 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
580 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
581 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
582 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
583 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
584 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
586 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
587 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
590 @node Fetching a Group
591 @section Fetching a Group
592 @cindex fetching a group
594 @findex gnus-fetch-group
595 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
596 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
597 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
598 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
599 It takes the group name as a parameter.
607 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
608 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
609 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
610 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
611 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
612 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
613 is @code{t} by default. If you set this variable to @code{always}, then
614 Gnus will query the backends for new groups even when you do the @kbd{g}
615 command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
618 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
619 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
620 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
624 @node Checking New Groups
625 @subsection Checking New Groups
627 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
628 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
629 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
630 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
631 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
632 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
633 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
634 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
635 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
636 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
638 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
639 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
640 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
641 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
642 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
643 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
644 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
645 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
646 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
647 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
648 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
650 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
651 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
652 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
653 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
654 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
655 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
658 @node Subscription Methods
659 @subsection Subscription Methods
661 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
662 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
663 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
665 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
666 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
668 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
672 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
673 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
674 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
675 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
676 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
678 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
679 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
680 Subscribe all new groups randomly.
682 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
683 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
684 Subscribe all new groups alphabetically.
686 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
687 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
688 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
689 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
690 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
691 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
692 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
693 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
694 up. Or something like that.
696 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
697 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
698 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
699 you about @strong{all} new groups.
701 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
702 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
707 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
708 A closely related variable is
709 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
710 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
711 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
712 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
715 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
716 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
717 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
718 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
721 @node Filtering New Groups
722 @subsection Filtering New Groups
724 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
725 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
726 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
729 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
732 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
733 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
734 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
735 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
736 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
737 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
738 subscribing these groups.
739 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
740 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
742 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
743 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
744 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
745 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
746 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
747 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
748 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
749 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
751 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
752 Yet another variable that meddles here is
753 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
754 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
755 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
756 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
757 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
758 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
759 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
760 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
762 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
763 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
766 @node Changing Servers
767 @section Changing Servers
768 @cindex changing servers
770 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
771 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
772 very flaky and you want to use another.
774 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
775 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
779 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
780 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
781 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
782 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
785 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
786 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
787 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
788 functions more than absolutely necessary.
790 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
791 @findex gnus-change-server
792 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
793 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
794 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
795 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
796 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
798 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
799 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
800 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
801 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
802 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
804 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
805 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
806 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
807 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
808 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
809 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
813 @section Startup Files
814 @cindex startup files
819 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
820 information is traditionally stored in this file.
822 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
823 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
824 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
825 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
826 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
827 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
828 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
830 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
831 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
832 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
833 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file.
835 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
836 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
837 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
838 the file and save some space, as well as making exit from Gnus faster.
839 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
840 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
842 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
843 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
844 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
845 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
846 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
847 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
848 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
849 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
850 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
851 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
852 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
853 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
855 @vindex gnus-startup-file
856 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
857 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
858 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
860 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
861 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
862 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
863 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
864 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
865 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
866 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
867 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
868 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
869 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
872 (defun turn-off-backup ()
873 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
875 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
876 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
879 @vindex gnus-init-file
880 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
881 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
882 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
883 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
884 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
885 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
886 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
887 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
888 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
897 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
898 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
899 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
900 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
901 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
904 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
905 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
908 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
909 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
910 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
912 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
913 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
914 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
915 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
916 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
917 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
920 @node The Active File
921 @section The Active File
923 @cindex ignored groups
925 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
926 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
927 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
929 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
930 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
931 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
932 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
933 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
934 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
935 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
938 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
939 @c if you set it to anything else.
941 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
943 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
944 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
945 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
947 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
948 you actually subscribe to.
950 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
951 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
952 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
953 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
955 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
956 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
957 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
958 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
959 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
960 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
962 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
963 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
964 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
965 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
966 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
967 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
969 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
970 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
972 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
973 secondary select methods.
976 @node Startup Variables
977 @section Startup Variables
982 @vindex gnus-load-hook
983 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
984 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
985 times you start Gnus.
987 @item gnus-startup-hook
988 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
989 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
991 @item gnus-started-hook
992 @vindex gnus-started-hook
993 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
996 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
997 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
998 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
999 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1000 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1001 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1002 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1003 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1005 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1006 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1007 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1008 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1009 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1010 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1012 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1013 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1014 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1016 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1017 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1018 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1020 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1021 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1022 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1023 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1028 @node The Group Buffer
1029 @chapter The Group Buffer
1030 @cindex group buffer
1032 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1033 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1034 long as Gnus is active.
1038 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1039 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1040 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1041 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1042 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1043 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1044 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1045 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1051 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1052 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1053 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1054 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1055 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1056 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1057 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1058 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1059 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1060 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1061 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1062 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1063 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1064 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1065 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1066 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1067 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1071 @node Group Buffer Format
1072 @section Group Buffer Format
1075 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1076 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1077 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1081 @node Group Line Specification
1082 @subsection Group Line Specification
1083 @cindex group buffer format
1085 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1086 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1088 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1091 25: news.announce.newusers
1092 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1097 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1098 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1099 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1100 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1102 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1103 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1104 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1105 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1106 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1107 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1109 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1111 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1112 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1113 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1114 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1117 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1118 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1119 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1121 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1126 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1129 Whether the group is subscribed.
1132 Level of subscribedness.
1135 Number of unread articles.
1138 Number of dormant articles.
1141 Number of ticked articles.
1144 Number of read articles.
1147 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1148 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1151 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1154 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1163 Newsgroup description.
1166 @samp{m} if moderated.
1169 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1178 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1182 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1185 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1186 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1187 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1188 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1189 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1192 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1194 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1198 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1202 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1203 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1204 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1205 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1206 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1207 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1212 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1213 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1214 group, or a bogus native group.
1217 @node Group Modeline Specification
1218 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1219 @cindex group modeline
1221 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1222 The mode line can be changed by setting
1223 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). It
1224 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1228 The native news server.
1230 The native select method.
1234 @node Group Highlighting
1235 @subsection Group Highlighting
1236 @cindex highlighting
1237 @cindex group highlighting
1239 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1240 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1241 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1242 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1243 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1245 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1249 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1251 ,(custom-face-lookup "Red" nil nil t nil nil))
1252 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) .
1253 ,(custom-face-lookup "SeaGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1255 ,(custom-face-lookup "SpringGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1257 ,(custom-face-lookup "SteelBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1259 ,(custom-face-lookup "SkyBlue" nil nil t nil nil))))
1262 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1269 The number of unread articles in the group.
1273 Whether the group is a mail group.
1275 The level of the group.
1277 The score of the group.
1279 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1281 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1282 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1284 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1285 topic being inserted.
1288 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1289 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1290 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1292 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1293 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1294 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1295 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1296 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1299 @node Group Maneuvering
1300 @section Group Maneuvering
1301 @cindex group movement
1303 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1304 expected, hopefully.
1310 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1311 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1312 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1318 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1319 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1320 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1324 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1325 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1329 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1330 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1334 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1335 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1336 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1340 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1341 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1342 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1345 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1351 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1352 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1353 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1358 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1359 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1360 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1364 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1365 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1366 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1369 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1370 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1371 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1372 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1376 @node Selecting a Group
1377 @section Selecting a Group
1378 @cindex group selection
1383 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1384 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1385 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1386 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1387 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1388 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1389 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1390 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1391 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1392 negative, Gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1396 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1397 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1398 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1399 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1400 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1404 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1405 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1406 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1407 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1408 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1409 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1410 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1411 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer.
1412 This might be useful if you want to toggle threading before entering the
1416 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1417 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1418 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1419 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1420 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1423 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1424 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1425 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1426 doing any processing of its contents
1427 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1428 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1429 manner will have no permanent effects.
1433 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1434 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1435 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1436 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1437 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1438 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1439 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1440 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1443 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1444 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1445 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1446 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1451 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1452 full summary buffer.
1455 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1458 Select the most high-scored article in the group when entering the
1462 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1463 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1464 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1468 @node Subscription Commands
1469 @section Subscription Commands
1470 @cindex subscription
1478 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1479 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
1480 Toggle subscription to the current group
1481 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1487 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1488 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1489 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1490 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1496 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1497 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
1498 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1504 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1505 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1508 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1509 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1510 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1511 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1512 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1518 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1519 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1523 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1524 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1527 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1528 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1529 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1530 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1531 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1532 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1533 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1534 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1535 @file{.newsrc} file.
1539 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1549 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1550 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1551 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
1552 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1553 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1554 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1559 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1560 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1561 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1565 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1566 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1567 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1569 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1570 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1571 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1572 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1573 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1574 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1581 @section Group Levels
1585 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1586 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1587 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1588 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1589 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1591 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1597 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1598 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1599 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1600 prompted for a level.
1603 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1604 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1605 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1606 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1607 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
1608 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1609 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1610 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1611 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1612 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
1613 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
1614 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
1615 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
1616 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
1617 reasons of efficiency.
1619 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1620 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1622 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1623 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1624 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1626 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1627 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1628 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1629 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1630 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1631 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1632 relevant legal ranges.
1634 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1635 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1636 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
1637 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1638 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1639 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1642 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1643 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1644 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1647 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1648 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1649 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1650 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1653 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1654 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1655 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1656 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1658 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1659 Gnus will normally just activate groups on level
1660 @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to activate
1661 unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable to
1662 5. The default is 6.
1666 @section Group Score
1669 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1670 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1671 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1674 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1675 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1676 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1677 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1678 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1679 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1680 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1682 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1683 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1684 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1685 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1686 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1687 action after each summary exit, you can add
1688 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1689 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1690 slow things down somewhat.
1693 @node Marking Groups
1694 @section Marking Groups
1695 @cindex marking groups
1697 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1698 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1699 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1700 bidding on those groups.
1702 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1703 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1704 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1712 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1713 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1719 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1720 Remove the mark from the current group
1721 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1725 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1726 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1730 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1731 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1735 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1736 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1740 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1741 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1742 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1745 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1747 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1748 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1749 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1750 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1751 the command to be executed.
1754 @node Foreign Groups
1755 @section Foreign Groups
1756 @cindex foreign groups
1758 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1759 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1760 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1761 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1768 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1769 @cindex making groups
1770 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1771 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1772 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1776 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1777 @cindex renaming groups
1778 Rename the current group to something else
1779 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is legal only on some
1780 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1786 @findex gnus-group-customize
1787 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1791 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1792 @cindex renaming groups
1793 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1794 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1798 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1799 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1800 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1804 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1805 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1806 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1810 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1812 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1813 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1818 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1819 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1823 @cindex (ding) archive
1824 @cindex archive group
1825 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1826 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1827 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1828 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1829 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1830 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1831 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1835 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1837 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1838 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1839 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1840 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1844 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1846 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
1847 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1848 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1852 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1853 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1855 Make a group based on some file or other
1856 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1857 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1858 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1859 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
1860 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, and @code{forward}. If you run
1861 this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file type.
1862 @xref{Document Groups}.
1866 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1871 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1872 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1873 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1874 search engine type and the search string. Legal search engine types
1875 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1876 @xref{Web Searches}.
1879 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1880 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1881 This function will delete the current group
1882 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1883 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1884 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1885 absolutely sure of what you are doing.
1889 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1890 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1891 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1895 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1896 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1897 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1900 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1903 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1904 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1905 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1906 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1907 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers.
1910 @node Group Parameters
1911 @section Group Parameters
1912 @cindex group parameters
1914 The group parameters store information local to a particular group:
1919 If the group parameter list contains an element that looks like
1920 @code{(to-address . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used by
1921 the backend when doing followups and posts. This is primarily useful in
1922 mail groups that represent closed mailing lists---mailing lists where
1923 it's expected that everybody that writes to the mailing list is
1924 subscribed to it. Since using this parameter ensures that the mail only
1925 goes to the mailing list itself, it means that members won't receive two
1926 copies of your followups.
1928 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
1929 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
1930 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
1931 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
1932 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
1933 list address instead.
1937 If the group parameter list has an element that looks like
1938 @code{(to-list . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used when
1939 doing a @kbd{a} in that group. It is totally ignored when doing a
1940 followup---except that if it is present in a news group, you'll get mail
1941 group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
1943 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
1944 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
1945 sending the message.
1949 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
1950 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
1951 of whether it has any unread articles.
1953 @item broken-reply-to
1954 @cindex broken-reply-to
1955 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
1956 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
1957 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
1958 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
1959 broken behavior. So there!
1963 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
1964 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
1968 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list, Gnus will treat
1969 all responses as if they were responses to news articles. This can be
1970 useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a news group.
1974 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list and set to
1975 @code{t}, newly composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current
1976 group. If it is present and set to @code{none}, no @code{Gcc:} header
1977 will be generated, if it is present and a string, this string will be
1978 inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header (this symbol takes precedence over
1979 any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later).
1983 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
1984 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
1985 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
1988 @cindex total-expire
1989 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
1990 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
1991 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
1992 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
1997 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
1998 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
1999 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2000 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2001 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2002 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2005 @cindex score file group parameter
2006 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2007 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. This
2008 means that all score commands you issue will end up in that file.
2011 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2012 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2013 @file{file} into the current adaptive score file for the group in
2014 question. All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2017 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2018 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2019 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2020 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2023 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2024 display on entering the group. Legal values are:
2028 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2031 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2036 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2037 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2038 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2041 @item @var{(variable form)}
2042 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2043 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2044 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2045 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2046 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2047 @code{eval}ed there.
2049 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2050 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2051 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2052 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2053 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2057 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group.
2059 @pxref{Topic Parameters}.
2061 Here's an example group parameter list:
2064 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2069 @node Listing Groups
2070 @section Listing Groups
2071 @cindex group listing
2073 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2081 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2082 List all groups that have unread articles
2083 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2084 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2085 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2086 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2093 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2094 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2095 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2096 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2097 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2098 unsubscribed groups).
2102 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2103 List all unread groups on a specific level
2104 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2105 with no unread articles.
2109 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2110 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2111 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2112 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2117 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2118 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2122 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2123 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2124 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2128 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2129 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2133 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2134 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2135 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2136 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2137 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2138 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2139 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2140 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2144 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2145 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2146 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2150 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2151 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2152 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2156 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2157 @cindex visible group parameter
2158 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2159 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2160 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2161 get the same effect.
2163 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2164 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2165 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2166 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2167 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2170 @node Sorting Groups
2171 @section Sorting Groups
2172 @cindex sorting groups
2174 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2175 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2176 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2177 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2178 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2179 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2184 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2185 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2186 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2188 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2189 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2190 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2192 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2193 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2194 Sort by group level.
2196 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2197 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2198 Sort by group score.
2200 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2201 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2202 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2203 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}.
2205 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2206 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2207 Sort by number of unread articles.
2209 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2210 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2211 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2216 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2217 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2221 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2222 some sorting criteria:
2226 @kindex G S a (Group)
2227 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2228 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2229 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2232 @kindex G S u (Group)
2233 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2234 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2235 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2238 @kindex G S l (Group)
2239 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2240 Sort the group buffer by group level
2241 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2244 @kindex G S v (Group)
2245 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2246 Sort the group buffer by group score
2247 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}).
2250 @kindex G S r (Group)
2251 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2252 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2253 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}).
2256 @kindex G S m (Group)
2257 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2258 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2259 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2263 When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
2265 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2269 @kindex G P a (Group)
2270 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2271 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2272 group name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2275 @kindex G P u (Group)
2276 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2277 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by the number of
2278 unread articles (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2281 @kindex G P l (Group)
2282 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2283 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group level
2284 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2287 @kindex G P v (Group)
2288 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2289 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group score
2290 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}).
2293 @kindex G P r (Group)
2294 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2295 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group rank
2296 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}).
2299 @kindex G P m (Group)
2300 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2301 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2302 backend name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2308 @node Group Maintenance
2309 @section Group Maintenance
2310 @cindex bogus groups
2315 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2316 Find bogus groups and delete them
2317 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2321 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2322 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2323 If given a prefix, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2327 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2328 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2329 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2330 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2333 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2334 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2335 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2336 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2341 @node Browse Foreign Server
2342 @section Browse Foreign Server
2343 @cindex foreign servers
2344 @cindex browsing servers
2349 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2350 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2351 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2352 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2355 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2356 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2357 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2358 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2360 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2365 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2366 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2370 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2371 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2374 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2375 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2376 Enter the current group and display the first article
2377 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2380 @kindex RET (Browse)
2381 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2382 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2386 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2387 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2388 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2394 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2395 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2399 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2400 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2401 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2406 @section Exiting Gnus
2407 @cindex exiting Gnus
2409 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2414 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2415 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2416 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2417 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2421 @findex gnus-group-exit
2422 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
2423 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2427 @findex gnus-group-quit
2428 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2429 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2432 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2433 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2434 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2435 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2436 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2441 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2442 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2443 trying to customize meta-variables.
2448 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2449 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2450 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2456 @section Group Topics
2459 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2460 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2461 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2462 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2463 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2464 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2468 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
2469 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
2480 2: alt.religion.emacs
2483 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2485 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2486 13: comp.sources.unix
2489 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2491 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2492 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2493 is a toggling command.)
2495 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2496 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2497 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2498 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2501 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2502 the hook for the group mode:
2505 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2509 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2510 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2511 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2512 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2513 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2517 @node Topic Variables
2518 @subsection Topic Variables
2519 @cindex topic variables
2521 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2522 really neat, I think.
2524 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2525 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2526 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2539 Number of groups in the topic.
2541 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2543 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2546 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2547 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2548 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2551 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2552 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2554 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2555 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2556 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2559 @node Topic Commands
2560 @subsection Topic Commands
2561 @cindex topic commands
2563 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2564 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2565 definitions slightly.
2571 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2572 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2573 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2577 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2578 Move the current group to some other topic
2579 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2580 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2584 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2585 Copy the current group to some other topic
2586 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2587 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2591 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2592 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2593 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2594 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2598 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2599 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2600 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2604 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2605 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2606 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2610 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
2611 Toggle hiding empty topics
2612 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
2616 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2617 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2618 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2621 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2622 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2623 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2624 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2628 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2630 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2631 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2632 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2633 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2634 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2635 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2638 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2639 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2640 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2641 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2642 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2646 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2647 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2648 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2652 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2653 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2654 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2659 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2660 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2663 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2664 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2665 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2669 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2670 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2671 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2675 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2676 @cindex group parameters
2677 @cindex topic parameters
2679 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2680 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2686 @subsection Topic Sorting
2687 @cindex topic sorting
2689 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2695 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2696 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2697 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2698 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2701 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2702 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2703 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2704 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2707 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2708 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2709 Sort the current topic by group level
2710 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2713 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2714 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2715 Sort the current topic by group score
2716 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}).
2719 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2720 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2721 Sort the current topic by group rank
2722 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}).
2725 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2726 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2727 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2728 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2732 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2735 @node Topic Topology
2736 @subsection Topic Topology
2737 @cindex topic topology
2740 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2746 2: alt.religion.emacs
2749 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2751 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2752 13: comp.sources.unix
2755 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2756 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2757 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2762 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2763 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2767 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2768 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2769 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2770 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2771 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2772 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2774 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2775 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2776 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2779 @node Topic Parameters
2780 @subsection Topic Parameters
2781 @cindex topic parameters
2783 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2784 ancestor) topic parameters. All legal group parameters are legal topic
2785 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2787 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2788 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2789 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2790 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2796 2: alt.religion.emacs
2800 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2802 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2803 13: comp.sources.unix
2807 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2808 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2809 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2810 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2811 @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2812 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2814 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2815 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2816 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2817 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2818 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2820 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2821 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2822 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2823 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2824 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2825 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2826 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2827 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2830 @node Misc Group Stuff
2831 @section Misc Group Stuff
2834 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2835 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
2836 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
2837 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
2844 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2845 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
2846 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
2850 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2851 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). The current
2852 group name will be used as the default.
2856 @findex gnus-group-mail
2857 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2861 Variables for the group buffer:
2865 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2866 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2867 is called after the group buffer has been
2870 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2871 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2872 is called after the group buffer is
2873 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2876 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2877 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2878 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
2879 whether they are empty or not.
2884 @node Scanning New Messages
2885 @subsection Scanning New Messages
2886 @cindex new messages
2887 @cindex scanning new news
2893 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
2894 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
2895 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
2896 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
2897 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
2898 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
2903 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
2904 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
2905 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
2906 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
2907 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
2908 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
2909 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
2911 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
2912 @cindex activating groups
2914 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
2915 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
2920 @findex gnus-group-restart
2921 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
2922 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
2923 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
2927 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
2928 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
2930 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
2931 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
2935 @node Group Information
2936 @subsection Group Information
2937 @cindex group information
2938 @cindex information on groups
2945 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
2946 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
2949 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
2950 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
2951 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
2952 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
2953 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
2954 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
2955 for fetching the file.
