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4 @settitle Pterodactyl Gnus 0.17 Manual
9 @c * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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264 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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273 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
275 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
276 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
277 are preserved on all copies.
279 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
280 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
281 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
282 permission notice identical to this one.
284 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
285 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
294 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
296 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
299 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
300 are preserved on all copies.
303 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
304 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
305 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
306 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
309 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
310 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
311 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
312 permission notice identical to this one.
314 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
315 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
321 @title Pterodactyl Gnus 0.17 Manual
323 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
326 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
327 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
329 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
330 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
331 are preserved on all copies.
333 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
334 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
335 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
336 permission notice identical to this one.
338 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
339 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
348 @top The Gnus Newsreader
352 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
353 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
354 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
357 This manual corresponds to Pterodactyl Gnus 0.17.
368 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
369 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
371 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
372 being accused of plagiarism:
374 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
375 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
376 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
377 even read news with it!
379 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
380 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
381 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
382 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
383 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
390 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
391 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
392 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
393 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
394 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
395 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
396 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
397 * Various:: General purpose settings.
398 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
399 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
400 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
401 * Key Index:: Key Index.
405 @chapter Starting Gnus
410 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
411 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
414 @findex gnus-other-frame
415 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
416 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
417 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
419 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
420 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
421 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
423 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
424 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
427 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
428 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
429 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
430 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
431 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
432 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
433 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
434 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
435 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
436 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
437 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
441 @node Finding the News
442 @section Finding the News
445 @vindex gnus-select-method
447 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
448 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
449 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
450 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
453 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
454 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
457 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
460 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
463 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
466 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
467 certainly be much faster.
469 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
471 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
472 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
473 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
474 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
475 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
476 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
478 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
479 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
480 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
481 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
483 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
484 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
485 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
486 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
487 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
488 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
490 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
492 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
493 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
494 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
495 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
496 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
497 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
499 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
501 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
502 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
503 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
504 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
505 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
506 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
509 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
510 would typically set this variable to
513 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
518 @section The First Time
519 @cindex first time usage
521 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
522 be subscribed by default.
524 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
525 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
526 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
527 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
530 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
531 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
532 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
534 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
535 help you with most common problems.
537 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
538 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
542 @node The Server is Down
543 @section The Server is Down
544 @cindex server errors
546 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
547 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
548 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
550 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
551 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
552 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
553 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
554 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
555 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
556 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
558 @findex gnus-no-server
559 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
561 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
562 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
563 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
564 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
565 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
566 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
571 @section Slave Gnusae
574 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
575 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
576 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
577 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
579 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
582 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
583 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
584 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
585 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
586 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
587 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
588 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
590 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
591 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
592 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
593 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
594 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
595 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
596 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
597 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
599 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
600 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
603 @node Fetching a Group
604 @section Fetching a Group
605 @cindex fetching a group
607 @findex gnus-fetch-group
608 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
609 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
610 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
611 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
612 It takes the group name as a parameter.
620 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
621 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
622 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
623 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
624 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
625 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
626 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
627 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
628 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
631 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
632 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
633 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
637 @node Checking New Groups
638 @subsection Checking New Groups
640 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
641 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
642 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
643 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
644 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
645 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
646 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
647 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
648 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
649 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
651 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
652 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
653 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
654 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
655 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
656 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
657 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
658 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
659 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
660 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
661 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
663 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
664 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
665 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
666 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
667 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
668 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
671 @node Subscription Methods
672 @subsection Subscription Methods
674 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
675 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
676 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
678 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
679 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
681 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
685 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
686 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
687 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
688 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
689 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
691 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
692 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
693 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
694 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
696 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
697 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
698 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
700 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
701 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
702 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
703 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
704 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
705 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
706 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
707 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
708 up. Or something like that.
710 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
711 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
712 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
713 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
714 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
716 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
717 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
722 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
723 A closely related variable is
724 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
725 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
726 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
727 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
730 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
731 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
732 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
733 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
736 @node Filtering New Groups
737 @subsection Filtering New Groups
739 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
740 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
741 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
744 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
747 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
748 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
749 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
750 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
751 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
752 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
753 subscribing these groups.
754 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
755 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
757 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
758 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
759 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
760 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
761 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
762 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
763 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
764 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
766 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
767 Yet another variable that meddles here is
768 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
769 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
770 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
771 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
772 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
773 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
774 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
775 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
777 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
778 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
781 @node Changing Servers
782 @section Changing Servers
783 @cindex changing servers
785 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
786 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
787 very flaky and you want to use another.
789 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
790 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
794 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
795 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
796 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
797 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
800 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
801 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
802 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
803 functions more than absolutely necessary.
805 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
806 @findex gnus-change-server
807 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
808 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
809 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
810 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
811 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
813 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
814 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
815 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
816 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
817 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
819 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
820 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
821 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
822 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
823 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
824 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
828 @section Startup Files
829 @cindex startup files
834 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
835 information is traditionally stored in this file.
837 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
838 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
839 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
840 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
841 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
842 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
843 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
845 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
846 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
847 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
848 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
849 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
850 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
852 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
853 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
854 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
855 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
856 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
857 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
859 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
860 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
861 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
862 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
863 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
864 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
865 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
866 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
867 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
868 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
869 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
870 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
872 @vindex gnus-startup-file
873 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
874 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
875 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
877 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
878 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
879 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
880 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
881 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
882 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
883 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
884 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
885 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
886 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
889 (defun turn-off-backup ()
890 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
892 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
893 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
896 @vindex gnus-init-file
897 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
898 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
899 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
900 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
901 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
902 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
903 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
904 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
905 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
914 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
915 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
916 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
917 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
918 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
921 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
922 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
925 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
926 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
927 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
929 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
930 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
931 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
932 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
933 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
934 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
936 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
937 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
938 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
941 @node The Active File
942 @section The Active File
944 @cindex ignored groups
946 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
947 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
948 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
950 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
951 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
952 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
953 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
954 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
955 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
956 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
959 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
960 @c if you set it to anything else.
962 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
964 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
965 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
966 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
968 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
969 you actually subscribe to.
971 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
972 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
973 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
974 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
976 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
977 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
978 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
979 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
980 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
981 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
983 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
984 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
985 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
986 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
987 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
988 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
990 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
991 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
993 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
994 secondary select methods.
997 @node Startup Variables
998 @section Startup Variables
1002 @item gnus-load-hook
1003 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1004 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1005 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1006 times you start Gnus.
1008 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1009 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1010 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1012 @item gnus-startup-hook
1013 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1014 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1016 @item gnus-started-hook
1017 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1018 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1021 @item gnus-started-hook
1022 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1023 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1024 generating the group buffer.
1026 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1027 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1028 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1029 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1030 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1031 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1032 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1033 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1035 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1036 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1037 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1038 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1039 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1040 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1042 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1043 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1044 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1046 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1047 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1048 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1050 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1051 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1052 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1053 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1058 @node The Group Buffer
1059 @chapter The Group Buffer
1060 @cindex group buffer
1062 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1063 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1064 long as Gnus is active.
1068 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1069 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1070 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1071 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1072 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1073 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1074 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1075 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1081 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1082 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1083 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1084 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1085 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1086 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1087 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1088 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1089 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1090 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1091 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1092 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1093 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1094 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1095 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1096 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1097 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1101 @node Group Buffer Format
1102 @section Group Buffer Format
1105 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1106 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1107 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1111 @node Group Line Specification
1112 @subsection Group Line Specification
1113 @cindex group buffer format
1115 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1116 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1118 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1121 25: news.announce.newusers
1122 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1127 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1128 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1129 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1130 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1132 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1133 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1134 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1135 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1136 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1137 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1139 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1141 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1142 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1143 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1144 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1147 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1148 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1149 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1151 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1156 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1159 Whether the group is subscribed.
1162 Level of subscribedness.
1165 Number of unread articles.
1168 Number of dormant articles.
1171 Number of ticked articles.
1174 Number of read articles.
1177 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1178 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1181 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1184 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1193 Newsgroup description.
1196 @samp{m} if moderated.
1199 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1208 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1212 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1215 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1216 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1217 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1218 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1219 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1222 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1224 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1228 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1232 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1233 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1234 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1235 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1236 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1237 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1242 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1243 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1244 group, or a bogus native group.
1247 @node Group Modeline Specification
1248 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1249 @cindex group modeline
1251 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1252 The mode line can be changed by setting
1253 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1254 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1258 The native news server.
1260 The native select method.
1264 @node Group Highlighting
1265 @subsection Group Highlighting
1266 @cindex highlighting
1267 @cindex group highlighting
1269 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1270 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1271 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1272 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1273 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1275 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1279 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-1
1280 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))))
1281 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-2
1282 '((t (:foreground "SeaGreen" :bold t))))
1283 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-3
1284 '((t (:foreground "SpringGreen" :bold t))))
1285 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-4
1286 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))))
1287 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-5
1288 '((t (:foreground "SkyBlue" :bold t))))
1290 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1291 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1292 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1293 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1294 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1295 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1298 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1300 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1307 The number of unread articles in the group.
1311 Whether the group is a mail group.
1313 The level of the group.
1315 The score of the group.
1317 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1319 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1320 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1322 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1323 topic being inserted.
1326 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1327 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1328 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1330 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1331 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1332 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1333 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1334 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1337 @node Group Maneuvering
1338 @section Group Maneuvering
1339 @cindex group movement
1341 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1342 expected, hopefully.