2957 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
2958 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
2962 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
2964 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
2965 @cindex describing groups
2966 @cindex group description
2967 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
2968 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
2969 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
2973 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
2974 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
2975 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
2982 @findex gnus-version
2983 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
2987 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
2988 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
2991 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
2994 @findex gnus-info-find-node
2995 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
2999 @node Group Timestamp
3000 @subsection Group Timestamp
3002 @cindex group timestamps
3004 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3005 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3006 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3009 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3012 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3014 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3015 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3018 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3019 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3022 This will result in lines looking like:
3025 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3026 0: custom 19961002T012713
3029 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3030 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3034 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3035 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3040 @subsection File Commands
3041 @cindex file commands
3047 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3048 @vindex gnus-init-file
3049 @cindex reading init file
3050 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3051 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3055 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3056 @cindex saving .newsrc
3057 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3058 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3059 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3062 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3063 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3064 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3069 @node The Summary Buffer
3070 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3071 @cindex summary buffer
3073 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3074 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3076 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3077 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3079 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3082 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3083 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3084 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3085 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3086 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3087 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
3088 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3089 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3090 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3091 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3092 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3093 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3094 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3095 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3096 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3097 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3098 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3099 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3100 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3101 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3102 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3103 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3104 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3105 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3106 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3107 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3108 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3112 @node Summary Buffer Format
3113 @section Summary Buffer Format
3114 @cindex summary buffer format
3118 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3119 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3120 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3126 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3127 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3128 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3131 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3132 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3133 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3134 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3135 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3136 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
3137 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3138 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3139 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3140 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3141 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead.
3143 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3144 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3145 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3146 with those specs that require it. The default is @samp{}.
3149 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3150 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3152 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3153 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3154 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3155 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3156 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3158 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3160 The following format specification characters are understood:
3168 Subject if the article is the root or the previous article had a
3169 different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3170 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @samp{}.)
3172 Full @code{From} header.
3174 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3176 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3177 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3178 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3179 may be more thorough.
3181 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3184 Number of lines in the article.
3186 Number of characters in the article.
3188 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3190 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3191 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3193 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3194 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3196 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3197 for adopted articles.
3199 One space for each thread level.
3201 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3209 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3210 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3211 default level. If the difference between
3212 @code{gnus-summary-default-level} and the score is less than
3213 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3221 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3223 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3229 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3230 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3232 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3233 article has any children.
3237 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3238 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3239 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3240 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3241 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3242 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3245 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3246 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3247 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3248 that. This means that it is illegal to have these specs after a
3249 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3250 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3252 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3253 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3255 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3258 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3259 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3261 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3262 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar. Set
3263 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you like. The default
3264 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3266 Here are the elements you can play with:
3272 Unprefixed group name.
3274 Current article number.
3278 Number of unread articles in this group.
3280 Number of unselected articles in this group.
3282 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3283 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3284 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3285 and no unselected ones.
3287 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3288 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3290 Subject of the current article.
3294 Name of the current score file.
3296 Number of dormant articles.
3298 Number of ticked articles.
3300 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3302 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3306 @node Summary Highlighting
3307 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3311 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3312 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3313 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3314 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3315 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3317 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3318 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3319 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3320 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3322 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3323 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3324 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
3325 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3327 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3328 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3329 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3330 list where the elements are of the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3331 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3332 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3334 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3335 ((> score default) . bold))
3337 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3338 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3342 @node Summary Maneuvering
3343 @section Summary Maneuvering
3344 @cindex summary movement
3346 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3347 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3349 None of these commands select articles.
3354 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3355 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3356 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3357 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3358 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3362 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3363 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3364 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3365 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3366 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3371 @kindex G j (Summary)
3372 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3373 Ask for an article number and then go to that article
3374 (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3377 @kindex G g (Summary)
3378 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3379 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
3380 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3383 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3384 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3385 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3386 to the group buffer.
3388 Variables related to summary movement:
3392 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3393 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3394 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3395 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
3396 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3397 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3398 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
3399 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3400 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
3401 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3402 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3403 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3404 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3405 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3407 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3408 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3409 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3410 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3411 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3412 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) This variable is not
3413 particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3415 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3416 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3417 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3418 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3419 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3421 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3422 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3423 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3424 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3425 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3426 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3427 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3428 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3434 @node Choosing Articles
3435 @section Choosing Articles
3436 @cindex selecting articles
3439 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3440 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3444 @node Choosing Commands
3445 @subsection Choosing Commands
3447 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3448 and they all select and display an article.
3452 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3453 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3454 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3455 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3460 @kindex G n (Summary)
3461 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3462 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
3463 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3468 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3469 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
3470 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3475 @kindex G N (Summary)
3476 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3477 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3482 @kindex G P (Summary)
3483 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3484 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3487 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3488 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3489 Go to the next article with the same subject
3490 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3493 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3494 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3495 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3496 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3500 @kindex G f (Summary)
3502 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3503 Go to the first unread article
3504 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3508 @kindex G b (Summary)
3510 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3511 Go to the article with the highest score
3512 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3517 @kindex G l (Summary)
3518 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3519 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3522 @kindex G p (Summary)
3523 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3524 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3525 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3526 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3527 history as you like.
3531 @node Choosing Variables
3532 @subsection Choosing Variables
3534 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3537 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3538 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3539 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3540 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3541 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3542 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3544 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3545 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3546 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3547 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3549 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3550 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3551 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3552 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3553 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3554 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3555 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3556 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3557 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3558 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3559 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3560 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3561 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3562 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3567 @node Paging the Article
3568 @section Scrolling the Article
3569 @cindex article scrolling
3574 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3575 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3576 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3577 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3578 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3581 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3582 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3583 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3586 @kindex RET (Summary)
3587 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3588 Scroll the current article one line forward
3589 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3593 @kindex A g (Summary)
3595 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3596 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3597 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3598 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3599 the way it came from the server.
3604 @kindex A < (Summary)
3605 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3606 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3607 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3612 @kindex A > (Summary)
3613 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3614 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3618 @kindex A s (Summary)
3620 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3621 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3622 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3627 @node Reply Followup and Post
3628 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3631 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3632 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3636 @node Summary Mail Commands
3637 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3639 @cindex composing mail
3641 Commands for composing a mail message:
3647 @kindex S r (Summary)
3649 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3650 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
3651 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
3652 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3653 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3658 @kindex S R (Summary)
3659 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3660 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
3661 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3662 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3663 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3666 @kindex S w (Summary)
3667 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
3668 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
3669 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
3670 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
3671 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
3674 @kindex S W (Summary)
3675 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
3676 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
3677 message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This command uses
3678 the process/prefix convention.
3681 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3682 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3683 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
3684 Forward the current article to some other person
3685 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3686 headers of the forwarded article.
3691 @kindex S m (Summary)
3692 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3693 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
3694 Send a mail to some other person
3695 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3698 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3699 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3700 @cindex bouncing mail
3701 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3702 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3703 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3704 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3705 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3706 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
3707 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3708 very well fail, though.
3711 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3712 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3713 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3714 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3715 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3716 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3717 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3718 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3719 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3720 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3722 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3723 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3724 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3725 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3726 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
3728 This command understands the process/prefix convention
3729 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3732 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3733 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3734 Digest the current series and forward the result using mail
3735 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3736 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3739 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
3740 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
3741 @cindex crossposting
3742 @cindex excessive crossposting
3743 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
3744 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
3746 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
3747 This command is provided as a way to fight back agains the current
3748 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
3749 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
3750 command understands the process/prefix convention
3751 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
3756 @node Summary Post Commands
3757 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3759 @cindex composing news
3761 Commands for posting a news article:
3767 @kindex S p (Summary)
3768 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
3769 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
3770 Post an article to the current group
3771 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
3776 @kindex S f (Summary)
3777 @findex gnus-summary-followup
3778 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
3779 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
3783 @kindex S F (Summary)
3785 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
3786 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
3787 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
3788 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
3789 process/prefix convention.
3792 @kindex S n (Summary)
3793 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
3794 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3795 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
3798 @kindex S n (Summary)
3799 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
3800 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3801 message through mail and include the original message
3802 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
3803 the process/prefix convention.
3806 @kindex S o p (Summary)
3807 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
3808 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
3809 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3810 headers of the forwarded article.
3813 @kindex S O p (Summary)
3814 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
3816 @cindex making digests
3817 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
3818 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3819 process/prefix convention.
3822 @kindex S u (Summary)
3823 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
3824 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
3825 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
3826 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
3830 @node Canceling and Superseding
3831 @section Canceling Articles
3832 @cindex canceling articles
3833 @cindex superseding articles
3835 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
3836 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
3838 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
3840 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
3842 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
3843 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
3844 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
3845 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
3846 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
3848 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
3849 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
3852 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
3853 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
3854 your original article.
3856 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
3858 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
3859 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
3860 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
3863 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
3864 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
3865 have posted almost the same article twice.
3867 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
3868 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
3869 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
3870 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
3871 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
3872 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
3873 header by substituting one of those words for the word
3874 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
3875 you would do normally. The previous article will be
3876 canceled/superseded.
3878 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
3881 @node Marking Articles
3882 @section Marking Articles
3883 @cindex article marking
3884 @cindex article ticking
3887 There are several marks you can set on an article.
3889 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
3890 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
3891 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
3893 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
3896 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
3897 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
3898 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
3902 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
3906 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
3907 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
3911 @node Unread Articles
3912 @subsection Unread Articles
3914 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
3919 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
3920 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
3922 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
3923 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
3924 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
3925 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
3926 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
3930 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
3931 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
3933 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
3934 are followups to it.
3937 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
3938 Markes as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
3940 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
3945 @subsection Read Articles
3946 @cindex expirable mark
3948 All the following marks mark articles as read.
3953 @vindex gnus-del-mark
3954 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
3955 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
3958 @vindex gnus-read-mark
3959 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
3962 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
3963 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
3964 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
3967 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
3968 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
3971 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
3972 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
3975 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
3976 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
3979 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
3980 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
3983 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
3984 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
3987 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
3988 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
3991 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
3992 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
3996 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
3997 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
3998 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4002 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4003 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4005 One more special mark, though:
4009 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4010 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4012 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4013 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4014 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4015 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
4021 @subsection Other Marks
4022 @cindex process mark
4025 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4031 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4032 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4033 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4034 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4035 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}
4038 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4039 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4040 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4041 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4044 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4045 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an
4046 @samp{*} in the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}).
4049 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4050 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4051 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4052 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4055 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4056 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4057 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4058 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4059 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4062 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4063 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4064 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4065 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4066 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4067 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4071 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4072 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4073 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4075 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4076 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4077 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4081 @subsection Setting Marks
4082 @cindex setting marks
4084 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4090 @kindex M t (Summary)
4091 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4092 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4097 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4098 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4099 Mark the current article as dormant
4100 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}).
4104 @kindex M d (Summary)
4106 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4107 Mark the current article as read
4108 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4112 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4113 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4114 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4119 @kindex M k (Summary)
4120 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4121 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4122 and then select the next unread article
4123 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4127 @kindex M K (Summary)
4128 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4129 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4130 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4131 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4134 @kindex M C (Summary)
4135 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4136 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4137 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4140 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4141 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4142 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4143 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4146 @kindex M H (Summary)
4147 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4148 Catchup the current group to point
4149 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4152 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4153 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4154 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4155 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4158 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4159 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4160 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4161 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4165 @kindex M c (Summary)
4166 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4167 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4168 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4169 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}).
4173 @kindex M e (Summary)
4175 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4176 Mark the current article as expirable
4177 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4180 @kindex M b (Summary)
4181 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4182 Set a bookmark in the current article
4183 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4186 @kindex M B (Summary)
4187 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4188 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4189 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4192 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4193 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4194 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4195 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4198 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4199 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4200 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4201 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4204 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4205 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4206 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4207 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4208 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4211 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4212 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4213 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4214 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4215 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4216 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4217 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4218 The default is @code{t}.
4221 @node Setting Process Marks
4222 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4223 @cindex setting process marks
4230 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4231 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4232 Mark the current article with the process mark
4233 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4234 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4238 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4239 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4240 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4241 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4244 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4245 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4246 Remove the process mark from all articles
4247 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4250 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4251 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4252 Invert the list of process marked articles
4253 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4256 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4257 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4258 Mark articles by a regular expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4261 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4262 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4263 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4266 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4267 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4268 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4269 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4272 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4273 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4274 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4275 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4278 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4279 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4280 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4281 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4284 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4285 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4286 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4289 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4290 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4291 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4292 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4295 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4296 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4297 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4300 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4301 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4302 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4303 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4306 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4307 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4308 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4309 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4312 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4313 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4314 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4315 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4318 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4319 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4320 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4321 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4330 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4331 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4332 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4339 @kindex / / (Summary)
4340 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4341 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4342 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4345 @kindex / a (Summary)
4346 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4347 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4348 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4352 @kindex / u (Summary)
4354 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4355 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
4356 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4357 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4358 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4361 @kindex / m (Summary)
4362 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4363 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have not been marked
4364 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4367 @kindex / t (Summary)
4368 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
4369 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
4370 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
4371 articles younger than that number of days.
4374 @kindex / n (Summary)
4375 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4376 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4377 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4378 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4381 @kindex / w (Summary)
4382 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4383 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4384 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4388 @kindex / v (Summary)
4389 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4390 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4391 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4395 @kindex M S (Summary)
4396 @kindex / E (Summary)
4397 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4398 Display all expunged articles
4399 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4402 @kindex / D (Summary)
4403 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4404 Display all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4407 @kindex / d (Summary)
4408 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4409 Hide all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4412 @kindex / c (Summary)
4413 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4414 Hide all dormant articles that have no children
4415 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4418 @kindex / C (Summary)
4419 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4420 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4421 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4422 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4430 @cindex article threading
4432 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
4433 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
4434 hierarchical fashion.
4437 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4438 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4442 @node Customizing Threading
4443 @subsection Customizing Threading
4444 @cindex customizing threading
4450 @item gnus-show-threads
4451 @vindex gnus-show-threads
4452 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
4453 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
4454 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
4455 slower and more awkward.
4457 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4458 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4459 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4460 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
4461 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
4462 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
4463 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
4464 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
4465 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
4466 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
4467 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
4468 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
4470 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
4471 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
4472 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
4473 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
4474 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
4475 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
4476 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
4477 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
4478 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
4479 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
4480 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
4481 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
4482 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
4483 @code{nil} by default.
4485 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4486 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4487 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4488 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
4489 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4490 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4491 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
4492 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4493 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4494 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
4495 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4497 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4498 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
4499 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
4502 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4503 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4504 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4505 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4506 simplification is used.
4508 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4509 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4510 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4511 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4513 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4515 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4521 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4522 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4523 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4524 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4529 (mapconcat 'identity
4530 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4532 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4535 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4538 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4539 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4540 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4541 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4542 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4543 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4544 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
4545 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4547 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4548 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4549 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4550 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4551 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4552 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4553 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
4554 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
4555 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4559 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4560 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4561 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4562 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4564 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4565 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4566 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4569 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4573 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4574 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4577 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4578 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4579 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4580 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4581 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4582 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4584 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
4585 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
4586 There are four possible values:
4590 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
4591 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4592 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4593 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4594 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4599 @cindex adopting articles
4604 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4605 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4606 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4607 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4610 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4611 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4612 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4613 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4614 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4615 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4616 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4619 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4620 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4621 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4625 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4626 display them after one another.
4629 Don't gather loose threads.
4632 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4633 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4634 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
4637 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
4638 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
4639 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
4640 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
4641 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
4642 threads are expunged.
4644 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
4645 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
4646 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
4649 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4650 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4651 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
4652 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
4653 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
4656 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
4657 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
4658 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
4661 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
4662 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
4663 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
4664 @code{(gnus-decode-rfc1522)}, which means that QPized headers will be
4665 slightly decoded in a hackish way. This is likely to change in the
4666 future when Gnus becomes @sc{MIME}ified.
4671 @node Thread Commands
4672 @subsection Thread Commands
4673 @cindex thread commands
4679 @kindex T k (Summary)
4680 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
4681 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
4682 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
4683 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
4684 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
4689 @kindex T l (Summary)
4690 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
4691 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
4692 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
4693 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
4696 @kindex T i (Summary)
4697 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
4698 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
4699 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
4702 @kindex T # (Summary)
4703 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4704 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
4705 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4708 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
4709 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4710 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
4711 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4714 @kindex T T (Summary)
4715 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
4716 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
4719 @kindex T s (Summary)
4720 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
4721 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
4722 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
4725 @kindex T h (Summary)
4726 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
4727 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
4730 @kindex T S (Summary)
4731 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
4732 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
4735 @kindex T H (Summary)
4736 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
4737 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
4740 @kindex T t (Summary)
4741 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
4742 Re-thread the current article's thread
4743 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
4744 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
4747 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
4748 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
4749 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
4750 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
4754 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
4755 understand the numeric prefix.
4760 @kindex T n (Summary)
4761 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
4762 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
4765 @kindex T p (Summary)
4766 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
4767 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
4770 @kindex T d (Summary)
4771 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
4772 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
4775 @kindex T u (Summary)
4776 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
4777 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
4780 @kindex T o (Summary)
4781 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
4782 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
4785 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
4786 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
4787 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
4788 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
4789 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
4790 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
4791 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
4792 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
4793 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
4794 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
4795 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
4796 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
4803 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
4804 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
4805 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
4806 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4807 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
4808 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4809 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
4810 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
4811 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
4812 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
4813 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
4814 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
4815 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
4816 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
4818 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
4819 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
4820 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
4821 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
4822 in the list. You should probably always include
4823 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
4824 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
4825 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
4826 ascending article order.
4828 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
4829 number, you could do something like:
4832 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4833 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4834 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4835 gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score))
4838 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
4839 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
4840 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
4841 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
4842 which the articles arrived.
4844 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
4848 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4850 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t2 t1)))
4851 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
4854 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
4855 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
4856 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
4857 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
4860 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
4861 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
4862 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
4863 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
4864 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
4865 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
4866 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
4867 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
4868 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
4869 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
4870 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
4871 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
4872 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
4874 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
4878 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
4879 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
4880 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
4885 @node Asynchronous Fetching
4886 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
4887 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
4888 @cindex article pre-fetch
4891 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
4892 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
4893 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
4894 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
4895 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
4897 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
4898 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
4900 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
4901 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
4902 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
4903 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
4904 connection is blocked.
4906 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
4907 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
4908 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
4909 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
4911 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
4912 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
4913 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
4914 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
4917 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
4920 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
4921 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
4922 happen automatically.
4924 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
4925 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
4926 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
4927 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
4928 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
4929 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
4930 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
4932 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
4933 @findex gnus-async-read-p
4934 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
4935 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
4936 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
4937 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
4938 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
4939 data structure as the only parameter.
4941 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
4944 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
4945 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
4946 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
4947 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
4950 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
4953 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
4954 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
4955 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
4957 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
4958 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
4959 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
4960 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
4964 Remove articles when they are read.
4967 Remove articles when exiting the group.
4970 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
4972 @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
4973 If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
4974 from the next group.
4977 @node Article Caching
4978 @section Article Caching
4979 @cindex article caching
4982 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
4983 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
4984 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
4985 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
4986 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
4988 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
4990 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
4991 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
4992 @vindex gnus-use-cache
4993 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
4994 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
4995 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
4996 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
4997 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
4999 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
5000 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
5001 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
5002 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
5003 as dormant, and don't worry.
5005 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
5007 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
5008 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
5009 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
5010 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
5011 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
5012 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
5013 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
5014 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
5015 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
5016 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
5018 @findex gnus-jog-cache
5019 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
5020 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
5021 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, and store them in
5022 the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this command if 1)
5023 your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really, really slow
5024 and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk. Seriously.
5026 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
5027 It is likely that you do not want caching on some groups. For instance,
5028 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
5029 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
5030 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space. To limit the caching,
5031 you could set the @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to
5032 @samp{^nnml}, for instance. This variable is @code{nil} by
5035 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
5036 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
5037 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
5038 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
5039 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
5040 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
5041 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
5042 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
5043 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
5047 @node Persistent Articles
5048 @section Persistent Articles
5049 @cindex persistent articles
5051 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
5052 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
5053 useful in my opinion.
5055 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
5056 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
5057 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
5058 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
5059 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
5060 the expiry going on at the news server.
5062 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
5063 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
5064 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
5070 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
5071 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
5074 @kindex M-* (Summary)
5075 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
5076 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
5077 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
5081 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
5083 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
5084 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
5085 interested in persistent articles:
5088 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
5092 @node Article Backlog
5093 @section Article Backlog
5095 @cindex article backlog
5097 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
5098 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
5099 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
5100 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
5101 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
5102 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
5103 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
5104 increase memory usage some.
5106 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
5107 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
5108 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
5109 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
5110 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
5111 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
5112 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
5114 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
5117 @node Saving Articles
5118 @section Saving Articles
5119 @cindex saving articles
5121 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
5122 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
5123 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
5124 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
5125 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
5127 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
5128 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
5129 unwanted headers before saving the article.
5131 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
5132 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
5133 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
5134 deleted before saving.
5140 @kindex O o (Summary)
5142 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
5143 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
5144 Save the current article using the default article saver
5145 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
5148 @kindex O m (Summary)
5149 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
5150 Save the current article in mail format
5151 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
5154 @kindex O r (Summary)
5155 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
5156 Save the current article in rmail format
5157 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
5160 @kindex O f (Summary)
5161 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
5162 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
5163 Save the current article in plain file format
5164 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
5167 @kindex O F (Summary)
5168 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
5169 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
5170 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5173 @kindex O b (Summary)
5174 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5175 Save the current article body in plain file format
5176 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5179 @kindex O h (Summary)
5180 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5181 Save the current article in mh folder format
5182 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5185 @kindex O v (Summary)
5186 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5187 Save the current article in a VM folder
5188 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5191 @kindex O p (Summary)
5192 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5193 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5194 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5197 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5198 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5199 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5200 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5201 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5202 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5203 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5204 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5205 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5206 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5207 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5208 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5212 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5213 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5214 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
5215 functions below, or you can create your own.
5219 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5220 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5221 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5222 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5223 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5224 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5225 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5227 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5228 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5229 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5230 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5231 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5232 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5234 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5235 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5236 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5237 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5238 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5239 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5240 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5242 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5243 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5244 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5245 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5246 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5248 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5249 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5250 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5251 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5252 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5255 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5256 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5257 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5258 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5259 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
5261 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5262 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5263 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5264 reader to use this setting.
5267 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5268 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5269 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5270 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5273 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5274 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5275 available functions that generate names:
5279 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5280 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5281 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5283 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5284 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5285 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5287 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5288 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5289 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5291 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5292 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5293 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5296 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5297 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
5298 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
5299 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
5300 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
5304 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5305 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5306 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5307 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5310 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5311 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5312 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5313 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5314 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5315 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5316 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5317 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5318 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5320 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5321 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5322 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5323 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5325 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5326 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5327 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5330 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
5331 lots of mail groups called things like
5332 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
5333 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
5334 following will do just that:
5337 (defun my-save-name (group)
5338 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
5339 (substring group (match-end 0))))
5341 (setq gnus-split-methods
5342 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
5347 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5348 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5349 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5350 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5351 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5352 all the files in the toplevel directory
5353 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5354 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5355 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5356 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5358 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5359 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5360 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5361 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5362 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5365 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5369 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5370 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5373 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5374 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5375 the toplevel directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5376 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5379 @node Decoding Articles
5380 @section Decoding Articles
5381 @cindex decoding articles
5383 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5384 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5387 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5388 * Shared Articles:: Unshar articles.
5389 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5390 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5391 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5394 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5395 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5396 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5397 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5398 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5400 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5401 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5402 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5404 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
5405 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5406 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5408 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5409 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5410 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5413 @node Uuencoded Articles
5414 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5416 @cindex uuencoded articles
5421 @kindex X u (Summary)
5422 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5423 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
5424 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5427 @kindex X U (Summary)
5428 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5429 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5430 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5433 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5434 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5435 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5438 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5439 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5440 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5441 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5444 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5445 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5446 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5447 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5448 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5450 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5451 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5452 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5453 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5456 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5457 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5458 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5459 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5460 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5461 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5465 @node Shared Articles
5466 @subsection Shared Articles
5468 @cindex shared articles
5473 @kindex X s (Summary)
5474 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5475 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5478 @kindex X S (Summary)
5479 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5480 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5483 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5484 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5485 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5488 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5489 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5490 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5491 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5495 @node PostScript Files
5496 @subsection PostScript Files
5502 @kindex X p (Summary)
5503 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5504 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5507 @kindex X P (Summary)
5508 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5509 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5510 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5513 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5514 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5515 View the current PostScript series
5516 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5519 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5520 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5521 View and save the current PostScript series
5522 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5526 @node Decoding Variables
5527 @subsection Decoding Variables
5529 Adjective, not verb.
5532 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
5533 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
5534 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
5538 @node Rule Variables
5539 @subsubsection Rule Variables
5540 @cindex rule variables
5542 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
5543 variables are of the form
5546 (list '(regexp1 command2)
5553 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5554 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5556 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
5557 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
5560 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5561 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
5564 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5565 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5566 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
5567 user and default view rules.
5569 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5570 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5571 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
5576 @node Other Decode Variables
5577 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
5580 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5582 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5583 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
5584 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
5585 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
5586 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
5590 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
5591 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
5594 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
5595 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
5596 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
5599 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5600 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5601 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
5602 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
5603 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
5606 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5607 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5608 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
5610 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5611 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5612 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
5613 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
5614 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
5617 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5618 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5619 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
5621 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5622 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5623 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
5624 looking for files to display.
5626 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
5627 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
5628 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
5631 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5632 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5633 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
5636 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5637 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5638 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
5641 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5642 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5643 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
5646 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5647 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5648 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
5649 decoded articles as unread.
5651 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5652 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5653 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
5654 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
5656 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5657 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5659 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
5660 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
5661 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
5662 @code{metamail} for viewing.
5664 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5665 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5666 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
5667 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
5668 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
5669 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
5670 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
5671 simply dropped them.
5676 @node Uuencoding and Posting
5677 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
5681 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5682 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5683 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
5684 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
5685 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
5686 for you when you post the article.
5688 @item gnus-uu-post-length
5689 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
5690 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
5691 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
5693 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
5694 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
5695 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
5696 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
5697 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
5698 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
5699 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
5701 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5702 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5703 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
5704 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
5705 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
5706 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
5707 Default is @code{t}.
5713 @subsection Viewing Files
5714 @cindex viewing files
5715 @cindex pseudo-articles
5717 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
5718 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
5719 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
5720 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
5721 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
5722 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
5723 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
5725 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
5726 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
5727 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
5728 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
5730 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
5731 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
5732 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
5734 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
5735 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
5736 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
5737 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
5738 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
5740 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
5741 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
5742 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
5743 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
5744 a list of parameters to that command.
5746 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
5747 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
5748 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
5750 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
5751 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
5752 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
5755 @node Article Treatment
5756 @section Article Treatment
5758 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
5759 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
5760 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
5761 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
5762 these articles easier.
5765 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
5766 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look niced.
5767 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
5768 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
5769 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
5770 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
5771 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
5775 @node Article Highlighting
5776 @subsection Article Highlighting
5779 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
5780 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
5785 @kindex W H a (Summary)
5786 @findex gnus-article-highlight
5787 Highlight the current article (@code{gnus-article-highlight}).
5790 @kindex W H h (Summary)
5791 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
5792 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
5793 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
5794 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
5795 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
5796 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
5797 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name and
5798 @var{content} is the face for highlighting the header value. The first
5799 match made will be used. Note that @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^}
5800 prepended---Gnus will add one.
5803 @kindex W H c (Summary)
5804 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
5805 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
5807 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
5810 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
5812 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
5813 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
5814 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
5816 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
5817 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
5818 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
5820 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
5821 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
5822 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
5824 @item gnus-cite-face-list
5825 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
5826 List of faces used for highlighting citations. When there are citations
5827 from multiple articles in the same message, Gnus will try to give each
5828 citation from each article its own face. This should make it easier to
5831 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
5832 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
5833 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
5835 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
5836 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
5837 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
5839 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
5840 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
5841 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
5842 that it's a citation.
5844 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
5845 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
5846 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
5848 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
5849 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
5850 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
5852 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
5853 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
5854 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
5855 cited text belonging to the attribution.
5861 @kindex W H s (Summary)
5862 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
5863 @vindex gnus-signature-face
5864 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
5865 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
5866 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
5867 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
5868 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
5874 @node Article Fontisizing
5875 @subsection Article Fontisizing
5877 @cindex article emphasis
5879 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
5880 @kindex W e (Summary)
5881 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
5882 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*}. Gnus can make this look nicer by
5883 running the article through the @kbd{W e}
5884 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
5886 @vindex gnus-article-emphasis
5887 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
5888 @code{gnus-article-emphasis} variable. This is an alist where the first
5889 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
5890 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
5891 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
5892 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
5893 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
5897 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
5898 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
5899 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
5902 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
5903 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
5904 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
5905 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
5906 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
5907 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
5908 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
5909 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
5910 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
5911 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
5912 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
5913 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
5914 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
5916 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
5917 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
5918 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
5922 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
5926 @node Article Hiding
5927 @subsection Article Hiding
5928 @cindex article hiding
5930 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
5931 too much cruft in most articles.
5936 @kindex W W a (Summary)
5937 @findex gnus-article-hide
5938 Do maximum hiding on the summary buffer (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}).
5941 @kindex W W h (Summary)
5942 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
5943 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
5947 @kindex W W b (Summary)
5948 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
5949 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
5950 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
5953 @kindex W W s (Summary)
5954 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
5955 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
5959 @kindex W W p (Summary)
5960 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
5961 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
5962 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
5963 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
5964 signature has been hidden.
5967 @kindex W W P (Summary)
5968 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
5969 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
5970 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
5973 @kindex W W c (Summary)
5974 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
5975 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
5976 customizing the hiding:
5980 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5981 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5982 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
5983 50), hide the cited text.
5985 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5986 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5987 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
5990 @item gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5991 @vindex gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5992 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
5993 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
5994 by this format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
5999 Start point of the hidden text.
6001 End point of the hidden text.
6003 Length of the hidden text.
6006 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
6007 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
6008 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
6013 @kindex W W C (Summary)
6014 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
6015 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
6016 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
6017 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
6018 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
6022 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
6023 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
6024 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
6026 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
6027 citation customization.
6030 @node Article Washing
6031 @subsection Article Washing
6033 @cindex article washing
6035 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
6036 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
6038 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
6039 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
6045 @kindex W l (Summary)
6046 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
6047 Remove page breaks from the current article
6048 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}).
6051 @kindex W r (Summary)
6052 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
6053 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
6054 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
6055 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
6058 @kindex W t (Summary)
6059 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
6060 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
6061 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
6064 @kindex W v (Summary)
6065 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
6066 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
6067 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
6070 @kindex W m (Summary)
6071 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
6072 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
6073 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
6076 @kindex W o (Summary)
6077 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
6078 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
6081 @kindex W w (Summary)
6082 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
6083 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}). If you use this
6084 function in @code{gnus-article-display-hook}, it should be run fairly
6085 late and certainly after any highlighting.
6087 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
6091 @kindex W c (Summary)
6092 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
6093 Remove CR (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
6096 @kindex W q (Summary)
6097 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
6098 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
6101 @kindex W f (Summary)
6103 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
6104 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
6105 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
6106 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
6109 \gnusxface{tmp/xface-karlheg.ps}
6110 \gnusxface{tmp/xface-kyle.ps}
6111 \gnusxface{tmp/xface-smb.ps}
6114 Look for and display any X-Face headers
6115 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
6116 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
6117 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
6118 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
6119 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
6120 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
6121 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
6122 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
6123 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
6124 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
6125 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
6126 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
6127 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
6131 @kindex W b (Summary)
6132 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
6133 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
6136 @kindex W B (Summary)
6137 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
6138 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
6139 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
6142 @kindex W E l (Summary)
6143 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
6144 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
6145 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
6148 @kindex W E m (Summary)
6149 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
6150 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
6151 lines with a single empty line.
6152 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
6155 @kindex W E t (Summary)
6156 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
6157 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
6158 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
6161 @kindex W E a (Summary)
6162 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
6163 Do all the three commands above
6164 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
6167 @kindex W E s (Summary)
6168 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
6169 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
6170 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
6175 @node Article Buttons
6176 @subsection Article Buttons
6179 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
6180 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
6181 with the minimum of fuzz.
6183 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
6184 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
6185 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
6190 @item gnus-button-alist
6191 @vindex gnus-button-alist
6192 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
6195 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6201 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
6202 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
6203 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
6206 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
6207 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
6208 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6211 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6212 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6213 avoid false matches.
6216 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6219 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6220 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6224 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6227 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6230 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6231 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6232 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6233 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6234 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6237 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6240 @var{HEADER} is a regular expression.
6242 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6243 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
6244 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
6245 default values of the variables above.
6247 @item gnus-article-button-face
6248 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
6249 Face used on buttons.
6251 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
6252 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
6253 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
6259 @subsection Article Date
6261 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
6262 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
6263 when the article was sent.
6268 @kindex W T u (Summary)
6269 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
6270 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
6271 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
6274 @kindex W T l (Summary)
6275 @findex gnus-article-date-local
6276 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
6279 @kindex W T s (Summary)
6280 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
6281 @findex gnus-article-date-user
6282 @findex format-time-string
6283 Display the date using a user-defined format
6284 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
6285 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
6286 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
6287 for a list of possible format specs.
6290 @kindex W T e (Summary)
6291 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
6292 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
6293 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}).
6296 @kindex W T o (Summary)
6297 @findex gnus-article-date-original
6298 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
6299 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
6300 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
6301 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
6302 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
6307 @node Article Signature
6308 @subsection Article Signature
6310 @cindex article signature
6312 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6313 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
6314 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
6315 that says what is to be considered a signature is
6316 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
6317 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
6318 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
6319 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
6320 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
6323 (setq gnus-signature-separator
6324 '("^-- $" ; The standard
6325 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
6326 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
6327 ; line of dashes. Shame!
6328 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
6329 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
6330 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
6333 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
6336 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
6337 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
6342 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
6345 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
6348 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
6349 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
6351 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
6352 in question is not a signature.
6355 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
6359 @node Article Commands
6360 @section Article Commands
6367 @kindex A P (Summary)
6368 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
6369 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
6370 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
6371 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
6372 run just before printing the buffer.
6377 @node Summary Sorting
6378 @section Summary Sorting
6379 @cindex summary sorting
6381 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
6382 can't really see why you'd want that.
6387 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
6388 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
6389 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
6392 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
6393 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
6394 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
6397 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
6398 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
6399 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
6402 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
6403 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
6404 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
6407 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
6408 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
6409 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
6412 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
6413 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
6414 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
6417 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
6418 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
6419 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
6420 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
6421 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
6425 @node Finding the Parent
6426 @section Finding the Parent
6427 @cindex parent articles
6428 @cindex referring articles
6430 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
6432 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
6433 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
6434 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
6435 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
6436 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
6437 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
6438 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
6439 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
6441 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
6442 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
6443 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
6444 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
6445 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
6448 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
6449 @kindex A R (Summary)
6450 You can have Gnus fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References}
6451 header of the article by pushing @kbd{A R}
6452 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
6454 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
6455 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
6457 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
6458 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
6459 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
6460 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
6461 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
6462 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
6463 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
6465 The current select method will be used when fetching by
6466 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
6467 by giving this command a prefix.
6469 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
6470 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
6471 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
6472 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
6473 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
6474 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
6477 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
6478 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
6479 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
6480 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
6481 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
6482 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
6485 @node Alternative Approaches
6486 @section Alternative Approaches
6488 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
6489 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
6492 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
6493 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
6498 @subsection Pick and Read
6499 @cindex pick and read
6501 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
6502 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
6503 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
6504 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
6506 @findex gnus-pick-mode
6507 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
6508 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
6509 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
6510 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
6511 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
6513 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
6518 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6519 Pick the article on the current line
6520 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}). If given a numerical prefix,
6521 go to that article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
6522 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
6525 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
6526 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
6527 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
6528 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
6532 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6533 Unpick the article (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6537 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6538 Unpick all articles (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6542 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6543 Pick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6547 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6548 Unpick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6552 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6553 Pick the region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6557 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6558 Unpick the region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6562 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6563 Pick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6567 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6568 Unpick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6572 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6573 Pick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6577 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-buffer
6578 Unpick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-buffer}).
6582 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
6583 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
6584 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
6585 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
6586 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
6587 will still be visible when you are reading.
6591 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
6594 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
6597 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
6598 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
6600 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
6601 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
6602 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
6604 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
6605 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
6606 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
6607 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
6608 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
6609 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
6610 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
6614 @subsection Binary Groups
6615 @cindex binary groups
6617 @findex gnus-binary-mode
6618 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
6619 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
6620 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
6621 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
6622 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
6623 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
6626 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
6627 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
6628 command, when you have turned on this mode
6629 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
6631 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
6632 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
6636 @section Tree Display
6639 @vindex gnus-use-trees
6640 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
6641 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
6642 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
6645 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
6648 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
6649 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
6650 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
6652 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6653 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6654 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers. The default
6655 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}. For a list of legal specs, @pxref{Summary
6658 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
6659 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
6660 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
6661 default is @code{modeline}.
6663 @item gnus-tree-line-format
6664 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
6665 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
6666 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
6667 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
6668 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
6669 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
6675 The name of the poster.
6677 The @code{From} header.
6679 The number of the article.
6681 The opening bracket.
6683 The closing bracket.
6688 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6690 Variables related to the display are:
6693 @item gnus-tree-brackets
6694 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
6695 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
6696 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
6697 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
6698 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}))}.
6700 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
6701 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
6702 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
6703 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
6707 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
6708 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
6709 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
6710 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
6711 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
6712 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
6713 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
6714 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
6715 other windows displayed next to it.
6717 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
6718 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
6719 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
6720 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
6721 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
6722 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
6723 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
6727 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
6730 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
6740 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
6744 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
6745 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
6747 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
6749 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
6754 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
6755 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
6756 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
6759 (setq gnus-use-trees t
6760 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
6761 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
6762 (gnus-add-configuration
6766 (summary 0.75 point)
6771 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
6774 @node Mail Group Commands
6775 @section Mail Group Commands
6776 @cindex mail group commands
6778 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
6779 illegal in the current group, they will raise hell and let you know.
6781 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
6782 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6787 @kindex B e (Summary)
6788 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
6789 Expire all expirable articles in the group
6790 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
6793 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
6794 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
6795 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
6796 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
6797 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
6798 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
6801 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
6802 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
6803 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
6804 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
6805 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
6806 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
6809 @kindex B m (Summary)
6811 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
6812 Move the article from one mail group to another
6813 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
6816 @kindex B c (Summary)
6818 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
6819 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
6820 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
6821 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
6824 @kindex B C (Summary)
6825 @cindex crosspost mail
6826 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
6827 Crosspost the current article to some other group
6828 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
6829 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
6830 be properly updated.
6833 @kindex B i (Summary)
6834 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
6835 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
6836 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
6837 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
6840 @kindex B r (Summary)
6841 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
6842 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
6843 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
6844 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
6845 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
6849 @kindex B w (Summary)
6851 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
6852 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
6853 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
6854 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
6855 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}).
6858 @kindex B q (Summary)
6859 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
6860 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
6861 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
6862 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
6865 @kindex B p (Summary)
6866 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
6867 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
6868 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
6869 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
6870 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
6871 article from your news server (or rather, from
6872 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
6873 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
6874 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
6875 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
6876 just not have arrived yet.
6880 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
6881 @cindex moving articles
6882 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
6883 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
6884 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
6885 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
6886 suggestions you find reasonable.
6889 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
6890 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
6891 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
6892 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
6896 @node Various Summary Stuff
6897 @section Various Summary Stuff
6900 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
6901 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
6902 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
6903 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
6907 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
6908 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
6909 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
6911 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
6912 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
6913 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
6914 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
6915 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
6916 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
6919 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
6920 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
6921 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
6922 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
6923 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
6925 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
6926 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
6927 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
6928 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
6929 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
6930 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
6931 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
6932 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
6933 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
6934 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
6939 @node Summary Group Information
6940 @subsection Summary Group Information
6945 @kindex H f (Summary)
6946 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
6947 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
6948 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
6949 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
6950 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
6951 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
6952 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
6953 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
6954 be used for fetching the file.
6957 @kindex H d (Summary)
6958 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
6959 Give a brief description of the current group
6960 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
6961 rereading the description from the server.