1348 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1349 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1350 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1356 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1357 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1358 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1362 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1363 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1367 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1368 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1372 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1373 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1374 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1378 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1379 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1380 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1383 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1389 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1390 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1391 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1396 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1397 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1398 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1402 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1403 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1404 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1407 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1408 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1409 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1410 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1414 @node Selecting a Group
1415 @section Selecting a Group
1416 @cindex group selection
1421 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1422 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1423 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1424 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1425 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1426 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1427 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1428 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1429 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1430 negative, Gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1434 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1435 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1436 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1437 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1438 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1442 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1443 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1444 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1445 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1446 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1447 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1448 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1449 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1450 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1451 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1454 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1455 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1456 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1457 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1458 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1461 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1462 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1463 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1464 doing any processing of its contents
1465 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1466 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1467 manner will have no permanent effects.
1471 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1472 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1473 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1474 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1475 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1476 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1477 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1478 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1481 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1482 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1483 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1484 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1489 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1490 full summary buffer.
1493 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1496 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1500 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1501 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1502 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1506 @node Subscription Commands
1507 @section Subscription Commands
1508 @cindex subscription
1516 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1517 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
1518 Toggle subscription to the current group
1519 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1525 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1526 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1527 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1528 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1534 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1535 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
1536 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1542 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1543 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1546 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1547 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1548 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1549 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1550 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1556 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1557 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1561 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1562 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1565 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1566 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1567 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1568 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1569 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1570 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1571 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1572 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1573 @file{.newsrc} file.
1577 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1587 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1588 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1589 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
1590 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1591 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1592 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1597 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1598 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1599 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1603 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1604 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1605 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1607 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1608 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1609 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1610 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1611 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1612 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1619 @section Group Levels
1623 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1624 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1625 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1626 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1627 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1629 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1635 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1636 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1637 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1638 prompted for a level.
1641 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1642 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1643 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1644 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1645 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
1646 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1647 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1648 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1649 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1650 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
1651 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
1652 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
1653 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
1654 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
1655 reasons of efficiency.
1657 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1658 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1660 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1661 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1662 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1664 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1665 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1666 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1667 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1668 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1669 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1670 relevant valid ranges.
1672 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1673 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1674 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
1675 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1676 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1677 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1680 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1681 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1682 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1685 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1686 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1687 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1688 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1691 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1692 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1693 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1694 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1696 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1697 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
1698 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
1699 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
1700 to 5. The default is 6.
1704 @section Group Score
1709 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1710 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1711 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1714 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1715 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1716 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1717 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1718 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1719 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1720 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1722 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1723 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1724 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1725 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1726 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1727 action after each summary exit, you can add
1728 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1729 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1730 slow things down somewhat.
1733 @node Marking Groups
1734 @section Marking Groups
1735 @cindex marking groups
1737 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1738 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1739 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1740 bidding on those groups.
1742 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1743 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1744 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1752 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1753 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1759 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1760 Remove the mark from the current group
1761 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1765 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1766 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1770 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1771 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1775 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1776 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1780 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1781 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1782 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1785 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1787 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1788 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1789 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1790 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1791 the command to be executed.
1794 @node Foreign Groups
1795 @section Foreign Groups
1796 @cindex foreign groups
1798 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1799 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1800 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1801 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1808 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1809 @cindex making groups
1810 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1811 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1812 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1816 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1817 @cindex renaming groups
1818 Rename the current group to something else
1819 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
1820 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1826 @findex gnus-group-customize
1827 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1831 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1832 @cindex renaming groups
1833 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1834 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1838 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1839 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1840 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1844 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1845 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1846 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1850 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1852 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1853 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1858 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1859 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1863 @cindex (ding) archive
1864 @cindex archive group
1865 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1866 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1867 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1868 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1869 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1870 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1871 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1875 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1877 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1878 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1879 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1880 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1884 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1886 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
1887 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1888 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1892 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1893 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1895 Make a group based on some file or other
1896 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1897 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1898 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1899 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
1900 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, and @code{forward}. If you run
1901 this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file type.
1902 @xref{Document Groups}.
1906 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
1907 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
1908 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
1909 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
1913 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1918 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1919 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1920 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1921 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
1922 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1923 @xref{Web Searches}.
1925 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
1926 to a particular group by using a match string like
1927 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
1930 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1931 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1932 This function will delete the current group
1933 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1934 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1935 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1936 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
1937 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
1941 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1942 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1943 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1947 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1948 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1949 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1952 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1955 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1956 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1957 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1958 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1959 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
1960 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
1964 @node Group Parameters
1965 @section Group Parameters
1966 @cindex group parameters
1968 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
1969 Here's an example group parameter list:
1972 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
1976 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
1977 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
1978 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
1979 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
1981 The following group parameters can be used:
1986 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
1989 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
1992 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
1993 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
1994 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
1995 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
1996 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
1998 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
1999 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2000 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2001 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2002 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2003 list address instead.
2007 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2010 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2013 It is totally ignored
2014 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2015 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2017 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2018 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2019 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2020 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2021 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2023 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2024 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2025 sending the message.
2029 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2030 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2031 of whether it has any unread articles.
2033 @item broken-reply-to
2034 @cindex broken-reply-to
2035 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2036 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2037 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2038 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2039 broken behavior. So there!
2043 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2044 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2048 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2049 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2050 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2055 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2056 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2057 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2058 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2059 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2060 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2061 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2065 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2066 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2067 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2070 @cindex total-expire
2071 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2072 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2073 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2074 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2079 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2080 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2081 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2082 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2083 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2084 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2087 @cindex score file group parameter
2088 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2089 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2090 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2093 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2094 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2095 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2096 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2099 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2100 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2101 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2102 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2105 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2106 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2110 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2113 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2118 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2119 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2120 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2124 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2125 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2126 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2128 @item @var{(variable form)}
2129 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2130 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2131 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2132 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2133 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2134 @code{eval}ed there.
2136 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2137 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2138 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2139 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2140 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2144 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2145 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2149 @node Listing Groups
2150 @section Listing Groups
2151 @cindex group listing
2153 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2161 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2162 List all groups that have unread articles
2163 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2164 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2165 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2166 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2173 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2174 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2175 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2176 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2177 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2178 unsubscribed groups).
2182 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2183 List all unread groups on a specific level
2184 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2185 with no unread articles.
2189 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2190 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2191 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2192 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2197 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2198 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2202 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2203 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2204 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2208 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2209 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2213 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2214 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2215 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2216 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2217 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2218 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2219 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2220 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2224 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2225 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2226 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2230 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2231 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2232 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2236 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2237 @cindex visible group parameter
2238 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2239 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2240 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2241 get the same effect.
2243 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2244 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2245 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2246 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2247 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2250 @node Sorting Groups
2251 @section Sorting Groups
2252 @cindex sorting groups
2254 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2255 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2256 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2257 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2258 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2259 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2264 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2265 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2266 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2268 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2269 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2270 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2272 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2273 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2274 Sort by group level.
2276 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2277 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2278 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2280 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2281 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2282 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2283 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2285 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2286 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2287 Sort by number of unread articles.
2289 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2290 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2291 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2296 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2297 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2301 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2302 some sorting criteria:
2306 @kindex G S a (Group)
2307 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2308 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2309 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2312 @kindex G S u (Group)
2313 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2314 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2315 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2318 @kindex G S l (Group)
2319 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2320 Sort the group buffer by group level
2321 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2324 @kindex G S v (Group)
2325 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2326 Sort the group buffer by group score
2327 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2330 @kindex G S r (Group)
2331 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2332 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2333 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2336 @kindex G S m (Group)
2337 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2338 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2339 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2343 All the commands below obeys the process/prefix convention
2344 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2346 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2347 commands will sort in reverse order.
2349 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2353 @kindex G P a (Group)
2354 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2355 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2356 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2359 @kindex G P u (Group)
2360 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2361 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2362 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2365 @kindex G P l (Group)
2366 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2367 Sort the groups by group level
2368 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2371 @kindex G P v (Group)
2372 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2373 Sort the groups by group score
2374 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2377 @kindex G P r (Group)
2378 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2379 Sort the groups by group rank
2380 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2383 @kindex G P m (Group)
2384 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2385 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2386 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2392 @node Group Maintenance
2393 @section Group Maintenance
2394 @cindex bogus groups
2399 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2400 Find bogus groups and delete them
2401 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2405 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2406 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2407 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2408 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
2409 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
2413 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2414 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2415 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2416 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2419 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2420 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2421 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2422 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2427 @node Browse Foreign Server
2428 @section Browse Foreign Server
2429 @cindex foreign servers
2430 @cindex browsing servers
2435 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2436 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2437 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2438 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2441 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2442 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2443 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2444 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2446 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2451 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2452 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2456 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2457 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2460 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2461 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2462 Enter the current group and display the first article
2463 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2466 @kindex RET (Browse)
2467 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2468 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2472 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2473 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2474 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2480 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2481 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2485 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2486 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2487 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2492 @section Exiting Gnus
2493 @cindex exiting Gnus
2495 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2500 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2501 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2502 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2503 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2507 @findex gnus-group-exit
2508 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
2509 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2513 @findex gnus-group-quit
2514 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2515 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2518 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2519 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2520 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2521 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2522 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2527 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2528 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2529 trying to customize meta-variables.
2534 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2535 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2536 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2542 @section Group Topics
2545 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2546 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2547 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2548 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2549 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2550 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2554 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
2555 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
2566 2: alt.religion.emacs
2569 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2571 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2572 13: comp.sources.unix
2575 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2577 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2578 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2579 is a toggling command.)
2581 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2582 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2583 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2584 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2587 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2588 the hook for the group mode:
2591 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2595 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2596 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2597 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2598 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2599 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2603 @node Topic Variables
2604 @subsection Topic Variables
2605 @cindex topic variables
2607 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2608 really neat, I think.
2610 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2611 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2612 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2625 Number of groups in the topic.
2627 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2629 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2632 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2633 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2634 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2637 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2638 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2640 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2641 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2642 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2645 @node Topic Commands
2646 @subsection Topic Commands
2647 @cindex topic commands
2649 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2650 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2651 definitions slightly.
2657 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2658 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2659 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2663 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2664 Move the current group to some other topic
2665 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2666 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2670 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2671 Copy the current group to some other topic
2672 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2673 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2677 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2678 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2679 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
2680 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
2681 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
2682 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
2683 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
2686 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2687 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2691 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2692 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2693 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2697 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2698 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2699 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2703 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
2704 Toggle hiding empty topics
2705 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
2709 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2710 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2711 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2714 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2715 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2716 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2717 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2721 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2723 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2724 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2725 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2726 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2727 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2728 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2732 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2734 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2735 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2736 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2737 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2740 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
2741 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
2742 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2743 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
2747 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2748 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2749 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2753 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2754 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2755 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2760 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2761 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2764 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2765 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2766 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2770 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2771 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2772 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2776 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2777 @cindex group parameters
2778 @cindex topic parameters
2780 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2781 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2787 @subsection Topic Sorting
2788 @cindex topic sorting
2790 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2796 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2797 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2798 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2799 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2802 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2803 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2804 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2805 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2808 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2809 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2810 Sort the current topic by group level
2811 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2814 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2815 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2816 Sort the current topic by group score
2817 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2820 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2821 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2822 Sort the current topic by group rank
2823 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2826 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2827 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2828 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2829 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2833 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2836 @node Topic Topology
2837 @subsection Topic Topology
2838 @cindex topic topology
2841 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2847 2: alt.religion.emacs
2850 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2852 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2853 13: comp.sources.unix
2856 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2857 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2858 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2863 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2864 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2868 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2869 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2870 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2871 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2872 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2873 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2875 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2876 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2877 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2880 @node Topic Parameters
2881 @subsection Topic Parameters
2882 @cindex topic parameters
2884 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2885 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
2886 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2888 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2889 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2890 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2891 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2897 2: alt.religion.emacs
2901 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2903 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2904 13: comp.sources.unix
2908 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2909 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2910 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2911 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2912 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2913 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2915 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2916 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2917 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2918 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2919 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2921 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2922 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2923 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2924 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2925 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2926 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2927 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2928 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2931 @node Misc Group Stuff
2932 @section Misc Group Stuff
2935 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2936 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
2937 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
2938 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
2945 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2946 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
2947 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
2951 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2952 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
2953 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
2957 @findex gnus-group-mail
2958 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2962 Variables for the group buffer:
2966 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2967 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2968 is called after the group buffer has been
2971 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2972 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2973 is called after the group buffer is
2974 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2977 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
2978 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2979 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
2980 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
2982 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2983 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2984 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
2985 whether they are empty or not.
2990 @node Scanning New Messages
2991 @subsection Scanning New Messages
2992 @cindex new messages
2993 @cindex scanning new news
2999 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3000 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3001 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3002 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3003 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3004 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3009 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3010 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3011 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3012 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3013 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3014 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3015 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3017 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3018 @cindex activating groups
3020 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3021 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3026 @findex gnus-group-restart
3027 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3028 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3029 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3033 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3034 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3036 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3037 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3041 @node Group Information
3042 @subsection Group Information
3043 @cindex group information
3044 @cindex information on groups
3051 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3052 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3055 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3056 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3057 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3058 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3059 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3060 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3061 for fetching the file.
3063 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3064 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3068 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3070 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3071 @cindex describing groups
3072 @cindex group description
3073 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3074 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3075 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3079 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3080 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3081 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3088 @findex gnus-version
3089 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3093 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3094 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3097 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3100 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3101 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3105 @node Group Timestamp
3106 @subsection Group Timestamp
3108 @cindex group timestamps
3110 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3111 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3112 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3115 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3118 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3120 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3121 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3124 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3125 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3128 This will result in lines looking like:
3131 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3132 0: custom 19961002T012713
3135 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3136 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3140 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3141 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3146 @subsection File Commands
3147 @cindex file commands
3153 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3154 @vindex gnus-init-file
3155 @cindex reading init file
3156 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3157 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3161 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3162 @cindex saving .newsrc
3163 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3164 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3165 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3168 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3169 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3170 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3175 @node The Summary Buffer
3176 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3177 @cindex summary buffer
3179 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3180 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3182 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3183 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3185 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3188 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3189 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3190 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3191 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3192 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3193 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
3194 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3195 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3196 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3197 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3198 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3199 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3200 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3201 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3202 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3203 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3204 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3205 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3206 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3207 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3208 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3209 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3210 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3211 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3212 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3213 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3214 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3215 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3219 @node Summary Buffer Format
3220 @section Summary Buffer Format
3221 @cindex summary buffer format
3225 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3226 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3227 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3233 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3234 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3235 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3238 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3239 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3240 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3241 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3242 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3243 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
3244 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3245 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3246 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3247 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3248 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead.
3250 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3251 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3252 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3253 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3256 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3257 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3259 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3260 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3261 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3262 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3263 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3265 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3267 The following format specification characters are understood:
3275 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3276 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3277 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3279 Full @code{From} header.
3281 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3283 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3284 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3285 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3286 may be more thorough.
3288 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3291 Number of lines in the article.
3293 Number of characters in the article.
3295 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3297 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3298 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3300 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3301 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3303 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3304 for adopted articles.
3306 One space for each thread level.
3308 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3313 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3314 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3318 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3320 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3321 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3322 default level. If the difference between
3323 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3324 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3332 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3334 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3340 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3341 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3343 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3344 article has any children.
3350 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3351 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3352 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3353 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3354 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3355 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3358 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3359 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3360 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3361 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3362 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3363 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3365 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3366 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3368 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3371 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3372 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3374 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3375 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
3376 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
3377 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3379 Here are the elements you can play with:
3385 Unprefixed group name.
3387 Current article number.
3389 Current article score.
3393 Number of unread articles in this group.
3395 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
3398 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3399 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3400 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3401 and no unselected ones.
3403 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3404 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3406 Subject of the current article.
3408 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
3410 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
3412 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3414 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3416 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3418 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3422 @node Summary Highlighting
3423 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3427 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3428 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3429 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3430 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3431 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3433 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3434 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3435 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3436 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3438 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3439 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3440 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
3441 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3443 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3444 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3445 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3446 list where the elements are of the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3447 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3448 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3450 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3451 ((> score default) . bold))
3453 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3454 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3458 @node Summary Maneuvering
3459 @section Summary Maneuvering
3460 @cindex summary movement
3462 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3463 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3465 None of these commands select articles.
3470 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3471 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3472 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3473 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3474 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3478 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3479 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3480 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3481 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3482 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3487 @kindex G j (Summary)
3488 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3489 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
3490 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3493 @kindex G g (Summary)
3494 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3495 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
3496 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3499 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3500 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3501 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3502 to the group buffer.
3504 Variables related to summary movement:
3508 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3509 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3510 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3511 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
3512 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3513 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3514 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
3515 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3516 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
3517 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3518 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3519 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3520 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3521 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3523 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3524 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3525 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3526 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3527 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3528 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
3529 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
3531 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3533 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3534 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3535 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3536 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3537 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3539 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3540 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3541 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3542 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3543 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3544 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3545 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3546 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3552 @node Choosing Articles
3553 @section Choosing Articles
3554 @cindex selecting articles
3557 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3558 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3562 @node Choosing Commands
3563 @subsection Choosing Commands
3565 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3566 and they all select and display an article.
3570 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3571 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3572 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3573 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3578 @kindex G n (Summary)
3579 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3580 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
3581 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3586 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3587 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
3588 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3593 @kindex G N (Summary)
3594 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3595 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3600 @kindex G P (Summary)
3601 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3602 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3605 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3606 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3607 Go to the next article with the same subject
3608 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3611 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3612 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3613 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3614 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3618 @kindex G f (Summary)
3620 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3621 Go to the first unread article
3622 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3626 @kindex G b (Summary)
3628 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3629 Go to the article with the highest score
3630 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3635 @kindex G l (Summary)
3636 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3637 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3640 @kindex G o (Summary)
3641 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3643 @cindex article history
3644 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3645 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3646 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3647 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
3648 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
3649 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
3653 @node Choosing Variables
3654 @subsection Choosing Variables
3656 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3659 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3660 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3661 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3662 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3663 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3664 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3666 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3667 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3668 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3669 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3671 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3672 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3673 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3674 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3675 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3676 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3677 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3678 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3679 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3680 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3681 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3682 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3683 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3684 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3689 @node Paging the Article
3690 @section Scrolling the Article
3691 @cindex article scrolling
3696 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3697 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3698 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3699 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3700 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3703 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3704 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3705 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3708 @kindex RET (Summary)
3709 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3710 Scroll the current article one line forward
3711 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3714 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
3715 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
3716 Scroll the current article one line backward
3717 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
3721 @kindex A g (Summary)
3723 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3724 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3725 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3726 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3727 the way it came from the server.