6964 @kindex H h (Summary)
6965 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
6966 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
6967 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
6970 @kindex H i (Summary)
6971 @findex gnus-info-find-node
6972 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
6976 @node Searching for Articles
6977 @subsection Searching for Articles
6982 @kindex M-s (Summary)
6983 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
6984 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
6985 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
6988 @kindex M-r (Summary)
6989 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
6990 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
6991 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
6995 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
6996 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
6997 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
6998 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
7002 @kindex M-& (Summary)
7003 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
7004 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
7005 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
7008 @node Summary Generation Commands
7009 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
7014 @kindex Y g (Summary)
7015 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
7016 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
7019 @kindex Y c (Summary)
7020 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
7021 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
7022 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
7027 @node Really Various Summary Commands
7028 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
7033 @kindex C-d (Summary)
7034 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
7035 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
7036 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
7037 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
7038 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
7039 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
7040 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
7041 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
7045 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
7046 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
7047 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
7048 several documents into one biiig group
7049 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
7050 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
7051 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
7052 command understands the process/prefix convention
7053 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7056 @kindex C-t (Summary)
7057 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
7058 Toggle truncation of summary lines
7059 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
7060 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
7061 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
7065 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
7066 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
7067 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
7072 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
7073 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
7074 @cindex summary exit
7075 @cindex exiting groups
7077 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
7078 group and return you to the group buffer.
7084 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
7086 @findex gnus-summary-exit
7087 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
7088 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
7089 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
7090 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
7091 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
7092 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
7093 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
7094 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
7095 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
7096 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
7100 @kindex Z E (Summary)
7102 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
7103 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
7104 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
7108 @kindex Z c (Summary)
7110 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
7111 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
7112 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
7113 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
7116 @kindex Z C (Summary)
7117 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
7118 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
7119 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
7122 @kindex Z n (Summary)
7123 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
7124 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
7125 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
7128 @kindex Z R (Summary)
7129 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
7130 Exit this group, and then enter it again
7131 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
7132 all articles, both read and unread.
7136 @kindex Z G (Summary)
7137 @kindex M-g (Summary)
7138 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
7139 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
7140 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
7141 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
7142 articles, both read and unread.
7145 @kindex Z N (Summary)
7146 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
7147 Exit the group and go to the next group
7148 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
7151 @kindex Z P (Summary)
7152 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
7153 Exit the group and go to the previous group
7154 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
7157 @kindex Z s (Summary)
7158 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
7159 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
7160 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
7161 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
7162 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
7165 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
7166 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
7169 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
7170 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
7171 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
7172 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
7173 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
7174 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
7175 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
7176 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
7177 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
7178 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
7179 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
7180 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
7182 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
7184 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
7185 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
7186 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
7187 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
7188 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
7189 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
7190 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
7191 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
7192 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
7195 @node Crosspost Handling
7196 @section Crosspost Handling
7200 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
7201 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
7202 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
7203 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
7204 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
7205 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
7208 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
7209 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
7210 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
7211 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
7212 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
7214 @cindex cross-posting
7217 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
7218 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
7219 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
7220 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
7221 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
7222 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
7223 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
7224 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
7225 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
7226 the cross reference mechanism.
7228 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
7229 @cindex overview.fmt
7230 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
7231 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
7232 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
7233 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
7234 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
7235 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
7238 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
7239 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
7240 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
7245 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
7248 @node Duplicate Suppression
7249 @section Duplicate Suppression
7251 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
7252 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
7253 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
7254 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
7259 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
7260 is evil and not very common.
7263 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
7264 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
7267 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
7268 different @sc{nntp} servers.
7271 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
7274 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
7275 well, but these four are the most common situations.
7277 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
7278 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
7279 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
7280 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
7281 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
7282 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
7283 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
7286 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
7287 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
7288 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
7289 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
7290 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
7294 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
7295 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
7296 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
7298 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
7299 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
7300 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
7301 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
7302 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
7303 session are suppressed.
7305 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
7306 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
7307 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
7308 suppression list. The default is 10000.
7310 @item gnus-duplicate-file
7311 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
7312 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
7313 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
7316 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
7317 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
7318 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
7319 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
7320 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
7321 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
7322 to you to figure out, I think.
7325 @node The Article Buffer
7326 @chapter The Article Buffer
7327 @cindex article buffer
7329 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
7330 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
7331 tell Gnus otherwise.
7334 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
7335 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
7336 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
7337 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
7338 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
7342 @node Hiding Headers
7343 @section Hiding Headers
7344 @cindex hiding headers
7345 @cindex deleting headers
7347 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
7348 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
7350 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
7351 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
7352 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
7353 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
7354 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
7355 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
7356 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
7357 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
7358 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
7360 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
7364 @item gnus-visible-headers
7365 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
7366 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
7367 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
7368 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
7370 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
7371 the article and the subject, you'd say:
7374 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
7377 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7380 @item gnus-ignored-headers
7381 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
7382 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
7383 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
7384 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
7385 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
7387 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
7388 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
7391 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
7394 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7397 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
7398 variable will have no effect.
7402 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
7403 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
7404 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
7405 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
7406 the headers are to be displayed.
7408 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
7409 and then the subject, you might say something like:
7412 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
7415 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
7416 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
7418 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7419 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7420 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
7421 You can hide further boring headers by entering
7422 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
7423 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
7424 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
7425 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
7426 @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove from sight.
7428 These conditions are:
7431 Remove all empty headers.
7433 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
7436 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
7437 @code{Newsgroups} header.
7439 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
7442 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
7446 To include the four first elements, you could say something like;
7449 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
7450 '(empty newsgroups followup-to reply-to))
7453 This is also the default value for this variable.
7457 @section Using @sc{mime}
7460 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
7461 while people stand around yawning.
7463 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
7464 while all newsreaders die of fear.
7466 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
7467 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
7468 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
7470 @vindex gnus-show-mime
7471 @vindex gnus-show-mime-method
7472 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
7473 @findex metamail-buffer
7474 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
7475 @code{gnus-show-mime-method}, which is @code{metamail-buffer} by
7476 default. Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
7477 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
7478 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
7479 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
7480 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
7481 buffer. These can't be avoided.
7483 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the summary
7484 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
7485 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
7486 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
7487 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume
7488 button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you,
7489 and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the
7490 program to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly
7491 decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
7493 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
7496 @node Customizing Articles
7497 @section Customizing Articles
7498 @cindex article customization
7500 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7501 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
7502 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
7503 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
7505 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7506 By default this hook just contains @code{gnus-article-hide-headers},
7507 @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}, and
7508 @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight}, but there are thousands, nay
7509 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
7510 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
7511 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
7512 Date}. Note that the order of functions in this hook might affect
7513 things, so you may have to fiddle a bit to get the desired results.
7515 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
7516 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
7517 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
7518 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
7519 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
7522 @node Article Keymap
7523 @section Article Keymap
7525 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
7526 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
7527 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
7528 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
7531 A few additional keystrokes are available:
7536 @kindex SPACE (Article)
7537 @findex gnus-article-next-page
7538 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
7541 @kindex DEL (Article)
7542 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
7543 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
7546 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
7547 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
7548 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
7549 @kbd{r}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
7550 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
7553 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
7554 @findex gnus-article-mail
7555 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
7556 given a prefix, include the mail.
7560 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
7561 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
7562 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
7566 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
7567 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
7568 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
7571 @kindex TAB (Article)
7572 @findex gnus-article-next-button
7573 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
7574 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
7577 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
7578 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
7579 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
7585 @section Misc Article
7589 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
7590 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
7591 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
7592 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
7595 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
7596 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
7597 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
7598 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
7599 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
7600 the contents of the article buffer.
7602 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7603 @item gnus-article-display-hook
7604 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
7605 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
7606 hiding headers, and the like.
7608 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
7609 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
7610 Hook called in article mode buffers.
7612 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
7613 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
7614 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
7615 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
7617 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
7618 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
7619 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
7620 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. It accepts the same
7621 format specifications as that variable, with one extension:
7625 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
7626 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
7630 @vindex gnus-break-pages
7632 @item gnus-break-pages
7633 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
7634 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
7635 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
7636 paging will not be done.
7638 @item gnus-page-delimiter
7639 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
7640 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
7645 @node Composing Messages
7646 @chapter Composing Messages
7651 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
7652 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
7653 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
7654 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
7655 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
7656 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
7657 to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
7660 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
7661 * Post:: Posting and following up.
7662 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
7663 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
7664 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
7665 @c * Posting Styles:: An easier way to configure some key elements.
7666 @c * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
7667 @c * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
7670 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
7671 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
7677 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
7680 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
7681 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
7682 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
7683 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
7685 @item gnus-add-to-list
7686 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
7687 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
7688 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
7696 Variables for composing news articles:
7699 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
7700 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
7701 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
7702 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
7703 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
7704 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
7705 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
7706 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
7707 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
7710 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
7711 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
7712 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
7713 file. It is 1000 by default.
7718 @node Posting Server
7719 @section Posting Server
7721 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
7722 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
7724 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
7726 @vindex gnus-post-method
7728 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
7729 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
7730 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
7731 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
7732 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
7735 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
7738 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
7739 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
7740 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
7741 the ``current'' server for posting.
7743 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
7744 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
7746 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
7747 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
7752 @section Mail and Post
7754 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
7758 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
7759 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
7760 @cindex mailing lists
7762 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
7763 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
7764 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
7765 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
7766 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
7767 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
7768 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
7769 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
7770 still a pain, though.
7774 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
7775 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
7776 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
7779 @findex ispell-message
7781 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
7785 @node Archived Messages
7786 @section Archived Messages
7787 @cindex archived messages
7788 @cindex sent messages
7790 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
7791 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
7792 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
7793 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
7796 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
7797 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
7798 use to store sent messages. The default is:
7802 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive/"))
7805 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
7806 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
7807 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
7808 directory chosen, you could say something like:
7811 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
7812 '(nnfolder "archive"
7813 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
7814 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
7815 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
7818 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
7820 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
7821 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
7822 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
7824 This variable can be used to do the following:
7828 Messages will be saved in that group.
7829 @item a list of strings
7830 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
7831 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
7832 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
7834 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
7839 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
7841 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
7844 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
7846 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
7849 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
7851 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7852 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
7853 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
7854 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
7859 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7860 '((if (message-news-p)
7865 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
7866 messages in one file per month:
7869 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7870 '((if (message-news-p)
7872 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
7873 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
7876 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
7877 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
7879 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
7880 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
7881 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
7882 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
7883 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
7884 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
7885 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
7886 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
7887 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
7888 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
7890 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
7891 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
7892 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
7893 this will disable archiving.
7896 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
7897 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
7898 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
7899 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
7900 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
7903 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
7904 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
7905 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
7908 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
7909 but the latter is the preferred method.
7913 @c @node Posting Styles
7914 @c @section Posting Styles
7915 @c @cindex posting styles
7918 @c All them variables, they make my head swim.
7920 @c So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
7921 @c on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
7922 @c and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
7925 @c @vindex gnus-posting-styles
7926 @c One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
7927 @c variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
7928 @c came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
7929 @c a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
7934 @c (signature . "Peace and happiness")
7935 @c (organization . "What me?"))
7937 @c (signature . "Death to everybody"))
7938 @c ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
7939 @c (organization . "Emacs is it")))
7942 @c As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
7943 @c @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
7944 @c ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
7945 @c over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
7946 @c applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
7947 @c the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
7948 @c @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
7949 @c signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
7951 @c The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
7952 @c string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
7953 @c If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
7954 @c arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
7955 @c referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
7956 @c any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
7959 @c Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
7960 @c attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
7961 @c can be one of @code{signature}, @code{organization} or @code{from}. The
7962 @c attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
7963 @c a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
7966 @c The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
7967 @c return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
7968 @c list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
7970 @c So here's a new example:
7973 @c (setq gnus-posting-styles
7975 @c (signature . "~/.signature")
7976 @c (from . "user@@foo (user)")
7977 @c ("X-Home-Page" . (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
7978 @c (organization . "People's Front Against MWM"))
7980 @c (signature . my-funny-signature-randomizer))
7981 @c ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
7982 @c (signature . my-quote-randomizer))
7983 @c (posting-from-work-p
7984 @c (signature . "~/.work-signature")
7985 @c (from . "user@@bar.foo (user)")
7986 @c (organization . "Important Work, Inc"))
7988 @c (signature . "~/.mail-signature"))))
7995 @c If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
7996 @c you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
7997 @c craazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save the
7998 @c message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some other
7999 @c day, and send it when you feel its finished.
8001 @c Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
8002 @c some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
8003 @c automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
8004 @c If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
8005 @c article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
8009 @c @vindex gnus-draft-group-directory
8010 @c The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
8011 @c @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
8012 @c @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{gnus-draft-group-directory}
8013 @c controls both the name of the group and the location---the leaf element
8014 @c in the path will be used as the name of the group. What makes this
8015 @c group special is that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any
8016 @c articles as read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
8018 @c If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
8021 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
8022 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
8023 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
8024 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
8025 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
8026 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
8027 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
8028 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
8029 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
8030 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
8031 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
8032 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
8033 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
8034 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
8036 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
8037 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
8038 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
8040 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-draft
8041 @c @kindex S D c (Summary)
8042 @c When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
8043 @c draft group and push @kbd{S D c} (@code{gnus-summary-send-draft}) to do
8044 @c that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
8046 @c Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
8049 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-all-drafts
8050 @c If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
8051 @c doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{S D a} command
8052 @c (@code{gnus-summary-send-all-drafts}). This command understands the
8053 @c process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8056 @c @node Rejected Articles
8057 @c @section Rejected Articles
8058 @c @cindex rejected articles
8060 @c Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
8061 @c doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
8062 @c @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
8063 @c Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
8065 @c These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
8066 @c (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
8067 @c fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
8068 @c you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
8069 @c articles until some later time when the server feels better.
8071 @c The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
8072 @c (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
8073 @c typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
8076 @node Select Methods
8077 @chapter Select Methods
8078 @cindex foreign groups
8079 @cindex select methods
8081 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
8082 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
8083 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
8084 personal mail group.
8086 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
8087 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
8088 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
8089 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
8090 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
8091 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
8093 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
8094 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
8096 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
8099 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
8100 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
8101 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
8102 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
8103 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
8105 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
8108 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
8109 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
8110 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
8111 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
8112 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
8116 @node The Server Buffer
8117 @section The Server Buffer
8119 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
8120 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
8121 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
8122 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
8123 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
8124 backend represents a virtual server.
8126 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
8127 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
8128 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
8129 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
8131 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
8132 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
8133 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
8134 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
8135 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
8136 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
8137 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
8139 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
8140 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
8143 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
8144 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
8145 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
8146 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
8147 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
8148 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
8149 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
8152 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
8153 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
8156 @node Server Buffer Format
8157 @subsection Server Buffer Format
8158 @cindex server buffer format
8160 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
8161 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
8162 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
8163 variable, with some simple extensions:
8168 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
8171 The name of this server.
8174 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
8177 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
8180 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
8181 The mode line can also be customized by using the
8182 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable. The following specs are
8193 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
8196 @node Server Commands
8197 @subsection Server Commands
8198 @cindex server commands
8204 @findex gnus-server-add-server
8205 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
8209 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
8210 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
8213 @kindex SPACE (Server)
8214 @findex gnus-server-read-server
8215 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
8219 @findex gnus-server-exit
8220 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
8224 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
8225 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
8229 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
8230 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
8234 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
8235 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
8239 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
8240 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
8244 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
8245 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
8246 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
8251 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
8252 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
8253 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
8254 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
8259 @node Example Methods
8260 @subsection Example Methods
8262 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
8265 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
8268 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
8274 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
8275 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
8278 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
8279 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
8281 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
8282 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
8286 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
8289 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
8290 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
8292 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
8293 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
8294 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
8298 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
8301 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
8304 Here's the method for a public spool:
8308 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
8309 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
8312 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
8313 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
8314 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
8315 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
8316 should probably look something like this:
8320 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
8321 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
8322 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
8323 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
8324 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
8329 @node Creating a Virtual Server
8330 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
8332 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
8333 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
8335 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
8336 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
8337 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
8339 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
8341 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
8342 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
8343 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
8344 will contain the following:
8354 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
8355 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
8356 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
8359 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
8360 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
8361 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
8364 @node Server Variables
8365 @subsection Server Variables
8367 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
8368 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
8369 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
8370 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
8371 won't change the "derived" variables.
8373 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
8374 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
8375 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
8376 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
8377 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
8378 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
8379 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
8380 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
8381 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
8385 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
8386 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
8387 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
8391 @node Servers and Methods
8392 @subsection Servers and Methods
8394 Wherever you would normally use a select method
8395 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
8396 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
8397 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
8401 @node Unavailable Servers
8402 @subsection Unavailable Servers
8404 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
8405 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
8406 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
8407 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
8408 actually the case or not.
8410 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
8411 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
8412 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
8413 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
8414 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
8415 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
8416 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
8417 it will regard that server as ``down''.
8419 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
8420 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
8422 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
8423 with the following commands:
8429 @findex gnus-server-open-server
8430 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
8431 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
8435 @findex gnus-server-close-server
8436 Close the connection (if any) to the server
8437 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
8441 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
8442 Mark the current server as unreachable
8443 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
8446 @kindex M-o (Server)
8447 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
8448 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
8449 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
8452 @kindex M-c (Server)
8453 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
8454 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
8455 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
8459 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
8460 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
8461 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
8467 @section Getting News
8468 @cindex reading news
8469 @cindex news backends
8471 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
8472 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
8473 or it can read from a local spool.
8476 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
8477 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
8482 @subsection @sc{nntp}
8485 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
8486 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
8487 server as the, uhm, address.
8489 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
8490 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
8491 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
8492 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
8494 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
8495 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
8496 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
8498 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
8503 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
8504 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
8505 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
8507 @cindex authentification
8508 @cindex nntp authentification
8509 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8510 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
8511 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
8512 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
8513 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
8514 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function.
8516 @item nntp-authinfo-function
8517 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
8518 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
8519 server. Available functions include:
8522 @item nntp-send-authinfo
8523 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8524 This function will use your current login name as the user name and will
8525 prompt you for the password. This is the default.
8527 @item nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
8528 @findex nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
8529 This function will prompt you for both user name and password.
8531 @item nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
8532 @findex nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
8533 This function will use your current login name as the user name and will
8534 read the @sc{nntp} password from @file{~/.nntp-authinfo}.
8537 @item nntp-server-action-alist
8538 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
8539 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
8540 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
8541 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
8544 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
8548 You probably don't want to do that, though.
8550 The default value is
8553 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
8554 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook nntp-send-mode-reader)))
8557 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
8558 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
8560 @item nntp-maximum-request
8561 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
8562 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
8563 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
8564 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
8565 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
8566 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
8567 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
8569 @item nntp-connection-timeout
8570 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
8571 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
8572 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
8573 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
8574 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
8575 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
8576 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
8577 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
8578 no timeouts are done.
8580 @item nntp-command-timeout
8581 @vindex nntp-command-timeout
8582 @cindex PPP connections
8583 @cindex dynamic IP addresses
8584 If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
8585 address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
8586 changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
8587 waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
8588 unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
8589 then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
8590 number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
8591 the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
8592 likely number is 30 seconds.
8594 @item nntp-retry-on-break
8595 @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
8596 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
8597 hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
8600 @item nntp-server-hook
8601 @vindex nntp-server-hook
8602 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
8605 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
8606 @findex nntp-open-telnet
8607 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
8608 @item nntp-open-connection-function
8609 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
8610 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Three pre-made
8611 functions are @code{nntp-open-network-stream}, which is the default, and
8612 simply connects to some port or other on the remote system. The other
8613 two are @code{nntp-open-rlogin}, which does an @samp{rlogin} on the
8614 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
8615 available there, and @code{nntp-open-telnet}, which does a @samp{telnet}
8616 to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet} to get to the
8619 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
8623 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
8624 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
8625 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
8627 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
8628 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
8629 User name on the remote system.
8633 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
8636 @item nntp-telnet-command
8637 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
8638 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
8640 @item nntp-telnet-switches
8641 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
8642 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
8644 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
8645 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
8646 User name for log in on the remote system.
8648 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
8649 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
8650 Password to use when logging in.
8652 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
8653 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
8654 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
8659 @item nntp-end-of-line
8660 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
8661 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
8662 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
8663 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
8665 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
8666 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
8667 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
8671 @vindex nntp-address
8672 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
8674 @item nntp-port-number
8675 @vindex nntp-port-number
8676 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
8679 @item nntp-buggy-select
8680 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
8681 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
8683 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
8684 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
8685 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
8686 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
8689 @item nntp-xover-commands
8690 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
8693 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
8694 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
8698 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
8699 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
8700 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
8701 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
8702 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
8703 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
8704 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
8705 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
8706 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
8707 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
8708 @code{nntp} will never split requests.