3732 @kindex A < (Summary)
3733 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3734 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3735 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3740 @kindex A > (Summary)
3741 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3742 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3746 @kindex A s (Summary)
3748 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3749 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3750 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3754 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
3755 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
3760 @node Reply Followup and Post
3761 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3764 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3765 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3769 @node Summary Mail Commands
3770 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3772 @cindex composing mail
3774 Commands for composing a mail message:
3780 @kindex S r (Summary)
3782 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3783 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
3784 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
3785 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3786 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3791 @kindex S R (Summary)
3792 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3793 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
3794 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3795 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3796 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3799 @kindex S w (Summary)
3800 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
3801 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
3802 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
3803 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
3804 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
3807 @kindex S W (Summary)
3808 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
3809 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
3810 message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This command uses
3811 the process/prefix convention.
3814 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3815 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3816 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
3817 Forward the current article to some other person
3818 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3819 headers of the forwarded article.
3824 @kindex S m (Summary)
3825 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3826 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
3827 Send a mail to some other person
3828 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3831 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3832 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3833 @cindex bouncing mail
3834 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3835 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3836 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3837 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3838 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3839 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
3840 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3841 very well fail, though.
3844 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3845 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3846 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3847 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3848 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3849 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3850 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3851 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3852 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3853 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3855 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3856 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3857 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3858 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3859 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
3861 This command understands the process/prefix convention
3862 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3865 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3866 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3867 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
3868 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
3869 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3872 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
3873 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
3874 @cindex crossposting
3875 @cindex excessive crossposting
3876 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
3877 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
3879 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
3880 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
3881 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
3882 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
3883 command understands the process/prefix convention
3884 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
3888 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
3891 @node Summary Post Commands
3892 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3894 @cindex composing news
3896 Commands for posting a news article:
3902 @kindex S p (Summary)
3903 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
3904 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
3905 Post an article to the current group
3906 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
3911 @kindex S f (Summary)
3912 @findex gnus-summary-followup
3913 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
3914 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
3918 @kindex S F (Summary)
3920 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
3921 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
3922 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
3923 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
3924 process/prefix convention.
3927 @kindex S n (Summary)
3928 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
3929 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3930 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
3933 @kindex S N (Summary)
3934 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
3935 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3936 message through mail and include the original message
3937 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
3938 the process/prefix convention.
3941 @kindex S o p (Summary)
3942 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
3943 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
3944 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3945 headers of the forwarded article.
3948 @kindex S O p (Summary)
3949 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
3951 @cindex making digests
3952 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
3953 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3954 process/prefix convention.
3957 @kindex S u (Summary)
3958 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
3959 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
3960 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
3961 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
3964 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
3967 @node Canceling and Superseding
3968 @section Canceling Articles
3969 @cindex canceling articles
3970 @cindex superseding articles
3972 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
3973 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
3975 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
3977 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
3979 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
3980 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
3981 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
3982 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
3983 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
3984 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3986 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
3987 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
3990 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
3991 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
3992 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
3994 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
3995 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
3996 your original article.
3998 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4000 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4001 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4002 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4005 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4006 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4007 have posted almost the same article twice.
4009 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4010 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4011 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4012 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4013 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4014 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4015 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4016 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4017 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4018 canceled/superseded.
4020 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4023 @node Marking Articles
4024 @section Marking Articles
4025 @cindex article marking
4026 @cindex article ticking
4029 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4031 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4032 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4033 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4035 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4038 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4039 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4040 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4044 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4048 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4049 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4053 @node Unread Articles
4054 @subsection Unread Articles
4056 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4061 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4062 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4064 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4065 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4066 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4067 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4068 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4072 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4073 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4075 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4076 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4077 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4080 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4081 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4083 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4088 @subsection Read Articles
4089 @cindex expirable mark
4091 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4096 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4097 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4098 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4101 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4102 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4105 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4106 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4107 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4110 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4111 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4114 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4115 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4118 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4119 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4122 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4123 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4126 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4127 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4130 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4131 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4134 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4135 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4139 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4140 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4141 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4145 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4146 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4148 One more special mark, though:
4152 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4153 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4155 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4156 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4157 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4158 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
4164 @subsection Other Marks
4165 @cindex process mark
4168 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4174 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4175 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4176 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4177 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4178 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}
4181 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4182 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4183 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4184 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4187 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4188 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4189 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}
4192 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4193 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4194 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4195 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4198 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4199 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4200 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4201 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4202 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4205 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4206 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4207 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4208 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4209 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4210 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4214 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4215 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4216 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4218 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4219 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4220 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4224 @subsection Setting Marks
4225 @cindex setting marks
4227 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4232 @kindex M c (Summary)
4233 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4234 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4235 @cindex mark as unread
4236 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4237 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4243 @kindex M t (Summary)
4244 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4245 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4246 @xref{Article Caching}
4251 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4252 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4253 Mark the current article as dormant
4254 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}
4258 @kindex M d (Summary)
4260 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4261 Mark the current article as read
4262 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4266 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4267 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4268 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4273 @kindex M k (Summary)
4274 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4275 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4276 and then select the next unread article
4277 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4281 @kindex M K (Summary)
4282 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4283 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4284 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4285 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4288 @kindex M C (Summary)
4289 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4290 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4291 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4294 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4295 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4296 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4297 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4300 @kindex M H (Summary)
4301 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4302 Catchup the current group to point
4303 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4306 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4307 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4308 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4309 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4312 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4313 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4314 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4315 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4319 @kindex M e (Summary)
4321 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4322 Mark the current article as expirable
4323 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4326 @kindex M b (Summary)
4327 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4328 Set a bookmark in the current article
4329 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4332 @kindex M B (Summary)
4333 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4334 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4335 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4338 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4339 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4340 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4341 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4344 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4345 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4346 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4347 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4350 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4351 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4352 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4353 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4354 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4357 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4358 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4359 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4360 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4361 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4362 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4363 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4364 The default is @code{t}.
4367 @node Setting Process Marks
4368 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4369 @cindex setting process marks
4376 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4377 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4378 Mark the current article with the process mark
4379 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4380 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4384 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4385 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4386 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4387 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4390 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4391 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4392 Remove the process mark from all articles
4393 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4396 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4397 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4398 Invert the list of process marked articles
4399 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4402 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4403 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4404 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
4405 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4408 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4409 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4410 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4413 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4414 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4415 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4416 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4419 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4420 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4421 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4422 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4425 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4426 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4427 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4428 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4431 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4432 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4433 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4436 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4437 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4438 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4439 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4442 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4443 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4444 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4447 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4448 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4449 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4450 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4453 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4454 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4455 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4456 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4459 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4460 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4461 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4462 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4465 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4466 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4467 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4468 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4477 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4478 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4479 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4482 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
4483 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
4484 additional articles.
4490 @kindex / / (Summary)
4491 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4492 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4493 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4496 @kindex / a (Summary)
4497 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4498 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4499 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4503 @kindex / u (Summary)
4505 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4506 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
4507 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4508 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4509 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4512 @kindex / m (Summary)
4513 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4514 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
4515 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4518 @kindex / t (Summary)
4519 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
4520 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
4521 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
4522 articles younger than that number of days.
4525 @kindex / n (Summary)
4526 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4527 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4528 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4529 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4532 @kindex / w (Summary)
4533 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4534 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4535 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4539 @kindex / v (Summary)
4540 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4541 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4542 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4546 @kindex M S (Summary)
4547 @kindex / E (Summary)
4548 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4549 Include all expunged articles in the limit
4550 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4553 @kindex / D (Summary)
4554 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4555 Include all dormant articles in the limit
4556 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4559 @kindex / * (Summary)
4560 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
4561 Include all cached articles in the limit
4562 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
4565 @kindex / d (Summary)
4566 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4567 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
4568 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4571 @kindex / T (Summary)
4572 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
4573 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
4576 @kindex / c (Summary)
4577 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4578 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
4579 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4582 @kindex / C (Summary)
4583 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4584 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4585 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4586 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4594 @cindex article threading
4596 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
4597 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
4598 hierarchical fashion.
4600 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
4601 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
4602 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
4603 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
4604 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
4605 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
4606 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
4608 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
4612 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
4615 A tree-like article structure.
4618 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
4621 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
4622 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
4623 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
4624 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
4625 called loose threads.
4627 @item thread gathering
4628 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
4630 @item sparse threads
4631 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
4632 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
4638 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4639 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4643 @node Customizing Threading
4644 @subsection Customizing Threading
4645 @cindex customizing threading
4648 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
4649 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
4650 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
4651 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
4656 @subsubsection Loose Threads
4659 @cindex loose threads
4662 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4663 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4664 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4665 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4666 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4667 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4669 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
4670 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
4671 There are four possible values:
4675 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
4676 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4677 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4678 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4679 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4684 @cindex adopting articles
4689 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4690 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4691 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4692 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4695 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4696 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4697 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4698 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4699 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4700 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4701 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4704 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4705 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4706 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4710 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4711 display them after one another.
4714 Don't gather loose threads.
4717 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4718 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4719 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4720 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
4721 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4722 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4723 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
4724 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4725 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4726 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
4727 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4729 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4730 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
4731 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
4734 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4735 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4736 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4737 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4738 simplification is used.
4740 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4741 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4742 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4743 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4745 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4747 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4753 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4754 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4755 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4756 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4761 (mapconcat 'identity
4762 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4764 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4767 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4770 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4771 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4772 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
4773 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
4774 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
4775 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
4777 Useful functions to put in this list include:
4780 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
4781 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
4782 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
4784 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4785 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4788 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
4789 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
4790 Remove excessive whitespace.
4793 You may also write your own functions, of course.
4796 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4797 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4798 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4799 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4800 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4801 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4802 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
4803 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4805 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4806 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4807 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4808 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4809 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4810 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4811 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
4812 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
4813 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4817 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4818 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4819 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4820 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4822 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4823 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4824 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4827 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4831 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4832 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4838 @node Filling In Threads
4839 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
4842 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4843 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4844 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4845 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
4846 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
4847 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
4848 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
4849 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
4850 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
4851 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
4852 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
4853 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
4855 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
4856 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
4857 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
4859 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
4860 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
4861 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
4862 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
4863 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
4864 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
4865 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
4866 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
4867 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
4868 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
4869 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
4870 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
4871 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
4872 @code{nil} by default.