8710 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
8711 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
8712 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
8714 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
8715 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
8716 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
8717 server closes connection.
8723 @subsection News Spool
8727 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
8728 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
8729 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
8732 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @samp{} (or
8733 anything else) as the address.
8735 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
8736 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
8737 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
8738 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
8742 @item nnspool-inews-program
8743 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
8744 Program used to post an article.
8746 @item nnspool-inews-switches
8747 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
8748 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
8750 @item nnspool-spool-directory
8751 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
8752 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
8753 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
8755 @item nnspool-nov-directory
8756 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
8757 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
8758 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
8760 @item nnspool-lib-dir
8761 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
8762 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
8764 @item nnspool-active-file
8765 @vindex nnspool-active-file
8766 The path to the active file.
8768 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
8769 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
8770 The path to the group descriptions file.
8772 @item nnspool-history-file
8773 @vindex nnspool-history-file
8774 The path to the news history file.
8776 @item nnspool-active-times-file
8777 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
8778 The path to the active date file.
8780 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
8781 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
8782 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
8785 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
8786 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
8788 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
8789 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
8790 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
8796 @section Getting Mail
8797 @cindex reading mail
8800 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
8804 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
8805 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
8806 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
8807 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
8808 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
8809 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
8810 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
8811 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
8812 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
8813 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
8814 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
8818 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
8819 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
8821 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
8822 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
8823 and things will happen automatically.
8825 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
8826 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
8829 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
8830 '((nnml "private")))
8833 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
8834 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
8835 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
8836 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
8837 like any other group.
8839 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
8842 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8843 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
8844 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
8848 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
8849 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
8850 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
8853 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
8854 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
8855 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
8858 @node Splitting Mail
8859 @subsection Splitting Mail
8860 @cindex splitting mail
8861 @cindex mail splitting
8863 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
8864 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
8865 to be split into groups.
8868 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8869 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
8870 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
8874 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
8875 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
8876 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
8877 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
8878 determine if it belongs in this mail group.
8880 If the first element is the special symbol @code{junk}, then messages
8881 that match the regexp will disappear into the aether. Use with
8884 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
8885 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
8886 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
8887 mail belongs in that group.
8889 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
8890 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
8891 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
8892 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
8893 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
8894 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
8896 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
8897 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
8898 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
8899 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
8900 thinks should carry this mail message.
8902 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
8903 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
8904 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
8905 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
8907 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
8908 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
8909 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
8910 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
8911 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
8913 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
8916 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
8917 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
8918 links. If that's the case for you, set
8919 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
8920 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
8922 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
8923 @kindex nnmail-split-history
8924 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
8925 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
8927 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
8928 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
8929 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
8930 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
8931 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
8932 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
8933 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
8934 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
8938 @node Mail Backend Variables
8939 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
8941 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
8945 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
8946 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
8947 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
8948 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
8950 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
8951 @item nnmail-spool-file
8955 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
8956 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
8957 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
8958 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
8959 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
8960 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
8961 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
8962 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
8963 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
8964 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
8965 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
8966 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
8967 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
8968 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
8969 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
8971 @code{nnmail-spool-file} can also be a list of mailboxes.
8973 Your Emacs has to have been configured with @samp{--with-pop} before
8974 compilation. This is the default, but some installations have it
8977 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
8978 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
8979 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
8980 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
8981 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
8982 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
8984 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
8985 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
8986 @item nnmail-use-procmail
8987 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
8988 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
8989 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
8990 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
8993 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
8994 @item nnmail-crash-box
8995 When a mail backend reads a spool file, mail is first moved to this
8996 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
8997 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
9000 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9001 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9002 This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and can be
9003 used for, well, anything, really.
9005 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
9006 @item nnmail-split-hook
9007 @findex article-decode-rfc1522
9008 @findex RFC1522 decoding
9009 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
9010 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
9011 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
9012 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
9013 in the buffer will show up in any files. @code{gnus-article-decode-rfc1522}
9014 is one likely function to add to this hook.
9016 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9017 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9018 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9019 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9020 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
9021 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
9022 starting to handle the new mail) and
9023 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
9024 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
9025 default file modes the new mail files get:
9028 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9029 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
9031 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
9032 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
9035 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
9036 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
9037 This variable says where to move incoming mail to -- while processing
9038 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
9039 inhabits (e.g., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
9040 it will be used instead.
9042 @item nnmail-movemail-program
9043 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
9044 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
9045 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
9047 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be called
9048 with two parameters -- the name of the inbox, and the file to be moved
9051 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
9052 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
9053 @cindex incoming mail files
9054 @cindex deleting incoming files
9055 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
9056 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{t} by
9059 @c This is @code{nil} by
9060 @c default for reasons of security.
9062 @c Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
9063 (No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
9064 lost mail, I think, but that's not the point. (Except certain versions
9065 of Red Gnus.)) By not deleting the Incoming* files, one can be sure not
9066 to lose mail -- if Gnus totally whacks out, one can always recover what
9069 You may delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
9071 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
9072 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
9073 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
9074 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
9075 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
9076 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
9077 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
9079 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
9080 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
9082 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
9084 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9085 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9086 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
9087 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
9088 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
9093 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
9094 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
9095 @cindex mail splitting
9096 @cindex fancy mail splitting
9098 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
9099 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
9100 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
9101 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
9102 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
9103 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
9105 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
9108 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
9109 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
9110 ;; from real errors.
9111 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
9113 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
9114 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
9115 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
9116 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
9117 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
9118 ;; Other mailing lists...
9119 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
9120 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
9122 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
9123 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
9127 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
9128 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
9129 the five possible split syntaxes:
9134 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name.
9137 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, the first element of
9138 which is a string, then store the message as specified by SPLIT, if
9139 header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a regexp).
9142 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9143 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
9144 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
9145 be stored in one or more groups.
9148 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9149 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
9152 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
9153 this message anywhere.
9156 @var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
9157 element is @code{:}, then the second element will be called as a
9158 function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
9163 In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
9164 @var{VALUE} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
9165 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
9166 field names or words. In other words, all @var{VALUE}'s are wrapped in
9167 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
9169 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
9170 @var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
9171 are expanded as specified by the variable
9172 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
9173 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
9176 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
9177 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
9178 when all this splitting is performed.
9180 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
9181 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
9182 substitions in the group names), you can say things like:
9185 (any "debian-\(\\w*\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
9188 @node Mail and Procmail
9189 @subsection Mail and Procmail
9194 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
9195 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
9196 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
9197 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
9198 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
9200 This also means that you probably don't want to set
9201 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
9204 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
9205 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
9206 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends, except
9207 @code{nnmh}, actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
9208 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
9209 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
9211 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) by hand what
9214 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example:
9216 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
9217 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
9219 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
9220 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
9221 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
9222 to include all your mail groups.
9224 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
9225 method will be created automatically.
9227 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9228 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
9229 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
9230 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
9231 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
9232 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
9233 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
9234 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
9236 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
9237 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
9238 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
9239 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
9240 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
9242 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
9243 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directly into an @code{nnmh}
9244 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
9245 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
9246 ever expiring the final article (i.e., the article with the highest
9247 article number) in a mail newsgroup. This is quite, quite important.
9249 Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
9250 @file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i.e., the incoming
9251 spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
9252 @code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
9253 @code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
9256 (setq nnfolder-directory "~/fMail/")
9257 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
9258 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/incoming/")
9259 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnfolder "")))
9260 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "")
9264 @node Incorporating Old Mail
9265 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
9267 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
9268 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
9269 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
9272 Doing so can be quite easy.
9274 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
9275 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
9276 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
9277 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
9278 your @code{nnml} groups.
9284 Go to the group buffer.
9287 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
9288 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
9291 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
9294 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
9295 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
9298 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
9299 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
9302 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
9303 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
9304 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
9305 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
9306 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
9308 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
9309 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
9310 using the new mail backend.
9314 @subsection Expiring Mail
9315 @cindex article expiry
9317 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
9318 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
9319 different approach to mail reading.
9321 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
9322 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
9323 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
9324 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
9325 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
9326 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
9329 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
9330 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
9331 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
9332 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
9333 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
9334 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
9335 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
9336 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
9338 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
9339 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
9340 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
9341 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
9342 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
9343 column in the summary buffer.
9345 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
9346 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
9347 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
9348 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
9351 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
9353 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
9354 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
9355 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
9358 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
9359 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
9360 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
9361 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
9362 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
9364 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
9365 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
9368 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
9369 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
9372 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
9373 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
9375 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
9376 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
9377 don't really mix very well.
9379 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
9380 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
9381 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
9382 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
9385 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
9386 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
9387 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
9388 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
9391 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
9393 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
9395 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
9397 ((string= group "mail.junk")
9399 ((string= group "important")
9405 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
9406 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
9408 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
9409 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
9410 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
9413 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
9414 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9416 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
9417 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
9418 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
9419 easier for procmail users.
9421 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
9422 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
9423 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
9424 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
9425 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
9426 caution. Even more dangerous is the
9427 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
9428 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
9429 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
9430 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
9431 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
9432 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
9433 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
9436 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
9440 @subsection Washing Mail
9441 @cindex mail washing
9442 @cindex list server brain damage
9443 @cindex incoming mail treatment
9445 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
9446 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
9447 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
9448 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
9449 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
9450 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
9452 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
9453 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
9454 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
9457 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
9458 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
9459 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
9460 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
9463 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9464 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9465 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
9466 grand, sweeping gestures. Functions to be used include:
9469 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
9470 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
9471 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
9472 Emacs running on MS machines.
9476 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
9477 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
9478 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
9479 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
9482 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
9483 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
9484 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
9485 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
9487 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
9488 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
9489 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
9490 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
9491 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
9492 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
9493 also be a list of regexp.
9495 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
9496 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
9499 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
9500 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
9503 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
9504 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
9505 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
9509 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
9510 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
9511 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
9515 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
9516 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
9517 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
9524 @subsection Duplicates
9526 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
9527 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
9528 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
9529 @cindex duplicate mails
9530 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
9531 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
9532 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
9533 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
9534 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
9535 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
9536 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
9537 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
9538 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
9539 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
9540 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
9541 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
9542 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
9544 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
9545 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
9546 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
9547 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
9549 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
9552 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
9553 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
9557 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
9558 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
9559 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
9560 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
9561 (any mail "mail.misc")
9568 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9569 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
9574 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
9575 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
9576 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
9577 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
9578 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
9581 @node Not Reading Mail
9582 @subsection Not Reading Mail
9584 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
9585 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
9586 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
9588 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
9589 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
9591 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9592 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
9593 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
9594 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
9595 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
9596 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
9597 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
9598 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
9599 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
9600 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
9601 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
9603 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
9604 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
9608 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
9609 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
9611 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
9612 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
9613 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
9616 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
9617 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
9618 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
9619 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
9620 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
9625 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
9627 @cindex unix mail box
9629 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
9630 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
9631 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
9632 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
9633 which group it belongs in.
9635 Virtual server settings:
9638 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
9639 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
9640 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
9642 @item nnmbox-active-file
9643 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
9644 The name of the active file for the mail box.
9646 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
9647 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
9648 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
9654 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
9658 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
9659 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
9660 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
9661 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
9662 article to say which group it belongs in.
9664 Virtual server settings:
9667 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
9668 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
9669 The name of the rmail mbox file.
9671 @item nnbabyl-active-file
9672 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
9673 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
9675 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9676 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9677 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
9682 @subsubsection Mail Spool
9684 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
9686 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
9687 format. It should be used with some caution.
9689 @vindex nnml-directory
9690 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
9691 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
9692 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
9693 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
9695 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
9698 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
9699 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
9700 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
9701 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
9702 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
9703 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
9704 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
9705 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
9707 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
9708 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
9709 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
9710 backend when it comes to reading mail.
9712 Virtual server settings:
9715 @item nnml-directory
9716 @vindex nnml-directory
9717 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
9719 @item nnml-active-file
9720 @vindex nnml-active-file
9721 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
9723 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
9724 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
9725 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
9728 @item nnml-get-new-mail
9729 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
9730 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
9732 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
9733 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
9734 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
9736 @item nnml-nov-file-name
9737 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
9738 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
9740 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
9741 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
9742 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
9746 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
9747 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
9748 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
9749 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
9750 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
9751 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
9752 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
9757 @subsubsection MH Spool
9759 @cindex mh-e mail spool
9761 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
9762 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
9763 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
9764 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
9766 Virtual server settings:
9769 @item nnmh-directory
9770 @vindex nnmh-directory
9771 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
9773 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
9774 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
9775 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
9778 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
9779 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
9780 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
9781 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
9782 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
9783 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
9784 to set this variable to @code{t}.
9789 @subsubsection Mail Folders
9791 @cindex mbox folders
9792 @cindex mail folders
9794 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
9795 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
9796 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
9799 Virtual server settings:
9802 @item nnfolder-directory
9803 @vindex nnfolder-directory
9804 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
9806 @item nnfolder-active-file
9807 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
9808 The name of the active file.
9810 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
9811 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
9812 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
9814 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
9815 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
9816 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
9819 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
9820 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
9821 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
9822 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
9823 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
9824 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
9828 @section Other Sources
9830 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
9831 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
9835 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
9836 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
9837 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
9838 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
9839 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
9840 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
9844 @node Directory Groups
9845 @subsection Directory Groups
9847 @cindex directory groups
9849 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
9850 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
9853 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
9854 successor @code{ecf}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
9855 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
9856 backend to read directories. Big deal.
9858 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
9859 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
9860 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
9861 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
9862 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
9864 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
9866 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
9867 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
9868 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
9869 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
9872 @node Anything Groups
9873 @subsection Anything Groups
9876 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
9877 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
9878 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
9881 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
9882 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
9883 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
9884 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
9885 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
9886 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
9887 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
9888 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
9889 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
9890 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
9893 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
9894 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
9895 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
9896 in the article buffer, just as usual.
9898 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
9899 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
9900 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
9901 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
9903 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
9904 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
9905 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
9906 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
9907 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
9908 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
9909 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
9910 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
9915 @item nneething-map-file-directory
9916 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
9917 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
9918 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
9920 @item nneething-exclude-files
9921 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
9922 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
9923 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
9925 @item nneething-map-file
9926 @vindex nneething-map-file
9927 Name of the map files.
9931 @node Document Groups
9932 @subsection Document Groups
9934 @cindex documentation group
9937 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
9938 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
9945 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
9950 The standard Unix mbox file.
9952 @cindex MMDF mail box
9954 The MMDF mail box format.
9957 Several news articles appended into a file.
9960 @cindex rnews batch files
9961 The rnews batch transport format.
9962 @cindex forwarded messages
9971 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
9972 @cindex RFC 341 digest
9973 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
9975 @item standard-digest
9976 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
9979 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
9982 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
9983 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
9984 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
9987 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
9988 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
9989 group. And that's it.
9991 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
9992 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
9993 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
9994 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
9995 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
9996 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
9997 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
9998 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
9999 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
10000 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
10002 Virtual server variables:
10005 @item nndoc-article-type
10006 @vindex nndoc-article-type
10007 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
10008 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
10009 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-digest}, @code{standard-digest},
10010 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs} or @code{guess}.
10012 @item nndoc-post-type
10013 @vindex nndoc-post-type
10014 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
10015 a mail group. There are two legal values: @code{mail} (the default)
10020 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
10024 @node Document Server Internals
10025 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
10027 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
10028 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
10029 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
10030 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
10032 First, here's an example document type definition:
10036 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
10037 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
10040 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
10041 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
10042 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
10043 types can be defined with very few settings:
10046 @item first-article
10047 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
10048 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
10051 @item article-begin
10052 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
10053 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
10055 @item head-begin-function
10056 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
10059 @item nndoc-head-begin
10060 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
10063 @item nndoc-head-end
10064 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
10065 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
10067 @item body-begin-function
10068 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
10072 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
10075 @item body-end-function
10076 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
10080 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
10083 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
10084 regexp will be totally ignored.
10088 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
10089 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
10090 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
10091 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
10092 something that's palatable for Gnus:
10095 @item prepare-body-function
10096 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
10097 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
10098 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
10100 @item article-transform-function
10101 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
10102 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
10103 body of the article.
10105 @item generate-head-function
10106 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
10107 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
10108 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
10109 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
10113 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
10118 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10119 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10120 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
10121 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
10122 (head-end . "^ ?$")
10123 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
10124 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
10125 (subtype digest guess))
10128 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
10129 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
10130 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
10131 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
10132 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
10134 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
10135 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
10136 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
10137 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
10138 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
10139 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
10140 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
10141 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
10142 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
10143 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest legal number.
10151 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
10152 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
10153 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
10155 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
10156 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
10157 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
10160 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
10161 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
10162 that interested in doing things properly.
10164 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
10165 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
10168 First some terminology:
10173 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
10174 get news and/or mail from.
10177 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
10178 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
10181 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
10185 @item message packets
10186 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
10187 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
10188 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10190 @item response packets
10191 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
10192 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
10193 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10203 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
10204 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
10205 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
10206 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
10209 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
10212 You put the packet in your home directory.
10215 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
10216 the native or secondary server.
10219 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
10220 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
10223 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
10227 You transfer this packet to the server.
10230 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
10233 You then repeat until you die.
10237 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
10238 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
10241 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
10242 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
10243 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
10247 @node SOUP Commands
10248 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
10250 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
10254 @kindex G s b (Group)
10255 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
10256 Pack all unread articles in the current group
10257 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
10258 process/prefix convention.
10261 @kindex G s w (Group)
10262 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
10263 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
10266 @kindex G s s (Group)
10267 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
10268 Send all replies from the replies packet
10269 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
10272 @kindex G s p (Group)
10273 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
10274 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
10277 @kindex G s r (Group)
10278 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
10279 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
10282 @kindex O s (Summary)
10283 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
10284 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
10285 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
10286 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10291 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
10296 @item gnus-soup-directory
10297 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
10298 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
10299 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
10301 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
10302 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
10303 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
10304 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
10306 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
10307 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
10308 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
10309 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
10311 @item gnus-soup-packer
10312 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
10313 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
10314 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
10316 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
10317 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
10318 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
10319 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
10321 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
10322 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
10323 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
10325 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
10326 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
10327 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
10328 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
10334 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
10337 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
10338 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
10339 you can read them at leisure.
10341 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
10345 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
10346 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
10347 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
10348 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
10350 @item nnsoup-directory
10351 @vindex nnsoup-directory
10352 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
10353 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
10355 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
10356 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
10357 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
10358 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
10360 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
10361 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
10362 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
10363 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
10364 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
10366 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
10367 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
10368 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
10369 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
10371 @item nnsoup-active-file
10372 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
10373 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
10374 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
10375 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
10376 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
10378 @item nnsoup-packer
10379 @vindex nnsoup-packer
10380 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
10381 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
10383 @item nnsoup-unpacker
10384 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
10385 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
10386 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
10388 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
10389 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
10390 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
10393 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
10394 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
10395 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
10402 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
10404 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
10405 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
10406 more for that to happen.
10408 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
10409 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
10410 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
10413 In specific, this is what it does:
10416 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
10417 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
10420 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
10421 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
10422 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
10426 @subsection Web Searches
10430 @cindex InReference
10431 @cindex Usenet searches
10432 @cindex searching the Usenet
10434 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
10435 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
10436 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
10437 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
10438 searches without having to use a browser.
10440 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
10441 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
10442 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
10443 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
10444 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
10446 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
10447 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
10448 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
10449 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
10450 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
10451 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
10452 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
10453 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
10454 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
10455 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
10458 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
10459 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
10460 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
10461 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
10462 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
10463 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
10465 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
10466 to use @code{nnweb}.
10468 Virtual server variables:
10473 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
10474 are @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
10477 @vindex nnweb-search
10478 The search string to feed to the search engine.
10480 @item nnweb-max-hits
10481 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
10482 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
10485 @item nnweb-type-definition
10486 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
10487 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
10488 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
10493 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
10497 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
10500 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
10503 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
10507 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
10514 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
10515 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
10516 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
10519 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
10520 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
10521 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
10523 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
10529 @item nngateway-address
10530 @vindex nngateway-address
10531 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
10533 @item nngateway-header-transformation
10534 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
10535 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
10536 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
10537 transformation should be called, and defaults to
10538 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
10539 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
10542 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
10543 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
10544 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
10547 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
10550 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
10553 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
10558 So, to use this, simply say something like:
10561 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
10565 @node Combined Groups
10566 @section Combined Groups
10568 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
10572 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
10573 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
10577 @node Virtual Groups
10578 @subsection Virtual Groups
10580 @cindex virtual groups
10582 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
10585 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
10586 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
10587 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
10589 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
10590 regexp to match component groups.