4877 @node More Threading
4878 @subsubsection More Threading
4881 @item gnus-show-threads
4882 @vindex gnus-show-threads
4883 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
4884 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
4885 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
4886 slower and more awkward.
4888 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4889 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4890 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
4893 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
4894 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
4895 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
4896 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
4897 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
4898 threads are expunged.
4900 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
4901 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
4902 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
4905 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4906 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4907 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
4908 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
4909 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
4912 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
4913 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
4914 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
4920 @node Low-Level Threading
4921 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
4925 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
4926 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
4927 Hook run before parsing any headers.
4929 @item gnus-alter-header-function
4930 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
4931 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
4932 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
4933 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
4934 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
4935 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
4936 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
4937 meaningful. Here's one example:
4940 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
4942 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
4943 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
4945 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
4947 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
4954 @node Thread Commands
4955 @subsection Thread Commands
4956 @cindex thread commands
4962 @kindex T k (Summary)
4963 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
4964 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
4965 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
4966 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
4967 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
4972 @kindex T l (Summary)
4973 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
4974 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
4975 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
4976 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
4979 @kindex T i (Summary)
4980 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
4981 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
4982 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
4985 @kindex T # (Summary)
4986 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4987 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
4988 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4991 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
4992 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4993 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
4994 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4997 @kindex T T (Summary)
4998 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
4999 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5002 @kindex T s (Summary)
5003 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5004 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5005 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5008 @kindex T h (Summary)
5009 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5010 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5013 @kindex T S (Summary)
5014 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5015 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5018 @kindex T H (Summary)
5019 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5020 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5023 @kindex T t (Summary)
5024 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5025 Re-thread the current article's thread
5026 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5027 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5030 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5031 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5032 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5033 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5037 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5038 understand the numeric prefix.
5043 @kindex T n (Summary)
5044 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5045 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5048 @kindex T p (Summary)
5049 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5050 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5053 @kindex T d (Summary)
5054 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5055 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5058 @kindex T u (Summary)
5059 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5060 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5063 @kindex T o (Summary)
5064 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5065 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5068 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5069 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5070 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5071 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5072 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5073 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5074 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5075 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5076 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5077 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5078 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5079 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5086 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5087 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5088 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5089 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5090 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5091 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5092 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5093 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5094 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
5095 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5096 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5097 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5098 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5099 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5101 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5102 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5103 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
5104 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
5105 in the list. You should probably always include
5106 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5107 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5108 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5109 ascending article order.
5111 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
5112 number, you could do something like:
5115 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5116 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5117 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5118 gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score))
5121 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5122 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5123 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5124 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5125 which the articles arrived.
5127 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5131 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5133 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5134 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5137 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5138 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5139 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5140 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5143 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5144 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5145 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5146 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5147 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5148 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5149 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5150 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5151 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5152 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5153 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5154 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5155 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5157 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5161 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5162 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5163 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5168 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5169 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5170 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5171 @cindex article pre-fetch
5174 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5175 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5176 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5177 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5178 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5180 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5181 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
5183 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5184 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5185 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5186 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5187 connection is blocked.
5189 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5190 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5191 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5192 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
5194 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5195 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5196 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5197 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5200 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5203 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5204 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5205 happen automatically.
5207 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5208 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5209 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5210 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5211 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5212 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5213 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5215 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5216 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5217 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5218 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5219 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5220 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5221 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5222 data structure as the only parameter.
5224 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5227 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5228 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5229 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5230 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
5233 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
5236 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
5237 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
5238 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
5240 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
5241 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
5242 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
5243 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
5247 Remove articles when they are read.
5250 Remove articles when exiting the group.
5253 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
5255 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
5256 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
5257 @c from the next group.
5260 @node Article Caching
5261 @section Article Caching
5262 @cindex article caching
5265 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
5266 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
5267 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
5268 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
5269 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
5271 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
5273 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5274 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
5275 @vindex gnus-use-cache
5276 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
5277 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
5278 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
5279 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
5280 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
5282 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
5283 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
5284 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
5285 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
5286 as dormant, and don't worry.
5288 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
5290 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
5291 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
5292 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
5293 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
5294 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
5295 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
5296 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
5297 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
5298 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
5299 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
5301 @findex gnus-jog-cache
5302 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
5303 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
5304 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
5305 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
5306 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
5307 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
5308 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
5309 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
5310 not then be downloaded by this command.
5312 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
5313 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
5314 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
5315 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
5316 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
5317 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
5319 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
5320 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
5321 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
5322 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
5323 variables, the group is not cached.
5325 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
5326 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
5327 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
5328 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
5329 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
5330 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
5331 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
5332 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
5333 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
5337 @node Persistent Articles
5338 @section Persistent Articles
5339 @cindex persistent articles
5341 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
5342 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
5343 useful in my opinion.
5345 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
5346 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
5347 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
5348 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
5349 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
5350 the expiry going on at the news server.
5352 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
5353 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
5354 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
5360 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
5361 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
5364 @kindex M-* (Summary)
5365 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
5366 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
5367 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
5371 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
5373 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
5374 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
5375 interested in persistent articles:
5378 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
5382 @node Article Backlog
5383 @section Article Backlog
5385 @cindex article backlog
5387 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
5388 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
5389 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
5390 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
5391 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
5392 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
5393 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
5394 increase memory usage some.
5396 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
5397 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
5398 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
5399 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
5400 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
5401 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
5402 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
5404 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
5407 @node Saving Articles
5408 @section Saving Articles
5409 @cindex saving articles
5411 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
5412 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
5413 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
5414 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
5415 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
5417 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
5418 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
5419 unwanted headers before saving the article.
5421 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
5422 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
5423 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
5424 deleted before saving.
5430 @kindex O o (Summary)
5432 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
5433 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
5434 Save the current article using the default article saver
5435 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
5438 @kindex O m (Summary)
5439 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
5440 Save the current article in mail format
5441 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
5444 @kindex O r (Summary)
5445 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
5446 Save the current article in rmail format
5447 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
5450 @kindex O f (Summary)
5451 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
5452 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
5453 Save the current article in plain file format
5454 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
5457 @kindex O F (Summary)
5458 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
5459 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
5460 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5463 @kindex O b (Summary)
5464 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5465 Save the current article body in plain file format
5466 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5469 @kindex O h (Summary)
5470 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5471 Save the current article in mh folder format
5472 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5475 @kindex O v (Summary)
5476 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5477 Save the current article in a VM folder
5478 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5481 @kindex O p (Summary)
5482 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5483 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5484 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5487 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5488 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5489 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5490 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5491 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5492 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5493 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5494 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5495 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5496 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5497 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5498 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5502 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5503 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5504 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
5505 functions below, or you can create your own.
5509 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5510 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5511 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5512 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5513 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5514 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5515 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5517 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5518 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5519 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5520 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5521 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5522 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5524 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5525 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5526 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5527 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5528 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5529 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5530 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5532 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5533 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5534 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5535 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5536 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5538 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5539 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5540 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5541 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5542 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5545 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5546 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5547 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5548 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5549 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
5551 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5552 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5553 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5554 reader to use this setting.
5557 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5558 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5559 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5560 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5563 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5564 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5565 available functions that generate names:
5569 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5570 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5571 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5573 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5574 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5575 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5577 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5578 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5579 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5581 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5582 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5583 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5586 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5587 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
5588 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
5589 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
5590 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
5594 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5595 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5596 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5597 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5600 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5601 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5602 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5603 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5604 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5605 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5606 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5607 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5608 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5610 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5611 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5612 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5613 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5615 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5616 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5617 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5620 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
5621 lots of mail groups called things like
5622 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
5623 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
5624 following will do just that:
5627 (defun my-save-name (group)
5628 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
5629 (substring group (match-end 0))))
5631 (setq gnus-split-methods
5632 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
5637 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5638 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5639 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5640 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5641 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5642 all the files in the top level directory
5643 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5644 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5645 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5646 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5648 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5649 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5650 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5651 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5652 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5655 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5659 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5660 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5663 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5664 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5665 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5666 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5669 @node Decoding Articles
5670 @section Decoding Articles
5671 @cindex decoding articles
5673 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5674 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5677 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5678 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
5679 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5680 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
5681 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5682 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5686 @cindex article series
5687 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5688 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5689 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5690 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5691 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5693 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5694 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5695 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5697 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
5698 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5699 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5701 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5702 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5703 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5706 @node Uuencoded Articles
5707 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5709 @cindex uuencoded articles
5714 @kindex X u (Summary)
5715 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5716 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
5717 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5720 @kindex X U (Summary)
5721 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5722 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5723 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5726 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5727 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5728 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5731 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5732 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5733 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5734 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5738 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5739 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5740 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5741 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5742 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5744 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5745 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5746 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5747 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5750 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5751 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5752 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5753 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5754 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5755 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5759 @node Shell Archives
5760 @subsection Shell Archives
5762 @cindex shell archives
5763 @cindex shared articles
5765 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
5766 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
5767 some commands to deal with these:
5772 @kindex X s (Summary)
5773 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5774 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5777 @kindex X S (Summary)
5778 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5779 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5782 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5783 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5784 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5787 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5788 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5789 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5790 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5794 @node PostScript Files
5795 @subsection PostScript Files
5801 @kindex X p (Summary)
5802 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5803 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5806 @kindex X P (Summary)
5807 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5808 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5809 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5812 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5813 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5814 View the current PostScript series
5815 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5818 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5819 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5820 View and save the current PostScript series
5821 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5826 @subsection Other Files
5830 @kindex X o (Summary)
5831 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
5832 Save the current series
5833 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
5836 @kindex X b (Summary)
5837 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
5838 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
5839 doesn't really work yet.