10592 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
10593 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
10594 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
10595 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
10596 the virtual group.)
10598 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
10599 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
10602 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
10605 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
10606 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
10608 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
10609 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
10610 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
10611 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
10614 "^nntp+some.server.jp:soc.motss$\\|^nntp+some.server.no:soc.motss$"
10617 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
10618 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
10619 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
10620 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
10621 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
10623 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
10624 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
10625 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
10627 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
10628 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
10629 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
10630 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
10631 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
10632 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
10633 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
10634 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
10635 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
10636 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
10637 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
10640 @node Kibozed Groups
10641 @subsection Kibozed Groups
10645 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
10646 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
10647 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
10648 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
10650 @kindex G k (Group)
10651 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
10654 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
10655 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
10656 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
10657 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
10659 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
10660 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
10661 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
10663 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
10664 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
10665 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
10666 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
10667 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
10668 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
10669 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
10670 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
10672 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
10673 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
10674 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
10675 Stranger things have happened.
10677 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
10678 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
10680 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
10681 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
10682 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
10683 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
10684 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
10685 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
10687 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
10688 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
10695 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
10696 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
10697 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
10700 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
10701 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
10702 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
10703 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
10704 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
10706 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
10707 before generating the summary buffer.
10709 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
10710 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
10711 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
10713 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
10714 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
10715 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
10716 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
10719 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
10720 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
10721 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
10722 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
10723 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
10724 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
10725 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
10726 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
10727 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
10728 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
10729 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
10730 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
10731 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
10732 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
10733 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
10734 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
10738 @node Summary Score Commands
10739 @section Summary Score Commands
10740 @cindex score commands
10742 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
10743 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
10744 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
10745 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
10746 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
10748 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
10749 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
10750 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
10751 score file the current one.
10753 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
10758 @kindex V s (Summary)
10759 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
10760 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
10763 @kindex V S (Summary)
10764 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
10765 Display the score of the current article
10766 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
10769 @kindex V t (Summary)
10770 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
10771 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
10772 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
10775 @kindex V R (Summary)
10776 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
10777 Run the current summary through the scoring process
10778 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
10779 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
10780 effect you're having.
10783 @kindex V a (Summary)
10784 @findex gnus-summary-score-entry
10785 Add a new score entry, and allow specifying all elements
10786 (@code{gnus-summary-score-entry}).
10789 @kindex V c (Summary)
10790 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
10791 Make a different score file the current
10792 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
10795 @kindex V e (Summary)
10796 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
10797 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
10798 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
10802 @kindex V f (Summary)
10803 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
10804 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
10805 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
10808 @kindex V F (Summary)
10809 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
10810 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
10811 after editing score files.
10814 @kindex V C (Summary)
10815 @findex gnus-score-customize
10816 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
10817 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
10820 @kindex I C-i (Summary)
10821 @findex gnus-summary-raise-score
10822 Increase the score of the current article
10823 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-score}).
10826 @kindex L C-l (Summary)
10827 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
10828 Lower the score of the current article
10829 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-score}).
10832 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
10837 @kindex V m (Summary)
10838 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
10839 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
10840 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
10843 @kindex V x (Summary)
10844 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
10845 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
10846 expunge all articles below this score
10847 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
10850 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
10851 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
10856 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
10857 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
10859 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
10860 keys are available:
10864 Score on the author name.
10867 Score on the subject line.
10870 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
10873 Score on thread---the References line.
10879 Score on the number of lines.
10882 Score on the Message-ID.
10885 Score on followups.
10895 The third key is the match type. Which match types are legal depends on
10896 what headers you are scoring on.
10908 Substring matching.
10911 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
10940 Greater than number.
10945 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
10946 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
10947 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
10951 Temporary score entry.
10954 Permanent score entry.
10957 Immediately scoring.
10962 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
10963 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
10964 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
10965 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
10967 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
10968 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
10969 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
10970 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
10971 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
10973 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
10974 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
10975 pretend they are keymaps or not.
10978 @node Group Score Commands
10979 @section Group Score Commands
10980 @cindex group score commands
10982 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
10987 @kindex W f (Group)
10988 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
10989 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
10990 all the time. This command will flush the cache
10991 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
10996 @node Score Variables
10997 @section Score Variables
10998 @cindex score variables
11002 @item gnus-use-scoring
11003 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
11004 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
11005 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
11007 @item gnus-kill-killed
11008 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
11009 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
11010 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
11011 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
11012 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
11013 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
11014 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
11016 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
11017 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
11018 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
11019 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
11020 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
11022 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
11023 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
11024 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
11025 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
11027 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
11028 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
11029 @cindex score cache
11030 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
11031 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
11032 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
11033 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
11034 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
11035 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
11038 @item gnus-save-score
11039 @vindex gnus-save-score
11040 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
11041 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
11042 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
11044 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
11045 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
11046 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
11047 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
11048 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
11049 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
11050 manually entered data.
11052 @item gnus-summary-default-score
11053 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
11054 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
11056 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
11057 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
11058 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
11059 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
11060 articles will be hidden.
11062 @item gnus-score-over-mark
11063 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
11064 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
11065 default. Default is @samp{+}.
11067 @item gnus-score-below-mark
11068 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
11069 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
11070 default. Default is @samp{-}.
11072 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
11073 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
11074 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
11075 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
11077 Predefined functions available are:
11080 @item gnus-score-find-single
11081 @findex gnus-score-find-single
11082 Only apply the group's own score file.
11084 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
11085 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
11086 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
11087 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
11088 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
11089 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
11090 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
11091 then a regexp match is done.
11093 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
11094 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
11096 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
11097 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
11098 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
11099 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
11101 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
11102 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
11103 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
11104 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
11105 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
11108 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
11109 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
11110 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
11111 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
11112 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
11113 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
11116 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
11117 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
11118 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
11119 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
11120 are expired. It's 7 by default.
11122 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
11123 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
11124 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
11125 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
11126 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
11127 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
11128 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
11131 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
11132 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
11133 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
11138 @node Score File Format
11139 @section Score File Format
11140 @cindex score file format
11142 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
11143 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
11144 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
11146 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
11150 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
11152 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
11154 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
11156 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
11161 (mark-and-expunge -10)
11165 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
11166 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
11167 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
11168 (gnus-summary-make-false-root 'empty))
11172 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
11173 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
11175 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
11176 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
11177 has to be legal syntactically, if not semantically.
11179 Six keys are supported by this alist:
11184 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
11185 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
11186 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
11187 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
11188 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
11189 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
11190 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
11191 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
11192 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
11193 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
11194 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
11195 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
11196 to articles that matches these score entries.
11198 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
11199 score entry has one to four elements.
11203 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
11204 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
11208 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
11209 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
11210 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
11211 is successful. If this element is not present, the
11212 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
11213 instead. This is 1000 by default.
11216 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
11217 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
11218 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
11219 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
11220 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
11223 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
11224 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
11225 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
11226 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
11229 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
11230 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
11231 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
11232 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
11233 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
11234 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
11235 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
11236 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
11237 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
11238 instead, if you feel like.
11241 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
11242 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}. When matching on @code{Lines}, be
11243 careful because some backends (like @code{nndir}) do not generate
11244 @code{Lines} header, so every article ends up being marked as having 0
11245 lines. This can lead to strange results if you happen to lower score of
11246 the articles with few lines.
11249 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
11250 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
11251 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
11252 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
11253 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
11254 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
11255 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
11259 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
11260 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
11261 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
11262 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
11263 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
11264 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
11265 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
11266 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
11269 @item Head, Body, All
11270 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
11274 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
11275 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
11276 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
11277 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
11278 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
11279 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
11280 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
11284 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
11285 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
11286 @samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
11287 article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
11288 @samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
11289 articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
11290 entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
11291 complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
11292 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
11293 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
11297 @cindex Score File Atoms
11299 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
11300 lower than this number will be marked as read.
11303 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
11304 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
11306 @item mark-and-expunge
11307 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
11308 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
11311 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
11312 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
11313 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
11314 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
11315 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
11318 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
11319 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
11322 @item exclude-files
11323 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
11324 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
11328 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
11329 ignored when handling global score files.
11332 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
11333 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}).
11336 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
11337 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
11338 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
11339 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
11341 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
11345 (mark-and-expunge -100)
11348 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
11349 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
11350 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
11351 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
11352 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
11354 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
11355 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
11356 ordinary scoring rules.
11359 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
11360 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
11361 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
11362 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
11363 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
11364 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
11365 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
11366 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
11367 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
11368 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
11369 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
11373 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
11374 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
11375 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
11376 file for a number of groups.
11379 @cindex local variables
11380 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
11381 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
11382 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
11383 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
11388 @node Score File Editing
11389 @section Score File Editing
11391 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
11392 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
11393 with a mode for that.
11395 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
11396 additional commands:
11401 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
11402 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
11403 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
11404 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
11407 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
11408 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
11409 Insert the current date in numerical format
11410 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
11411 you were wondering.
11414 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
11415 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
11416 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
11417 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
11418 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
11423 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
11425 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
11426 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
11428 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
11429 e} to begin editing score files.
11432 @node Adaptive Scoring
11433 @section Adaptive Scoring
11434 @cindex adaptive scoring
11436 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
11437 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
11438 stupidity, to be precise.
11440 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
11441 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
11442 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
11443 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
11444 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
11445 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
11446 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
11447 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
11448 variable to @code{(word line)}.
11450 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
11451 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
11452 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
11453 might look something like this:
11456 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
11457 '((gnus-unread-mark)
11458 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
11459 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
11460 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
11461 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
11462 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
11463 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
11464 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
11465 (gnus-ancient-mark)
11466 (gnus-low-score-mark)
11467 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
11470 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
11471 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
11472 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
11473 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
11474 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
11475 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
11478 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
11479 will be applied to each article.
11481 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
11482 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
11483 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
11484 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
11486 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
11487 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
11488 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
11489 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
11491 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
11492 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
11493 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
11494 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
11496 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
11497 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
11498 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
11499 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
11500 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
11501 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
11503 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
11504 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
11505 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
11506 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
11507 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
11508 aspirins afterwards.)
11510 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
11511 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
11512 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
11514 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
11515 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
11516 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
11518 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
11519 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
11520 let you use different rules in different groups.
11522 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
11523 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
11524 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
11527 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
11528 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
11529 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
11530 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
11531 the length of the match is less than
11532 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
11533 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
11536 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
11537 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
11538 headers. If you adapt on words, the
11539 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
11540 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
11543 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
11544 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
11545 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
11546 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
11547 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
11550 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
11551 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
11552 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
11553 score with 30 points.
11555 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
11556 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
11557 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
11558 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
11559 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
11561 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
11562 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
11563 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
11564 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
11566 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
11567 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
11568 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
11570 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
11571 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
11572 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
11573 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
11576 @node Home Score File
11577 @section Home Score File
11579 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
11580 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
11581 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
11582 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
11584 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
11585 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
11586 could perhaps use the same home score file.
11588 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
11589 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
11594 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
11598 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
11599 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
11603 A list. The elements in this list can be:
11607 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
11608 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
11611 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
11612 the home score file.
11615 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
11618 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
11623 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
11626 (setq gnus-home-score-file
11627 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
11630 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
11631 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
11634 (setq gnus-home-score-file
11635 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
11638 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
11640 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
11641 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
11642 their own home score files:
11645 (setq gnus-home-score-file
11646 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
11647 '("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
11648 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
11649 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE"))
11652 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
11653 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
11654 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
11655 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
11656 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
11658 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
11659 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
11660 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
11661 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
11662 precedence over this variable.
11665 @node Followups To Yourself
11666 @section Followups To Yourself
11668 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
11669 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
11670 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
11671 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
11672 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
11673 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
11677 @item gnus-score-followup-article
11678 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
11679 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
11682 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
11683 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
11684 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
11688 @vindex message-sent-hook
11689 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
11690 @code{message-sent-hook}.
11692 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
11693 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
11697 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
11698 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
11701 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
11702 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
11707 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf@@.*eyesore.no>" 1000 nil r))
11710 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
11711 is system-dependent.
11715 @section Scoring Tips
11716 @cindex scoring tips
11722 @cindex scoring crossposts
11723 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
11724 the @code{Xref} header.
11726 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
11729 @item Multiple crossposts
11730 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
11731 more than, say, 3 groups:
11733 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
11736 @item Matching on the body
11737 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
11738 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
11739 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
11740 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
11741 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
11742 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
11743 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
11746 @item Marking as read
11747 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
11748 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
11749 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
11753 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
11755 @item Negated character classes
11756 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
11757 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
11758 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
11762 @node Reverse Scoring
11763 @section Reverse Scoring
11764 @cindex reverse scoring
11766 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
11767 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
11768 like this in your score file:
11772 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
11777 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
11778 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
11781 @node Global Score Files
11782 @section Global Score Files
11783 @cindex global score files
11785 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
11786 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
11787 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
11789 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
11790 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
11791 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
11793 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
11794 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
11795 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
11796 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
11797 files are applicable to which group.
11799 Say you want to use the score file
11800 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
11801 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
11804 (setq gnus-global-score-files
11805 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
11806 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
11809 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
11810 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
11811 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
11812 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
11813 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
11815 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
11816 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
11818 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
11819 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
11820 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
11821 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
11822 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
11823 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
11825 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
11831 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
11833 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
11835 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
11837 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
11838 lowered out of existence.
11840 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
11841 articles completely.
11844 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
11845 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
11846 old articles for a long time.
11849 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
11850 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
11851 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
11852 holding our breath yet?
11856 @section Kill Files
11859 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
11860 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
11861 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
11863 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
11864 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
11865 files into score files.
11867 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
11868 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
11869 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
11870 that isn't a very good idea.
11872 Normal kill files look like this:
11875 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11876 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
11880 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
11881 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
11883 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
11884 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
11887 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
11892 @kindex M-k (Summary)
11893 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
11894 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
11897 @kindex M-K (Summary)
11898 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
11899 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
11902 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
11907 @kindex M-k (Group)
11908 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
11909 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
11912 @kindex M-K (Group)
11913 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
11914 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
11917 Kill file variables:
11920 @item gnus-kill-file-name
11921 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
11922 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
11923 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
11924 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
11925 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
11926 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
11928 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
11929 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
11930 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
11931 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
11934 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
11935 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
11936 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
11937 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
11938 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
11939 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
11940 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
11941 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
11942 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
11944 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
11945 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
11946 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
11951 @node Converting Kill Files
11952 @section Converting Kill Files
11954 @cindex converting kill files
11956 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
11957 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
11958 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
11961 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
11962 You can fetch it from
11963 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
11965 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
11966 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
11967 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
11975 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
11976 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
11977 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
11979 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
11980 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
11981 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
11982 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
11983 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
11984 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
11985 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
11986 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
11990 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
11991 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
11992 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
11993 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
11997 @node Using GroupLens
11998 @subsection Using GroupLens
12000 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
12002 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
12003 better bit in town at the moment.
12005 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
12009 @item gnus-use-grouplens
12010 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
12011 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
12012 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
12014 @item grouplens-pseudonym
12015 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
12016 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
12017 with the Better Bit Bureau.
12019 @item grouplens-newsgroups
12020 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
12021 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
12025 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
12026 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
12027 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
12028 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
12029 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
12030 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
12033 @node Rating Articles
12034 @subsection Rating Articles
12036 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
12037 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
12038 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
12039 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
12042 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
12047 @kindex r (GroupLens)
12048 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
12049 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
12052 @kindex k (GroupLens)
12053 @findex grouplens-score-thread
12054 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
12055 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
12056 threads in rec.humor.
12060 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
12061 the score of the article you're reading.
12066 @kindex n (GroupLens)
12067 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
12068 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
12071 @kindex , (GroupLens)
12072 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
12073 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
12077 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
12078 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
12081 @node Displaying Predictions
12082 @subsection Displaying Predictions
12084 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
12085 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
12086 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
12087 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
12088 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
12090 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
12091 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
12092 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
12093 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
12094 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
12095 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
12096 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
12097 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
12098 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
12099 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
12100 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
12101 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
12102 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
12104 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
12105 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
12106 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
12107 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
12109 The following are legal values for that variable.
12112 @item prediction-spot
12113 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
12116 @item confidence-interval
12117 A numeric confidence interval.
12119 @item prediction-bar
12120 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
12122 @item confidence-bar
12123 Numerical confidence.
12125 @item confidence-spot
12126 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
12128 @item prediction-num
12129 Plain-old numeric value.
12131 @item confidence-plus-minus
12132 Prediction +/- confidence.
12137 @node GroupLens Variables
12138 @subsection GroupLens Variables
12142 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
12143 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
12144 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
12145 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
12148 @item grouplens-bbb-host
12149 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
12152 @item grouplens-bbb-port
12153 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
12155 @item grouplens-score-offset
12156 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
12157 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
12160 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
12161 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
12162 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
12167 @node Advanced Scoring
12168 @section Advanced Scoring
12170 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
12171 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
12172 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
12173 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
12174 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
12176 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
12180 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
12181 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
12182 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
12186 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
12187 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
12189 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
12190 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
12191 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
12192 non-@code{nil} value.
12194 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
12195 operator, and various match operators.
12202 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
12203 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
12204 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
12209 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
12210 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
12211 then this operator will return @code{false}.
12216 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
12217 logical negation of the value of its argument.
12221 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
12222 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
12223 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
12224 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
12225 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
12226 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
12227 the ancestry you want to go.
12229 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
12230 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
12231 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
12232 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
12233 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
12236 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
12237 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
12239 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
12240 when he's talking about Gnus:
12244 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12245 ("subject" "Gnus"))
12251 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
12255 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12262 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
12263 really don't want to read what he's written:
12267 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12268 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
12272 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
12273 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
12274 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
12281 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
12282 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
12283 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
12284 ("body" "white.*socks"))
12288 The possibilities are endless.
12291 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
12292 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
12294 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
12295 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
12296 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
12297 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
12298 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
12299 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
12300 @samp{subject}) first.
12302 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
12303 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
12314 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
12315 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
12321 ("subject" "Gnus")))
12328 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
12329 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
12334 @section Score Decays
12335 @cindex score decays
12338 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
12339 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
12340 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
12341 use them in any sensible way.
12343 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
12344 @findex gnus-decay-score
12345 @vindex gnus-score-decay-function
12346 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
12347 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
12348 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
12349 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
12350 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-score-decay-function}
12351 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
12352 definition of that function:
12355 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
12356 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant' and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
12359 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
12361 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
12363 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
12366 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
12367 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
12368 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
12369 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
12373 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
12376 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
12379 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
12383 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
12384 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
12385 the new score, which should be an integer.
12387 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
12388 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
12395 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
12396 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
12397 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
12398 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
12399 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
12400 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
12401 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
12402 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
12403 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
12404 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
12405 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
12406 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
12407 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
12408 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
12409 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
12410 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolited commercial email.
12411 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
12415 @node Process/Prefix
12416 @section Process/Prefix
12417 @cindex process/prefix convention
12419 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
12420 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
12422 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
12423 command to be performed on.
12427 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
12428 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
12429 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
12430 with the current one.
12432 @vindex transient-mark-mode
12433 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
12434 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
12436 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
12437 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
12440 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
12441 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
12443 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
12446 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
12447 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
12448 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
12449 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12451 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
12452 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
12453 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
12454 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
12455 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
12456 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
12457 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
12458 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
12462 @section Interactive
12463 @cindex interaction
12467 @item gnus-novice-user
12468 @vindex gnus-novice-user
12469 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
12470 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
12471 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
12472 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
12475 @item gnus-expert-user
12476 @vindex gnus-expert-user
12477 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will never ever be asked any
12478 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
12479 matter how strange.
12481 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
12482 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
12483 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
12484 is @code{t} by default.
12486 @item gnus-interactive-exit
12487 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
12488 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
12493 @node Formatting Variables
12494 @section Formatting Variables
12495 @cindex formatting variables
12497 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
12498 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
12499 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
12500 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
12503 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
12504 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
12505 lots of percentages everywhere.