5843 @node Decoding Variables
5844 @subsection Decoding Variables
5846 Adjective, not verb.
5849 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
5850 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
5851 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
5855 @node Rule Variables
5856 @subsubsection Rule Variables
5857 @cindex rule variables
5859 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
5860 variables are of the form
5863 (list '(regexp1 command2)
5870 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5871 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5873 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
5874 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
5877 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5878 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
5881 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5882 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5883 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
5884 user and default view rules.
5886 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5887 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5888 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
5893 @node Other Decode Variables
5894 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
5897 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5899 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5900 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
5901 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
5902 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
5903 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
5907 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
5908 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
5911 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
5912 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
5913 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
5916 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5917 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5918 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
5919 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
5920 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
5923 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5924 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5925 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
5927 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5928 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5929 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
5930 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
5931 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
5934 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5935 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5936 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
5938 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5939 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5940 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
5941 looking for files to display.
5943 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
5944 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
5945 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
5948 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5949 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5950 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
5953 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5954 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5955 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
5958 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5959 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5960 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
5963 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5964 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5965 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
5966 decoded articles as unread.
5968 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5969 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5970 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
5971 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
5973 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
5974 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
5975 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
5977 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5978 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5980 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
5981 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
5982 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
5983 @code{metamail} for viewing.
5985 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5986 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5987 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
5988 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
5989 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
5990 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
5991 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
5992 simply dropped them.
5997 @node Uuencoding and Posting
5998 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6002 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6003 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6004 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6005 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6006 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6007 for you when you post the article.
6009 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6010 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6011 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6012 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6014 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6015 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6016 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6017 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6018 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6019 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6020 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6022 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6023 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6024 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6025 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6026 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6027 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6028 Default is @code{t}.
6034 @subsection Viewing Files
6035 @cindex viewing files
6036 @cindex pseudo-articles
6038 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
6039 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6040 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6041 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
6042 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6043 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6044 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6046 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6047 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6048 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6049 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6051 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6052 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6053 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6055 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6056 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6057 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6058 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6059 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6061 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6062 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6063 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6064 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6065 a list of parameters to that command.
6067 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6068 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6069 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6071 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6072 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6073 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6076 @node Article Treatment
6077 @section Article Treatment
6079 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6080 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6081 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6082 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6083 these articles easier.
6086 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6087 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6088 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6089 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6090 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6091 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6092 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6096 @node Article Highlighting
6097 @subsection Article Highlighting
6098 @cindex highlighting
6100 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6101 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6106 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6107 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6108 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6109 Do much highlighting of the current article
6110 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6111 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6113 Most users would prefer using @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight} in
6114 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}) instead.
6115 This is a bit less agressive---it highlights only the headers, the
6116 signature and adds buttons.
6119 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6120 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6121 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6122 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6123 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6124 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
6125 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6126 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6127 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6128 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6129 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6132 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6133 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6134 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6136 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6139 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6141 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6142 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6143 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6145 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6146 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6147 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6149 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6150 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6151 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6153 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6154 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6155 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6156 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6157 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6158 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6160 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6161 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6162 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6164 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6165 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6166 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6168 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6169 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6170 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6171 that it's a citation.
6173 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6174 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6175 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6177 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6178 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6179 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6181 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6182 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6183 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6184 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6190 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6191 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6192 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6193 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6194 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6195 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6196 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6197 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6202 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to highlight articles automatically.
6205 @node Article Fontisizing
6206 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6208 @cindex article emphasis
6210 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6211 @kindex W e (Summary)
6212 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6213 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*}. Gnus can make this look nicer by
6214 running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6215 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6217 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
6218 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6219 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
6220 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6221 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6222 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6223 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6224 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6228 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6229 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6230 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
6233 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
6234 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
6235 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
6236 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
6237 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
6238 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
6239 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
6240 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
6241 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
6242 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
6243 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
6244 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
6245 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
6247 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
6248 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
6249 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
6253 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
6256 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to fontize articles automatically.
6259 @node Article Hiding
6260 @subsection Article Hiding
6261 @cindex article hiding
6263 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
6264 too much cruft in most articles.
6269 @kindex W W a (Summary)
6270 @findex gnus-article-hide
6271 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
6272 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
6273 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
6276 @kindex W W h (Summary)
6277 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
6278 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
6282 @kindex W W b (Summary)
6283 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6284 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
6285 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
6288 @kindex W W s (Summary)
6289 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
6290 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
6294 @kindex W W p (Summary)
6295 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
6296 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6297 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
6298 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
6299 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
6300 articles that have signatures in them do:
6302 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
6304 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp)
6306 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
6307 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
6309 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6312 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
6317 @kindex W W P (Summary)
6318 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
6319 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
6320 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
6323 @kindex W W c (Summary)
6324 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
6325 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
6326 customizing the hiding:
6330 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6331 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6332 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
6333 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
6334 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
6335 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
6336 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
6341 Starting point of the hidden text.
6343 Ending point of the hidden text.
6345 Number of characters in the hidden region.
6347 Number of lines of hidden text.
6350 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
6351 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
6352 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
6357 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
6358 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
6360 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
6361 following two variables:
6364 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6365 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6366 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
6367 50), hide the cited text.
6369 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6370 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6371 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
6376 @kindex W W C (Summary)
6377 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
6378 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
6379 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
6380 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
6381 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
6385 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
6386 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
6387 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
6389 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
6390 citation customization.
6392 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to hide article elements
6396 @node Article Washing
6397 @subsection Article Washing
6399 @cindex article washing
6401 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
6402 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
6404 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
6405 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
6411 @kindex W l (Summary)
6412 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
6413 Remove page breaks from the current article
6414 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article} for page
6418 @kindex W r (Summary)
6419 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
6420 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
6421 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
6422 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
6423 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
6424 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
6426 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
6427 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
6428 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
6429 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
6432 @kindex W t (Summary)
6433 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
6434 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
6435 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
6438 @kindex W v (Summary)
6439 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
6440 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
6441 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
6444 @kindex W m (Summary)
6445 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
6446 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
6447 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
6450 @kindex W o (Summary)
6451 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
6452 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
6455 @kindex W d (Summary)
6456 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
6457 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}).
6460 @kindex W w (Summary)
6461 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
6462 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}). If you use this
6463 function in @code{gnus-article-display-hook}, it should be run fairly
6464 late and certainly after any highlighting.
6466 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
6470 @kindex W c (Summary)
6471 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
6472 Remove CR (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines)
6473 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
6476 @kindex W q (Summary)
6477 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
6478 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
6479 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
6480 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
6481 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
6485 @kindex W f (Summary)
6487 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
6488 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
6489 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
6490 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
6496 Look for and display any X-Face headers
6497 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
6498 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
6499 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
6500 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
6501 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
6502 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
6503 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
6504 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
6505 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
6506 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
6507 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
6508 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
6509 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
6513 @kindex W b (Summary)
6514 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
6515 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
6516 @xref{Article Buttons}
6519 @kindex W B (Summary)
6520 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
6521 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
6522 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
6525 @kindex W E l (Summary)
6526 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
6527 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
6528 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
6531 @kindex W E m (Summary)
6532 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
6533 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
6534 lines with a single empty line.
6535 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
6538 @kindex W E t (Summary)
6539 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
6540 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
6541 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
6544 @kindex W E a (Summary)
6545 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
6546 Do all the three commands above
6547 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
6550 @kindex W E A (Summary)
6551 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
6552 Remove all blank lines
6553 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
6556 @kindex W E s (Summary)
6557 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
6558 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
6559 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
6563 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to wash articles automatically.
6566 @node Article Buttons
6567 @subsection Article Buttons
6570 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
6571 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
6572 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
6573 button on these references.
6575 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
6576 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
6577 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
6582 @item gnus-button-alist
6583 @vindex gnus-button-alist
6584 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
6587 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6593 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
6594 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
6595 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
6598 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
6599 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
6600 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6603 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6604 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6605 avoid false matches.
6608 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6611 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6612 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6616 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6619 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6622 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6623 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6624 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6625 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6626 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6629 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6632 @var{HEADER} is a regular expression.
6634 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6635 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
6636 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
6637 default values of the variables above.
6639 @item gnus-article-button-face
6640 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
6641 Face used on buttons.
6643 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
6644 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
6645 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
6649 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to buttonize articles automatically.
6653 @subsection Article Date
6655 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
6656 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
6657 when the article was sent.
6662 @kindex W T u (Summary)
6663 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
6664 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
6665 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
6668 @kindex W T i (Summary)
6669 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
6671 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
6672 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
6675 @kindex W T l (Summary)
6676 @findex gnus-article-date-local
6677 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
6680 @kindex W T s (Summary)
6681 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
6682 @findex gnus-article-date-user
6683 @findex format-time-string
6684 Display the date using a user-defined format
6685 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
6686 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
6687 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
6688 for a list of possible format specs.
6691 @kindex W T e (Summary)
6692 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
6693 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
6694 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
6695 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
6696 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). If you want to have this line
6697 updated continually, you can put
6700 (gnus-start-date-timer)
6703 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
6704 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
6708 @kindex W T o (Summary)
6709 @findex gnus-article-date-original
6710 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
6711 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
6712 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
6713 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
6714 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
6718 @xref{Customizing Articles} for how to display the date in your
6719 preferred format automatically.