12508 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
12509 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
12510 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
12511 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
12514 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
12515 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
12516 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
12517 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
12518 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
12519 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
12520 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
12521 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
12523 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
12524 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
12526 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
12527 @findex gnus-update-format
12528 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
12529 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
12530 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
12531 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
12535 @node Formatting Basics
12536 @subsection Formatting Basics
12538 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
12539 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
12540 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
12542 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
12543 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
12544 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
12545 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
12546 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
12549 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
12550 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
12551 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
12552 less than 4 characters wide.
12555 @node Advanced Formatting
12556 @subsection Advanced Formatting
12558 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
12559 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
12560 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
12561 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
12563 These are the legal modifiers:
12568 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
12572 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
12577 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
12580 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
12585 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
12588 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
12591 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
12594 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
12598 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
12599 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
12600 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
12601 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
12602 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
12603 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
12604 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
12606 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
12607 last operation, padding.
12609 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
12610 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
12611 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
12612 @xref{Compilation}.
12615 @node User-Defined Specs
12616 @subsection User-Defined Specs
12618 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
12619 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
12620 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
12621 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
12622 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
12623 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
12624 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
12625 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
12626 should protect against that.
12628 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
12629 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
12630 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
12631 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
12635 @node Formatting Fonts
12636 @subsection Formatting Fonts
12638 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
12639 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
12640 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
12641 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
12644 Text inside the @samp{%[} and @samp{%]} specifiers will have their
12645 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
12646 default. If you say @samp{%1[}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
12647 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
12648 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
12649 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
12651 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
12654 ;; Create three face types.
12655 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
12656 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
12658 ;; We want the article count to be in
12659 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
12660 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
12661 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
12663 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
12664 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
12666 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
12667 (setq gnus-group-line-format
12668 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
12671 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
12672 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
12674 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
12675 mode-line variables.
12678 @node Windows Configuration
12679 @section Windows Configuration
12680 @cindex windows configuration
12682 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
12684 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
12685 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
12686 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
12687 @code{t} by default.
12689 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
12690 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
12691 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
12694 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
12695 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
12696 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
12700 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
12701 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
12702 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
12703 possible names is listed below.
12705 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
12706 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
12709 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
12713 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
12714 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
12715 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
12716 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
12717 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
12718 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
12719 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
12720 size spec per split.
12722 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
12725 Here's a more complicated example:
12728 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
12729 (summary 0.25 point)
12730 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
12734 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
12735 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
12736 occupy, not a percentage.
12738 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
12739 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
12740 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
12741 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
12742 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
12745 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
12748 (article (horizontal 1.0
12753 (summary 0.25 point)
12758 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
12759 @code{horizontal} thingie?
12761 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
12762 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
12763 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
12764 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
12765 the screen is to be given to this strip.
12767 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
12768 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
12769 lines from the splits.
12771 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a legal split
12775 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
12776 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
12777 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
12778 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
12779 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] ")"
12780 size = number | frame-params
12781 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
12784 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
12785 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
12786 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
12787 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
12789 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
12790 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
12791 @cindex window height
12792 @cindex window width
12793 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
12794 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
12795 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
12796 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
12797 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
12798 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
12800 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
12801 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
12802 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
12803 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
12805 @findex gnus-configure-frame
12806 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
12807 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
12808 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
12809 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
12810 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
12811 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
12812 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
12813 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
12814 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
12815 configuration list.
12818 (gnus-configure-frame
12822 (article 0.3 point))
12830 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
12831 @code{frame} split:
12834 (gnus-configure-frame
12837 (summary 0.25 point)
12839 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
12840 (user-position . t)
12841 (left . -1) (top . 1))
12846 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
12847 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
12848 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
12849 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
12850 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
12851 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
12852 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
12853 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
12856 Here's a list of all possible keys for
12857 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
12859 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
12860 @code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
12861 @code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
12862 @code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
12863 @code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft}, @code{pipe},
12864 @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}.
12866 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
12867 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
12868 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
12872 (message (horizontal 1.0
12873 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
12875 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
12880 @findex gnus-add-configuration
12881 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
12882 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
12883 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
12884 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
12887 (gnus-add-configuration
12888 '(article (vertical 1.0
12890 (summary .25 point)
12894 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
12895 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
12896 Gnus has been loaded.
12898 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
12899 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
12900 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
12901 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
12902 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
12906 @section Compilation
12907 @cindex compilation
12908 @cindex byte-compilation
12910 @findex gnus-compile
12912 Remember all those line format specification variables?
12913 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
12914 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
12915 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
12916 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
12917 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
12920 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
12921 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
12922 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
12923 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
12924 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
12925 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
12926 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
12930 @section Mode Lines
12933 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
12934 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
12935 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
12936 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
12937 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
12938 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
12939 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
12942 @cindex display-time
12944 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
12945 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
12946 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
12947 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
12948 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
12949 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
12950 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
12951 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
12954 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
12956 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
12957 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
12959 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
12960 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
12961 (length display-time-string)))))
12964 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
12965 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
12966 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
12967 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
12968 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
12971 @node Highlighting and Menus
12972 @section Highlighting and Menus
12974 @cindex highlighting
12977 @vindex gnus-visual
12978 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
12979 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
12980 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
12983 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
12984 following elements are legal, and are all included by default:
12987 @item group-highlight
12988 Do highlights in the group buffer.
12989 @item summary-highlight
12990 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
12991 @item article-highlight
12992 Do highlights in the article buffer.
12994 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
12996 Create menus in the group buffer.
12998 Create menus in the summary buffers.
13000 Create menus in the article buffer.
13002 Create menus in the browse buffer.
13004 Create menus in the server buffer.
13006 Create menus in the score buffers.
13008 Create menus in all buffers.
13011 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
13012 buffers, you could say something like:
13015 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
13018 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
13021 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
13024 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
13025 in all Gnus buffers.
13027 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
13030 @item gnus-mouse-face
13031 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
13032 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
13033 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
13037 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
13041 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
13042 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
13043 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
13045 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
13046 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
13047 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
13049 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
13050 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
13051 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
13053 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
13054 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
13055 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
13057 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
13058 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
13059 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
13061 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
13062 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
13063 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
13074 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
13075 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
13076 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
13077 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
13078 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
13082 @vindex gnus-carpal
13083 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
13084 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
13085 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
13090 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
13091 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
13092 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
13094 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
13095 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
13096 Face used on buttons.
13098 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
13099 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
13100 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
13102 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
13103 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
13104 Buttons in the group buffer.
13106 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
13107 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
13108 Buttons in the summary buffer.
13110 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
13111 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
13112 Buttons in the server buffer.
13114 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
13115 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
13116 Buttons in the browse buffer.
13119 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
13120 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
13121 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
13129 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
13130 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
13131 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
13132 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
13133 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
13135 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
13136 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
13137 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
13139 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
13140 been idle for thirty minutes:
13143 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
13146 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
13150 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
13153 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
13154 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
13155 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
13157 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
13158 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
13159 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
13160 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
13162 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
13163 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
13164 @var{idle} minutes.
13166 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
13167 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
13170 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
13171 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
13172 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
13174 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
13175 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
13176 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
13177 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
13179 @vindex gnus-use-demon
13180 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
13181 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
13183 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
13184 your @file{.gnus} file:
13186 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
13188 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
13191 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
13192 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
13193 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
13194 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
13195 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
13196 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
13197 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
13198 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
13199 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
13200 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
13202 @findex gnus-demon-init
13203 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
13204 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
13205 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
13206 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
13207 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
13209 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you overdo it. Adding
13210 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
13211 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
13220 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
13221 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
13223 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
13224 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
13225 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
13226 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
13229 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
13230 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
13231 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
13232 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
13234 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
13235 this will make spam disappear.
13237 There are some variables to customize, of course:
13240 @item gnus-use-nocem
13241 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
13242 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
13245 @item gnus-nocem-groups
13246 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
13247 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
13248 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
13249 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
13251 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
13252 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
13253 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
13254 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
13255 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;" "jem@@xpat.com;" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
13256 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
13258 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
13261 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
13262 @cindex Chris Lewis
13263 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
13264 usenet abuse than anybody else.
13267 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
13268 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
13269 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
13271 @item jem@@xpat.com;
13273 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
13276 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
13277 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
13278 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
13281 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
13282 ones you want to listen to.
13284 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
13285 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
13287 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
13288 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
13289 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
13290 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
13292 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
13293 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
13296 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
13298 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
13306 This might be dangerous, though.
13308 @item gnus-nocem-directory
13309 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
13310 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
13311 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
13313 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
13314 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
13315 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
13316 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
13317 might then see old spam.
13321 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
13322 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
13323 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
13324 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
13332 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-att.ps}
13333 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-berkeley.ps}
13334 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-caltech.ps}
13335 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-canada.ps}
13336 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-cr.ps}
13337 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-cygnus.ps}
13338 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-gov.ps}
13339 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-mit.ps}
13340 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-nasa.ps}
13341 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-qmw.ps}
13342 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-rms.ps}
13343 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-ruu.ps}
13347 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
13348 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
13349 over your shoulder as you read news.
13352 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
13353 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
13354 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
13355 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
13356 * Picon Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
13361 @subsection Picon Basics
13363 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
13366 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
13367 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
13368 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
13369 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
13370 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
13371 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
13372 @code{GIF} formats.
13375 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases, point
13376 your Web browser at
13377 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
13379 @vindex gnus-picons-database
13380 Gnus expects picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
13381 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
13384 @node Picon Requirements
13385 @subsection Picon Requirements
13387 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
13388 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
13391 Additionally, you must have @code{xpm} support compiled into XEmacs.
13393 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
13394 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you must have
13395 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
13396 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
13400 @subsection Easy Picons
13402 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
13403 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
13406 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
13407 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
13408 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-prepare-hook 'gnus-group-display-picons t)
13409 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
13414 @subsection Hard Picons
13416 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
13417 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
13418 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
13419 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
13420 feature, you need to first decide where to display them.
13424 @item gnus-picons-display-where
13425 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
13426 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
13427 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
13428 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
13429 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
13430 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
13431 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
13437 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-seuu.ps}
13438 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-stanford.ps}
13439 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-sun.ps}
13440 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-ubc.ps}
13441 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-ufl.ps}
13442 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-uio.ps}
13443 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-unit.ps}
13444 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-upenn.ps}
13445 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-wesleyan.ps}
13449 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
13450 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
13452 Now that you've made that decision, you need to add the following
13453 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get
13454 displayed at the right time.
13456 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
13457 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
13459 @item gnus-article-display-picons
13460 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
13461 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
13462 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to the
13463 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
13465 @item gnus-group-display-picons
13466 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
13467 Displays picons representing the current group. This function should
13468 be added to the @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook} or to the
13469 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} if @code{gnus-picons-display-where}
13470 is set to @code{article}.
13472 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
13473 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
13474 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
13475 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
13479 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
13480 for the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
13483 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
13487 @node Picon Configuration
13488 @subsection Picon Configuration
13490 The following variables offer further control over how things are
13491 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
13492 don't need to worry about.
13495 @item gnus-picons-database
13496 @vindex gnus-picons-database
13497 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
13498 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
13499 subdirectories. Defaults to @file{/usr/local/faces}.
13501 @item gnus-picons-news-directory
13502 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directory
13503 Sub-directory of the faces database containing the icons for
13506 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
13507 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
13508 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
13509 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
13511 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
13512 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
13513 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
13514 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
13515 want to add @samp{unknown} to this list.
13517 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
13518 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
13519 The command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
13520 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
13521 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
13522 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
13524 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
13525 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
13526 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
13527 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
13529 @item gnus-picons-buffer
13530 @vindex gnus-picons-buffer
13531 The name of the buffer that @code{picons} points to. Defaults to
13532 @samp{*Icon Buffer*}.
13541 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
13542 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
13543 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
13545 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
13546 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
13547 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
13548 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
13549 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
13550 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
13551 @code{undo} function.
13553 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
13554 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
13555 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
13556 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
13557 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
13558 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
13559 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
13560 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
13561 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
13562 never be totally undoable.
13564 @findex gnus-undo-mode
13565 @vindex gnus-use-undo
13567 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
13568 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
13569 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
13570 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
13575 @section Moderation
13578 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
13579 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
13580 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
13583 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
13587 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
13590 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
13592 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
13597 You split your incoming mail by matching on
13598 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
13599 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
13602 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
13603 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
13606 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
13607 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
13611 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
13614 (setq gnus-moderated-list
13615 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
13619 @node XEmacs Enhancements
13620 @section XEmacs Enhancements
13623 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
13624 advantage of that. Relevant variables include:
13627 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
13628 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
13629 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
13630 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
13631 unusual directory structure.
13633 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
13634 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
13635 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
13636 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
13638 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
13639 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
13640 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
13641 Legal values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
13642 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
13643 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
13645 @item gnus-use-toolbar
13646 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
13647 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
13648 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
13649 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
13651 @item gnus-group-toolbar
13652 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
13653 The toolbar in the group buffer.
13655 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
13656 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
13657 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
13659 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
13660 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
13661 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
13663 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
13664 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
13665 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
13671 @node Fuzzy Matching
13672 @section Fuzzy Matching
13673 @cindex fuzzy matching
13675 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
13676 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
13678 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
13679 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
13680 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
13682 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
13683 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
13684 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
13685 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
13686 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
13689 @node Thwarting Email Spam
13690 @section Thwarting Email Spam
13694 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
13696 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
13697 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
13698 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
13699 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
13700 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
13701 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
13702 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
13703 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
13706 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
13707 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
13708 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
13709 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
13710 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrouos hair on your toes!'')
13711 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
13715 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
13716 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
13718 First, pick one (1) legal mail address that you can be reached at, and
13719 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
13720 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
13721 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
13722 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
13723 part of the mail address.)
13726 (setq message-default-news-headers
13727 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
13730 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13731 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
13736 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
13737 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
13738 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
13744 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
13745 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
13746 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
13747 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
13749 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
13750 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
13751 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
13752 twarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
13753 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
13754 your fancy split rule in this way:
13759 (to "larsi" "misc")
13763 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
13764 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
13765 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
13766 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
13767 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
13769 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
13770 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, availiable FOR FREE
13771 at @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
13772 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
13773 cosmic balance somewhat.
13775 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
13776 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
13777 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
13778 to non-existant domains is yucky, in my opinion.
13781 @node Various Various
13782 @section Various Various
13788 @item gnus-home-directory
13789 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
13790 defaults to @file{~/}.
13792 @item gnus-directory
13793 @vindex gnus-directory
13794 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
13795 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
13796 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
13798 @item gnus-default-directory
13799 @vindex gnus-default-directory
13800 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
13801 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
13802 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
13803 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
13804 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
13805 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
13808 @vindex gnus-verbose
13809 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
13810 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
13811 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
13812 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
13813 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
13815 @item gnus-verbose-backends
13816 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
13817 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
13818 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
13820 @item nnheader-max-head-length
13821 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
13822 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
13823 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
13824 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
13825 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
13826 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
13827 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
13828 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
13829 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
13831 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
13832 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
13833 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
13834 read when doing the operation described above.
13836 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
13837 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
13839 @cindex illegal characters in file names
13840 @cindex characters in file names
13841 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
13842 For instance, if @samp{:} is illegal as a file character in file names
13843 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
13846 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
13850 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
13851 Windows (phooey) systems.
13853 @item gnus-hidden-properties
13854 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
13855 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
13856 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
13857 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
13859 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
13860 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
13861 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
13862 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
13863 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
13865 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
13866 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
13867 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
13876 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
13877 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
13879 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
13881 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
13887 Not because of victories @*
13890 but for the common sunshine,@*
13892 the largess of the spring.
13896 but for the day's work done@*
13897 as well as I was able;@*
13898 not for a seat upon the dais@*
13899 but at the common table.@*
13904 @chapter Appendices
13907 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
13908 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
13909 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
13910 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
13911 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
13912 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
13913 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
13921 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
13922 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
13924 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
13925 can point your (feh!) web browser to
13926 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
13927 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
13928 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
13930 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
13931 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
13932 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
13933 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
13934 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
13935 appropriate name, don't you think?)
13937 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
13938 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
13939 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
13940 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
13942 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
13943 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
13944 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
13946 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
13947 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
13949 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
13950 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4''.
13952 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
13953 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
13954 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
13955 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
13956 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
13960 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
13961 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
13962 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
13963 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
13964 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
13965 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
13966 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
13973 What's the point of Gnus?
13975 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
13976 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
13977 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
13978 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
13979 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
13980 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
13981 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
13982 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
13983 keep track of millions of people who post?
13985 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
13986 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
13987 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
13988 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
13989 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
13990 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
13991 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
13992 every one of you to explore and invent.
13994 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
13995 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
13998 @node Compatibility
13999 @subsection Compatibility
14001 @cindex compatibility
14002 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
14003 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
14004 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
14009 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
14013 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
14016 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
14019 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
14020 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
14021 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
14022 important variables have their values copied into their global
14023 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
14024 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
14026 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
14027 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
14028 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
14029 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
14030 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
14034 @cindex highlighting
14035 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
14036 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
14037 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
14038 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
14039 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
14040 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
14043 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
14044 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
14045 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
14046 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
14048 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
14049 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
14050 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
14051 to stop doing it the old way.
14053 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
14055 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
14057 @cindex reporting bugs
14059 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
14060 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
14061 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
14065 @subsection Conformity
14067 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
14068 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
14075 There are no known breaches of this standard.
14079 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
14081 @item Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
14082 @cindex Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
14083 Gnus has been through the Seal process and failed. I think it'll pass
14084 the next inspection.
14086 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
14087 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
14088 We do have some breaches to this one.
14093 Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
14094 MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
14097 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
14098 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
14099 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
14100 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
14101 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
14106 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
14107 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
14112 @subsection Emacsen
14118 Gnus should work on :
14123 Emacs 19.32 and up.
14126 XEmacs 19.14 and up.
14129 Mule versions based on Emacs 19.32 and up.
14133 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
14134 reliably, at least.
14136 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
14137 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
14138 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
14143 @subsection Contributors
14144 @cindex contributors
14146 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
14147 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
14148 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
14149 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
14150 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
14151 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
14152 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
14153 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
14154 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
14155 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
14157 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
14163 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
14166 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
14167 well as numerous other things).
14170 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
14173 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
14176 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
14177 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
14180 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
14183 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
14184 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
14187 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
14190 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
14193 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
14196 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
14199 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinsky---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
14200 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
14203 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
14206 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
14209 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
14212 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
14216 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
14219 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
14222 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
14225 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports.
14229 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
14230 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
14232 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
14241 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
14245 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
14260 Massimo Campostrini,
14265 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
14270 Michael Welsh Duggan,
14277 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
14282 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
14286 François Felix Ingrand,
14287 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
14294 Peter Skov Knudsen,
14295 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
14296 Thor Kristoffersen,
14311 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
14312 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
14318 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
14323 John McClary Prevost,
14331 Philippe Schnoebelen,
14332 Randal L. Schwartz,
14353 Katsumi Yamaoka. @c Yamaoka
14355 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
14356 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
14357 (550kB and counting).
14359 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
14362 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
14363 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
14367 @subsection New Features
14368 @cindex new features
14371 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
14372 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
14373 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
14376 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
14377 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
14378 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
14382 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
14384 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
14389 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
14390 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
14393 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
14394 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
14397 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
14400 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
14401 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
14402 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
14405 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
14406 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
14407 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
14408 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
14411 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
14412 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
14415 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
14416 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
14417 (@pxref{The Active File}).
14420 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
14421 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
14424 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
14425 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
14426 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
14429 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
14430 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
14431 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
14434 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
14435 the @file{.emacs} file.
14438 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
14439 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14442 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
14443 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
14446 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
14447 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
14450 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
14451 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
14454 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
14455 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
14458 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
14461 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
14462 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
14465 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
14466 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
14469 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
14470 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
14473 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
14476 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
14477 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
14480 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
14484 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
14488 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
14489 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
14492 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
14498 @node September Gnus
14499 @subsubsection September Gnus
14501 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
14506 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
14507 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
14511 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
14512 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
14516 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
14520 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
14521 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
14524 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
14528 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
14531 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
14534 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
14537 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
14541 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
14542 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
14545 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
14549 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
14553 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
14557 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
14561 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
14564 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
14565 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
14568 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
14572 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
14573 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
14576 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
14579 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
14580 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
14581 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
14584 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
14588 The Gnus cache is much faster.
14591 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
14595 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
14596 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14599 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
14600 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
14603 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
14604 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14607 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
14608 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
14609 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
14612 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
14613 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
14616 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
14619 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
14622 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
14623 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
14627 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
14630 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
14633 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
14634 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
14637 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
14641 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
14644 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
14647 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
14651 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
14654 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
14658 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
14661 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
14664 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
14665 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
14668 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
14669 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
14673 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
14674 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
14677 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
14681 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
14682 buffer to allow easier treatment.