6722 @node Article Signature
6723 @subsection Article Signature
6725 @cindex article signature
6727 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6728 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
6729 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
6730 that says what is to be considered a signature is
6731 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
6732 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
6733 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
6734 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
6735 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
6738 (setq gnus-signature-separator
6739 '("^-- $" ; The standard
6740 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
6741 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
6742 ; line of dashes. Shame!
6743 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
6744 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
6745 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
6748 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
6751 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
6752 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
6757 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
6760 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
6763 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
6764 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
6766 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
6767 in question is not a signature.
6770 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
6771 listed above. Here's an example:
6774 (setq gnus-signature-limit
6775 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
6778 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
6779 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
6780 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
6781 signature after all.
6785 @section MIME Commands
6786 @cindex MIME decoding
6790 @kindex W M w (Summary)
6791 Decode RFC2047-encoded words in the article headers
6792 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
6795 @kindex W M c (Summary)
6796 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
6797 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
6799 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
6800 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
6801 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
6802 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
6803 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
6804 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
6809 @node Article Commands
6810 @section Article Commands
6817 @kindex A P (Summary)
6818 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
6819 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
6820 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
6821 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
6822 run just before printing the buffer.
6827 @node Summary Sorting
6828 @section Summary Sorting
6829 @cindex summary sorting
6831 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
6832 can't really see why you'd want that.
6837 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
6838 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
6839 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
6842 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
6843 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
6844 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
6847 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
6848 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
6849 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
6852 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
6853 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
6854 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
6857 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
6858 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
6859 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
6862 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
6863 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
6864 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
6867 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
6868 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
6869 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
6870 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
6871 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
6875 @node Finding the Parent
6876 @section Finding the Parent
6877 @cindex parent articles
6878 @cindex referring articles
6883 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
6884 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
6885 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
6886 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
6887 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
6888 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
6889 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
6890 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
6891 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
6893 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
6894 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
6895 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
6896 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
6897 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
6901 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
6902 @kindex A R (Summary)
6903 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
6904 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
6907 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
6908 @kindex A T (Summary)
6909 Display the full thread where the current article appears
6910 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
6911 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
6912 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
6913 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
6914 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
6915 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
6917 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
6918 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
6919 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
6920 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
6921 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
6922 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
6925 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
6926 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
6928 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
6929 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
6930 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
6931 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
6932 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
6933 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
6934 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
6937 The current select method will be used when fetching by
6938 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
6939 by giving this command a prefix.
6941 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
6942 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
6943 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
6944 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
6945 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
6946 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
6949 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
6950 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
6951 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
6952 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
6953 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
6954 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
6957 @node Alternative Approaches
6958 @section Alternative Approaches
6960 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
6961 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
6964 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
6965 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
6970 @subsection Pick and Read
6971 @cindex pick and read
6973 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
6974 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
6975 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
6976 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
6978 @findex gnus-pick-mode
6979 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
6980 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
6981 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
6982 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
6983 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
6985 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
6990 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
6991 Pick the article or thread on the current line
6992 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
6993 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
6994 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
6995 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
6996 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
6997 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
7000 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
7001 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
7002 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
7003 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
7007 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
7008 Unpick the thread or article
7009 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
7010 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
7011 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
7012 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
7013 the thread or article at that line.
7017 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
7018 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
7019 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
7020 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
7021 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
7022 will still be visible when you are reading.
7026 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
7027 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
7028 which is mapped to the same function
7029 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
7031 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
7034 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
7037 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
7038 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
7040 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
7041 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
7042 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
7044 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
7045 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
7046 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
7047 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
7048 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
7049 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
7050 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
7054 @subsection Binary Groups
7055 @cindex binary groups
7057 @findex gnus-binary-mode
7058 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
7059 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
7060 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
7061 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
7062 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
7063 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
7066 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
7067 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
7068 command, when you have turned on this mode
7069 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
7071 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
7072 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
7076 @section Tree Display
7079 @vindex gnus-use-trees
7080 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
7081 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
7082 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
7085 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
7088 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
7089 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
7090 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
7092 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7093 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
7094 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
7095 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
7096 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
7098 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
7099 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
7100 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
7101 default is @code{modeline}.
7103 @item gnus-tree-line-format
7104 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
7105 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
7106 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
7107 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
7108 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
7109 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
7115 The name of the poster.
7117 The @code{From} header.
7119 The number of the article.
7121 The opening bracket.
7123 The closing bracket.
7128 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7130 Variables related to the display are:
7133 @item gnus-tree-brackets
7134 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
7135 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
7136 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
7137 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
7138 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
7140 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7141 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7142 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
7143 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
7147 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
7148 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
7149 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
7150 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
7151 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
7152 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
7153 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
7154 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
7155 other windows displayed next to it.
7157 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
7158 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
7159 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7160 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
7161 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
7162 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
7163 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
7167 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
7170 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
7180 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
7184 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
7185 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
7187 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
7189 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
7194 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
7195 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
7196 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
7199 (setq gnus-use-trees t
7200 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7201 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
7202 (gnus-add-configuration
7206 (summary 0.75 point)
7211 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
7214 @node Mail Group Commands
7215 @section Mail Group Commands
7216 @cindex mail group commands
7218 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
7219 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
7221 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
7222 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7227 @kindex B e (Summary)
7228 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
7229 Expire all expirable articles in the group
7230 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
7233 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
7234 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
7235 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
7236 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
7237 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
7238 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
7241 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
7242 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
7243 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
7244 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
7245 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
7246 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
7249 @kindex B m (Summary)
7251 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
7252 Move the article from one mail group to another
7253 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7256 @kindex B c (Summary)
7258 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
7259 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
7260 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
7261 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
7264 @kindex B B (Summary)
7265 @cindex crosspost mail
7266 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
7267 Crosspost the current article to some other group
7268 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
7269 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
7270 be properly updated.
7273 @kindex B i (Summary)
7274 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
7275 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
7276 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
7277 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
7280 @kindex B r (Summary)
7281 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
7282 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
7283 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
7284 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
7285 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
7289 @kindex B w (Summary)
7291 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
7292 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
7293 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
7294 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
7295 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
7296 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
7299 @kindex B q (Summary)
7300 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
7301 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
7302 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
7303 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
7306 @kindex B t (Summary)
7307 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
7308 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
7309 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
7312 @kindex B p (Summary)
7313 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
7314 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
7315 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
7316 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
7317 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
7318 article from your news server (or rather, from
7319 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
7320 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
7321 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
7322 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
7323 just not have arrived yet.
7327 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
7328 @cindex moving articles
7329 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
7330 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
7331 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
7332 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
7333 suggestions you find reasonable.
7336 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
7337 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
7338 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
7339 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
7343 @node Various Summary Stuff
7344 @section Various Summary Stuff
7347 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
7348 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
7349 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
7350 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
7354 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
7355 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
7356 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
7358 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
7359 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
7360 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
7361 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
7362 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
7363 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
7366 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7367 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7368 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
7369 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
7370 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
7372 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7373 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
7374 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
7377 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7378 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7379 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
7380 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
7381 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
7382 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
7383 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
7384 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
7385 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
7386 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
7391 @node Summary Group Information
7392 @subsection Summary Group Information
7397 @kindex H f (Summary)
7398 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
7399 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
7400 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
7401 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
7402 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
7403 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
7404 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
7405 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
7406 be used for fetching the file.
7409 @kindex H d (Summary)
7410 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
7411 Give a brief description of the current group
7412 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
7413 rereading the description from the server.
7416 @kindex H h (Summary)
7417 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
7418 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
7419 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
7422 @kindex H i (Summary)
7423 @findex gnus-info-find-node
7424 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
7428 @node Searching for Articles
7429 @subsection Searching for Articles
7434 @kindex M-s (Summary)
7435 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
7436 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
7437 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
7440 @kindex M-r (Summary)
7441 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
7442 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
7443 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
7447 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
7448 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
7449 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
7450 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
7454 @kindex M-& (Summary)
7455 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
7456 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
7457 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
7460 @node Summary Generation Commands
7461 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
7466 @kindex Y g (Summary)
7467 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
7468 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
7471 @kindex Y c (Summary)
7472 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
7473 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
7474 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
7479 @node Really Various Summary Commands
7480 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
7485 @kindex C-d (Summary)
7486 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
7487 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
7488 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
7489 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
7490 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
7491 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
7492 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
7493 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
7497 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
7498 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
7499 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
7500 several documents into one biiig group
7501 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
7502 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
7503 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
7504 command understands the process/prefix convention
7505 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7508 @kindex C-t (Summary)
7509 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
7510 Toggle truncation of summary lines
7511 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
7512 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
7513 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
7517 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
7518 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
7519 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
7522 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
7523 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
7524 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
7525 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
7530 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
7531 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
7532 @cindex summary exit
7533 @cindex exiting groups
7535 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
7536 group and return you to the group buffer.
7542 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
7544 @findex gnus-summary-exit
7545 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
7546 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
7547 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
7548 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
7549 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
7550 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
7551 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
7552 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
7553 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
7554 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
7558 @kindex Z E (Summary)
7560 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
7561 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
7562 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
7566 @kindex Z c (Summary)
7568 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
7569 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
7570 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
7571 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
7574 @kindex Z C (Summary)
7575 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
7576 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
7577 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
7580 @kindex Z n (Summary)
7581 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
7582 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
7583 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
7586 @kindex Z R (Summary)
7587 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
7588 Exit this group, and then enter it again
7589 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
7590 all articles, both read and unread.