14685 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
14688 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
14692 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
14696 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
14697 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
14700 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
14704 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
14705 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
14708 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
14709 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
14712 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
14716 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
14719 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
14720 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers t)
14724 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
14727 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
14733 @subsubsection Red Gnus
14735 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
14740 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
14743 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
14744 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
14747 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
14748 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
14752 Article washing status can be displayed in the
14753 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
14756 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
14759 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
14760 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
14763 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
14767 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
14768 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
14772 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
14773 Server Internals}).
14776 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
14780 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
14783 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
14784 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
14787 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
14788 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
14789 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
14792 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
14793 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
14796 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
14797 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
14800 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
14804 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
14805 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
14808 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
14809 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
14812 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
14816 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
14819 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
14823 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
14824 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
14827 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
14828 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
14831 A new command for reading collections of documents
14832 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
14833 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
14836 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
14840 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
14841 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
14844 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
14845 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
14846 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
14849 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
14850 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
14854 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
14858 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
14862 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
14866 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
14870 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
14871 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
14874 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
14877 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-emphasize)
14883 @node Newest Features
14884 @subsection Newest Features
14887 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
14890 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
14894 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
14896 Really do unbinhexing.
14899 And much, much, much more. There is more to come than has already been
14900 implemented. (But that's always true, isn't it?)
14902 @file{<URL:http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/rgnus/todo>} is where the actual
14903 up-to-the-second todo list is located, so if you're really curious, you
14904 could point your Web browser over that-a-way.
14909 @section The Manual
14913 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
14914 either @code{texi2dvi}
14916 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
14917 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
14919 to get what you hold in your hands now.
14921 The following conventions have been used:
14926 This is a @samp{string}
14929 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
14932 This is a @file{file}
14935 This is a @code{symbol}
14939 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
14943 (setq flargnoze "yes")
14946 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
14949 (setq flumphel 'yes)
14952 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
14953 ever get them confused.
14957 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
14958 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
14959 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
14960 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
14961 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
14962 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
14963 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
14970 @section Terminology
14972 @cindex terminology
14977 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
14978 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
14979 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
14980 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
14981 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
14985 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
14986 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
14987 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
14988 not posting, and replying is not following up.
14992 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
14996 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
15001 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
15002 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
15003 is all done by the backends.
15007 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
15008 default, way of getting news.
15012 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
15013 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
15018 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
15019 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
15023 A message that has been posted as news.
15026 @cindex mail message
15027 A message that has been mailed.
15031 A mail message or news article
15035 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
15040 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
15045 A line from the head of an article.
15049 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
15050 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
15054 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
15055 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
15056 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
15057 normal @sc{head} format.
15061 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
15062 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
15063 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
15064 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
15065 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
15066 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
15068 @item killed groups
15069 @cindex killed groups
15070 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
15071 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
15073 @item zombie groups
15074 @cindex zombie groups
15075 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
15078 @cindex active file
15079 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
15080 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
15081 is rather large, as you might surmise.
15084 @cindex bogus groups
15085 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
15086 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
15087 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
15091 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
15093 @item select method
15094 @cindex select method
15095 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
15098 @item virtual server
15099 @cindex virtual server
15100 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
15101 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
15102 whole is a virtual server.
15106 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
15107 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
15110 @item ephemeral groups
15111 @cindex ephemeral groups
15112 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
15113 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
15114 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
15117 @cindex solid groups
15118 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
15119 group buffer are solid groups.
15121 @item sparse articles
15122 @cindex sparse articles
15123 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
15124 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
15129 @node Customization
15130 @section Customization
15131 @cindex general customization
15133 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
15134 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
15135 for some quite common situations.
15138 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
15139 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
15140 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
15141 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
15145 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
15146 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
15148 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
15149 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
15150 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
15154 @item gnus-read-active-file
15155 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
15156 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
15157 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
15158 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
15159 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
15161 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
15162 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
15163 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
15164 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
15168 @node Slow Terminal Connection
15169 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
15171 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
15172 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
15173 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
15177 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
15178 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
15179 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
15180 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
15181 horizontal and vertical recentering.
15183 @item gnus-visible-headers
15184 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
15185 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
15186 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
15187 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
15189 @item gnus-article-display-hook
15190 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
15192 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
15193 '(gnus-article-hide-headers gnus-article-hide-signature
15194 gnus-article-hide-citation))
15197 @item gnus-use-full-window
15198 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
15199 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
15200 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
15201 want to read them anyway.
15203 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
15204 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
15207 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
15208 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
15209 lines, which might save some time.
15213 @node Little Disk Space
15214 @subsection Little Disk Space
15217 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
15218 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
15222 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
15223 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
15224 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
15225 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
15228 @item gnus-save-killed-list
15229 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
15230 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
15231 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
15232 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
15238 @subsection Slow Machine
15239 @cindex slow machine
15241 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
15242 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
15244 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
15245 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
15247 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
15248 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
15249 summary buffer faster.
15251 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
15252 processing a bit faster.
15255 @node Troubleshooting
15256 @section Troubleshooting
15257 @cindex troubleshooting
15259 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
15267 Make sure your computer is switched on.
15270 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
15271 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
15275 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
15276 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
15277 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
15278 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
15281 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
15285 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
15286 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
15287 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
15288 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
15289 something like that.
15292 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
15295 @cindex reporting bugs
15297 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
15299 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
15300 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
15301 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
15302 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
15304 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
15305 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
15306 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
15307 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
15310 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
15311 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
15312 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
15313 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
15314 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
15315 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
15317 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
15318 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
15319 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
15322 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
15323 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
15325 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
15326 @cindex ding mailing list
15327 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
15328 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
15331 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
15332 @section A Programmer@'s Guide to Gnus
15334 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
15335 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
15336 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
15337 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
15340 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
15341 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
15342 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
15343 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
15344 and general methods of operation.
15347 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
15348 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
15349 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
15350 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
15351 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
15352 * Group Info:: The group info format.
15353 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
15354 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
15358 @node Gnus Utility Functions
15359 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
15360 @cindex Gnus utility functions
15361 @cindex utility functions
15363 @cindex internal variables
15365 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
15366 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
15367 Below is a list of the most common ones.
15371 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
15372 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
15373 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
15375 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
15376 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
15377 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
15379 @item gnus-group-real-name
15380 @findex gnus-group-real-name
15381 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
15384 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
15385 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
15386 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
15387 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
15389 @item gnus-get-info
15390 @findex gnus-get-info
15391 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
15393 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
15394 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
15395 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
15398 @item gnus-continuum-version
15399 @findex gnus-continuum-version
15400 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
15401 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
15404 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
15405 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
15406 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
15408 @item gnus-news-group-p
15409 @findex gnus-news-group-p
15410 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
15412 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
15413 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
15414 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
15416 @item gnus-server-to-method
15417 @findex gnus-server-to-method
15418 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
15420 @item gnus-server-equal
15421 @findex gnus-server-equal
15422 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
15424 @item gnus-group-native-p
15425 @findex gnus-group-native-p
15426 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
15428 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
15429 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
15430 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
15432 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
15433 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
15434 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
15436 @item group-group-find-parameter
15437 @findex group-group-find-parameter
15438 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
15439 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
15441 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
15442 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
15443 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
15445 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
15446 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
15447 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
15449 @item gnus-check-backend-function
15450 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
15451 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
15452 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
15455 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
15459 @item gnus-read-method
15460 @findex gnus-read-method
15461 Prompts the user for a select method.
15466 @node Backend Interface
15467 @subsection Backend Interface
15469 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
15470 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
15471 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
15472 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
15473 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
15474 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
15476 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
15477 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
15478 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
15479 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
15480 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
15481 been opened, the function should fail.
15483 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
15484 name. Take this example:
15488 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
15489 (nntp-port-number 4324))
15492 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
15493 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
15495 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
15496 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
15497 server environments that they pull down/pushe up when needed.
15499 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
15500 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
15501 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
15503 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
15504 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
15505 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
15506 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
15507 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
15508 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
15511 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
15512 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
15513 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
15514 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
15517 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
15520 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
15523 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
15524 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
15525 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
15526 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
15527 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
15528 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
15532 @node Required Backend Functions
15533 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
15537 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
15539 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
15540 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
15541 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
15542 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
15544 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
15545 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
15546 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
15547 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
15549 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
15550 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
15551 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
15552 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
15553 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
15554 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
15555 number, do maximum fetches.
15557 Here's an example HEAD:
15560 221 1056 Article retrieved.
15561 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
15562 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
15563 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
15564 Subject: Re: Something very droll
15565 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
15566 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
15568 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
15569 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
15570 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
15574 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
15575 these in the data buffer.
15577 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
15581 head = error / valid-head
15582 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
15583 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
15584 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
15585 header = <text> eol
15588 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
15589 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
15593 nov-buffer = *nov-line
15594 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
15595 field = <text except TAB>
15598 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
15602 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
15604 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
15605 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
15607 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
15608 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
15609 server. In fact, it should do so.
15611 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
15612 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
15615 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
15617 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
15618 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
15621 There should be no data returned.
15624 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
15626 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
15627 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
15628 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
15629 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
15631 There should be no data returned.
15634 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
15636 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
15637 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
15638 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
15639 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
15641 There should be no data returned.
15644 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
15646 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
15648 There should be no data returned.
15651 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
15653 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
15654 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
15655 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
15656 it would be nice if that were possible.
15658 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
15659 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
15660 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
15661 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
15662 into its article buffer.
15664 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
15665 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
15666 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
15667 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
15668 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
15669 on successful article retrieval.
15672 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
15674 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
15675 making @var{group} the current group.
15677 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
15680 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
15683 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
15686 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
15687 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
15688 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
15689 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
15690 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
15691 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
15692 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
15693 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
15696 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
15697 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
15698 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
15702 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
15704 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
15705 a no-op on most backends.
15707 There should be no data returned.
15710 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
15712 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
15715 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
15718 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
15719 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
15722 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
15723 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
15726 active-file = *active-line
15727 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
15729 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
15732 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
15733 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
15734 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
15737 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
15739 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
15740 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
15741 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
15742 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
15743 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
15744 clear if the posting could not be completed.
15746 There should be no result data from this function.
15751 @node Optional Backend Functions
15752 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
15756 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
15758 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
15759 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
15760 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
15762 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
15763 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
15764 former is in the same format as the data from
15765 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
15766 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
15769 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
15773 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
15775 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
15776 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
15777 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
15778 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
15779 should return the (altered) group info.
15781 There should be no result data from this function.
15784 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
15786 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
15787 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
15788 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
15789 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
15790 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
15791 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
15792 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
15793 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
15795 There should be no result data from this function.
15798 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
15800 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
15801 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
15802 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
15803 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
15804 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
15806 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
15807 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
15808 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
15811 There should be no result data from this function.
15814 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
15816 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
15817 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
15818 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
15819 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
15820 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
15821 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
15822 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
15824 There should be no result data from this function.
15827 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
15829 The result data from this function should be a description of
15833 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
15835 description = <text>
15838 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
15840 The result data from this function should be the description of all
15841 groups available on the server.
15844 description-buffer = *description-line
15848 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
15850 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
15851 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
15852 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
15855 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
15857 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
15859 There should be no return data.
15862 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
15864 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
15865 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
15866 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
15867 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
15868 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
15871 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
15874 There should be no result data returned.
15877 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
15880 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
15881 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
15883 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
15884 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
15885 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
15886 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
15887 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
15888 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
15890 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
15891 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
15894 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
15895 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
15897 There should be no data returned.
15900 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
15902 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
15903 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
15904 this function in short order.
15906 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
15907 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
15909 There should be no data returned.
15912 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
15914 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
15915 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
15917 There should be no data returned.
15920 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
15922 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
15923 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
15924 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
15926 There should be no data returned.
15929 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
15931 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
15932 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
15934 There should be no data returned.
15939 @node Error Messaging
15940 @subsubsection Error Messaging
15942 @findex nnheader-report
15943 @findex nnheader-get-report
15944 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
15945 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
15946 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
15947 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
15948 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
15949 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
15952 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
15954 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
15957 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
15958 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
15959 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
15960 takes one argument---the server symbol.
15962 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
15963 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
15964 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
15967 @node Writing New Backends
15968 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
15970 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
15971 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
15972 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
15973 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
15974 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
15977 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
15978 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
15979 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
15981 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
15982 package called @code{nnoo}.
15984 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
15985 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
15991 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
15992 parameters. For instance:
15995 (nnoo-declare nndir
15999 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
16000 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
16003 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
16004 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
16005 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
16007 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
16008 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
16009 a function in those backends.
16012 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
16013 "Where nndir will look for groups."
16014 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
16017 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
16018 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
16019 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
16021 @item nnoo-define-basics
16022 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
16026 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
16030 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
16031 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
16032 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
16034 @item nnoo-map-functions
16035 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
16036 functions from the parent backends.
16039 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
16040 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
16041 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
16044 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
16045 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
16046 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
16047 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
16050 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
16051 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
16052 haven't already been defined.
16058 nnmh-request-newgroups)
16062 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
16063 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
16064 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
16069 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
16072 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
16073 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
16077 (require 'nnheader)
16081 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
16083 (nnoo-declare nndir
16086 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
16087 "Where nndir will look for groups."
16088 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
16090 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
16091 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
16094 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
16095 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
16096 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
16098 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
16099 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
16101 ;;; Interface functions.
16103 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
16105 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
16106 (setq nndir-directory
16107 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
16109 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
16110 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
16111 (push `(nndir-current-group
16112 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
16114 (push `(nndir-top-directory
16115 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
16117 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
16119 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
16120 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
16121 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
16122 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
16123 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
16127 nnmh-status-message
16129 nnmh-request-newgroups))
16135 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
16136 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
16138 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
16139 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
16140 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
16141 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
16143 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
16144 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
16149 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
16152 The abilities can be:
16156 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
16158 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
16160 This backend supports both mail and news.
16162 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
16165 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
16166 articles and groups.
16168 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
16169 true for almost all backends.
16170 @item prompt-address
16171 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
16172 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
16173 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
16177 @node Mail-like Backends
16178 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
16180 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
16181 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
16182 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
16183 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
16186 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
16187 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
16188 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
16191 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
16192 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
16195 This function takes four parameters.
16199 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
16202 @item exit-function
16203 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
16205 @item temp-directory
16206 Where the temporary files should be stored.
16209 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
16210 performed for one group only.
16213 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
16214 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
16215 find the article number assigned to this article.
16217 The function also uses the following variables:
16218 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
16219 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
16220 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
16221 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
16225 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
16226 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
16230 @node Score File Syntax
16231 @subsection Score File Syntax
16233 Score files are meant to be easily parsable, but yet extremely
16234 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
16235 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
16237 Here's a typical score file:
16241 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
16248 BNF definition of a score file:
16251 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
16252 element = rule / atom
16253 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
16254 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
16255 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
16256 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
16258 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
16259 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
16260 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
16261 date-header = "date"
16262 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
16263 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
16264 score = "nil" / <integer>
16265 date = "nil" / <natural number>
16266 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
16267 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
16268 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
16269 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
16270 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
16271 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
16272 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
16273 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
16274 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
16275 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
16276 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
16277 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
16278 exclude-files / read-only / touched
16279 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
16280 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
16281 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
16282 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
16283 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
16284 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
16285 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
16286 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
16287 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
16288 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
16289 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
16290 eval = "eval" space <form>
16291 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
16294 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
16297 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
16298 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
16299 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
16300 one looong line, then that's ok.
16302 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
16303 manual (@pxref{Score File Atoms}).
16307 @subsection Headers
16309 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
16310 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
16311 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
16312 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
16314 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
16315 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
16316 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
16317 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
16318 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
16319 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
16320 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
16322 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
16323 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
16324 @code{xref}. There are macros for accessing and setting these
16325 slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
16326 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
16328 The @code{xref} slot is really a @code{misc} slot. Any extra info will
16335 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
16336 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
16338 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
16339 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
16340 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
16341 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
16343 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
16347 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
16350 is transformed into
16353 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
16356 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
16357 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
16360 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
16363 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
16364 is slightly tricky:
16367 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
16373 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
16376 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
16382 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
16389 and is equal to the previous range.
16391 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
16392 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
16393 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
16397 range = simple-range / normal-range
16398 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
16399 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
16400 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
16401 number *[ " " contents ]
16404 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
16405 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
16406 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
16407 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
16408 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
16413 @subsection Group Info
16415 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
16416 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
16417 describes the group.
16419 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
16420 second is a more complex one:
16423 ("no.group" 5 (1 . 54324))
16425 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
16426 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
16428 (auto-expire (to-address "ding@@gnus.org")))
16431 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
16432 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
16433 normally is a small integer. The third element is a list of ranges of
16434 read articles. The fourth element is a list of lists of article marks
16435 of various kinds. The fifth element is the select method (or virtual
16436 server, if you like). The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group
16437 parameters}, which is what this section is about.
16439 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
16440 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
16441 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
16443 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
16446 info = "(" group space level space read
16447 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
16448 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
16449 group = quote <string> quote
16450 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
16452 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
16453 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
16454 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
16455 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
16458 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
16459 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
16462 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
16463 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
16466 @item gnus-info-group
16467 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
16468 @findex gnus-info-group
16469 @findex gnus-info-set-group
16470 Get/set the group name.
16472 @item gnus-info-rank
16473 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
16474 @findex gnus-info-rank
16475 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
16476 Get/set the group rank.
16478 @item gnus-info-level
16479 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
16480 @findex gnus-info-level
16481 @findex gnus-info-set-level
16482 Get/set the group level.
16484 @item gnus-info-score
16485 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
16486 @findex gnus-info-score
16487 @findex gnus-info-set-score
16488 Get/set the group score.
16490 @item gnus-info-read
16491 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
16492 @findex gnus-info-read
16493 @findex gnus-info-set-read
16494 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
16496 @item gnus-info-marks
16497 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
16498 @findex gnus-info-marks
16499 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
16500 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
16502 @item gnus-info-method
16503 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
16504 @findex gnus-info-method
16505 @findex gnus-info-set-method
16506 Get/set the group select method.
16508 @item gnus-info-params
16509 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
16510 @findex gnus-info-params
16511 @findex gnus-info-set-params
16512 Get/set the group parameters.
16515 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
16516 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
16518 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
16519 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
16520 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
16521 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
16524 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
16525 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
16529 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
16530 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
16531 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
16533 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
16534 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
16535 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
16536 Gnus, that's very useful.
16538 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
16539 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
16540 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
16541 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
16542 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
16543 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
16544 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
16545 following function:
16548 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
16552 (,function ,@@args))
16556 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
16557 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
16558 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
16561 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
16562 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
16563 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
16565 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
16566 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
16567 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
16570 @node Various File Formats
16571 @subsection Various File Formats
16574 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
16575 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
16579 @node Active File Format
16580 @subsubsection Active File Format
16582 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
16583 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
16586 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
16589 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
16590 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
16591 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
16592 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
16593 no.general 1000 900 y
16596 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
16599 active = *group-line
16600 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
16601 group = <non-white-space string>
16603 high-number = <non-negative integer>
16604 low-number = <positive integer>
16605 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
16609 @node Newsgroups File Format
16610 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
16612 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
16613 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
16614 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
16617 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
16618 Here's the definition:
16622 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
16623 group = <non-white-space string>
16625 description = <string>
16629 @node Emacs for Heathens
16630 @section Emacs for Heathens
16632 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
16633 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
16634 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
16635 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
16636 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
16637 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
16638 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
16642 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
16643 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
16648 @subsection Keystrokes
16652 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
16655 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
16658 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
16659 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
16660 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
16661 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
16662 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
16663 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
16665 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
16666 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
16667 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
16668 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
16669 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
16670 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
16671 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
16673 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
16674 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
16675 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
16676 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
16677 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
16678 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
16679 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
16681 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
16682 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
16683 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
16684 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
16685 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
16691 @subsection Emacs Lisp
16693 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
16694 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
16695 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
16696 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
16698 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
16699 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
16700 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
16701 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
16702 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
16703 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
16704 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
16707 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
16708 write the following:
16711 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
16714 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
16715 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
16716 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
16719 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
16720 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
16721 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
16722 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
16723 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
16725 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
16726 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
16727 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
16731 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
16735 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
16738 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
16739 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
16742 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
16745 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
16746 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
16749 @include gnus-faq.texi