7594 @kindex Z G (Summary)
7595 @kindex M-g (Summary)
7596 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
7597 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
7598 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
7599 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
7600 articles, both read and unread.
7603 @kindex Z N (Summary)
7604 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
7605 Exit the group and go to the next group
7606 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
7609 @kindex Z P (Summary)
7610 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
7611 Exit the group and go to the previous group
7612 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
7615 @kindex Z s (Summary)
7616 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
7617 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
7618 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
7619 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
7620 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
7623 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
7624 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
7627 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
7628 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
7629 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
7630 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
7631 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
7632 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
7633 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
7634 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
7635 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
7636 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
7637 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
7638 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
7640 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
7642 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
7643 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
7644 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
7645 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
7646 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
7647 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
7648 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
7649 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
7650 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
7653 @node Crosspost Handling
7654 @section Crosspost Handling
7658 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
7659 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
7660 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
7661 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
7662 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
7663 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
7666 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
7667 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
7668 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
7669 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
7670 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
7672 @cindex cross-posting
7675 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
7676 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
7677 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
7678 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
7679 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
7680 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
7681 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
7682 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
7683 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
7684 the cross reference mechanism.
7686 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
7687 @cindex overview.fmt
7688 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
7689 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
7690 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
7691 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
7692 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
7693 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
7696 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
7697 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
7698 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
7703 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
7706 @node Duplicate Suppression
7707 @section Duplicate Suppression
7709 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
7710 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
7711 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
7712 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
7717 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
7718 is evil and not very common.
7721 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
7722 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
7725 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
7726 different @sc{nntp} servers.
7729 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
7732 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
7733 well, but these four are the most common situations.
7735 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
7736 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
7737 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
7738 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
7739 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
7740 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
7741 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
7744 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
7745 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
7746 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
7747 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
7748 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
7752 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
7753 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
7754 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
7756 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
7757 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
7758 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
7759 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
7760 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
7761 session are suppressed.
7763 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
7764 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
7765 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
7766 suppression list. The default is 10000.
7768 @item gnus-duplicate-file
7769 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
7770 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
7771 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
7774 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
7775 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
7776 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
7777 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
7778 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
7779 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
7780 to you to figure out, I think.
7783 @node The Article Buffer
7784 @chapter The Article Buffer
7785 @cindex article buffer
7787 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
7788 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
7789 tell Gnus otherwise.
7792 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
7793 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
7794 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
7795 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
7796 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
7800 @node Hiding Headers
7801 @section Hiding Headers
7802 @cindex hiding headers
7803 @cindex deleting headers
7805 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
7806 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
7808 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
7809 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
7810 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
7811 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
7812 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
7813 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
7814 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
7815 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
7816 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
7818 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
7822 @item gnus-visible-headers
7823 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
7824 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
7825 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
7826 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
7828 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
7829 the article and the subject, you'd say:
7832 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
7835 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7838 @item gnus-ignored-headers
7839 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
7840 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
7841 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
7842 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
7843 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
7845 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
7846 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
7849 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
7852 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7855 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
7856 variable will have no effect.
7860 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
7861 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
7862 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
7863 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
7864 the headers are to be displayed.
7866 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
7867 and then the subject, you might say something like:
7870 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
7873 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
7874 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
7876 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7877 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7878 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
7879 You can hide further boring headers by entering
7880 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
7881 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
7882 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
7883 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
7884 @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove from sight.
7886 These conditions are:
7889 Remove all empty headers.
7891 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
7892 @code{Newsgroups} header.
7894 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
7897 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
7900 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
7903 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
7905 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
7908 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
7911 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
7912 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
7915 This is also the default value for this variable.
7919 @section Using @sc{mime}
7922 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
7923 while people stand around yawning.
7925 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
7926 while all newsreaders die of fear.
7928 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
7929 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
7930 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
7932 @vindex gnus-show-mime
7933 @vindex gnus-show-mime-method
7934 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
7935 @findex metamail-buffer
7936 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
7937 @code{gnus-show-mime-method}, which is @code{metamail-buffer} by
7938 default. This function calls the external @code{metamail} program to
7939 actually do the work. One common problem with this program is that is
7940 thinks that it can't display 8-bit things in the Emacs buffer. To tell
7941 it the truth, put something like the following in your
7942 @file{.bash_profile} file. (You do use @code{bash}, don't you?)
7945 export MM_CHARSET="iso-8859-1"
7948 For more information on @code{metamail}, see its manual page.
7950 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
7951 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
7952 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
7953 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
7954 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
7955 buffer. These can't be avoided.
7957 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the summary
7958 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
7959 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
7960 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
7961 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume
7962 button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you,
7963 and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the
7964 program to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly
7965 decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
7967 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
7970 @node Customizing Articles
7971 @section Customizing Articles
7972 @cindex article customization
7974 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7975 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
7976 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
7977 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
7979 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7980 @findex gnus-article-maybe-hide-headers
7981 By default this hook just contains
7982 @code{gnus-article-maybe-hide-headers},
7983 @code{gnus-hide-boring-headers}, @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike},
7984 and @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight} (and under XEmacs,
7985 @code{gnus-article-display-x-face}), but there are thousands, nay
7986 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
7987 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
7988 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
7989 Date}. Note that the order of functions in this hook might affect
7990 things, so you may have to fiddle a bit to get the desired results.
7992 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
7993 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
7994 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
7995 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
7996 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
7999 @node Article Keymap
8000 @section Article Keymap
8002 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
8003 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
8004 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
8005 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
8008 A few additional keystrokes are available:
8013 @kindex SPACE (Article)
8014 @findex gnus-article-next-page
8015 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
8018 @kindex DEL (Article)
8019 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
8020 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
8023 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
8024 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
8025 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
8026 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
8027 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
8030 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
8031 @findex gnus-article-mail
8032 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
8033 given a prefix, include the mail.
8037 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
8038 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
8039 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
8043 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
8044 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
8045 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
8048 @kindex TAB (Article)
8049 @findex gnus-article-next-button
8050 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
8051 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
8054 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
8055 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
8056 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
8062 @section Misc Article
8066 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
8067 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
8068 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
8069 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
8072 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
8073 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
8074 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
8075 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
8076 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
8077 the contents of the article buffer.
8079 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
8080 @item gnus-article-display-hook
8081 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
8082 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
8083 hiding headers, and the like.
8085 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
8086 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
8087 Hook called in article mode buffers.
8089 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8090 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
8091 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
8092 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
8094 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
8095 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
8096 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
8097 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
8098 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with one
8103 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
8104 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
8108 @vindex gnus-break-pages
8110 @item gnus-break-pages
8111 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
8112 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
8113 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
8114 paging will not be done.
8116 @item gnus-page-delimiter
8117 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
8118 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
8123 @node Composing Messages
8124 @chapter Composing Messages
8125 @cindex composing messages
8128 @cindex sending mail
8133 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
8134 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
8135 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
8136 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
8137 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
8138 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
8139 to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
8142 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
8143 * Post:: Posting and following up.
8144 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
8145 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
8146 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
8147 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
8148 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
8149 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
8152 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
8153 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
8159 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
8162 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
8163 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
8164 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
8165 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
8167 @item gnus-add-to-list
8168 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
8169 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
8170 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
8178 Variables for composing news articles:
8181 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8182 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8183 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
8184 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
8185 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
8186 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
8187 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
8188 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
8189 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
8192 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8193 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8194 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
8195 file. It is 1000 by default.
8200 @node Posting Server
8201 @section Posting Server
8203 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
8204 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
8206 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
8208 @vindex gnus-post-method
8210 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
8211 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
8212 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
8213 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
8214 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
8217 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
8220 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
8221 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
8222 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
8223 the ``current'' server for posting.
8225 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
8226 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
8228 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
8229 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
8232 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
8233 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
8234 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
8239 @section Mail and Post
8241 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
8245 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
8246 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
8247 @cindex mailing lists
8249 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
8250 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
8251 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
8252 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
8253 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
8254 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
8255 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
8256 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
8257 still a pain, though.
8261 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
8262 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
8263 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
8266 @findex ispell-message
8268 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
8272 @node Archived Messages
8273 @section Archived Messages
8274 @cindex archived messages
8275 @cindex sent messages
8277 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
8278 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
8279 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
8280 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
8283 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
8284 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
8285 use to store sent messages. The default is:
8289 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
8290 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
8291 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
8292 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
8295 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
8296 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
8297 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
8298 directory chosen, you could say something like:
8301 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
8302 '(nnfolder "archive"
8303 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
8304 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
8305 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
8308 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
8310 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
8311 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
8312 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
8314 This variable can be used to do the following:
8318 Messages will be saved in that group.
8319 @item a list of strings
8320 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
8321 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
8322 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
8324 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
8329 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
8331 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
8334 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
8336 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
8339 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
8341 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8342 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
8343 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
8344 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
8349 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8350 '((if (message-news-p)
8355 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
8356 messages in one file per month:
8359 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8360 '((if (message-news-p)
8362 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
8363 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
8366 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
8367 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
8369 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
8370 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
8371 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
8372 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
8373 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
8374 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
8375 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
8376 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
8377 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
8378 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
8380 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
8381 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
8382 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
8383 this will disable archiving.
8386 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
8387 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
8388 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
8389 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
8390 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
8393 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
8394 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
8395 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
8398 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
8399 but the latter is the preferred method.
8403 @node Posting Styles
8404 @section Posting Styles
8405 @cindex posting styles
8408 All them variables, they make my head swim.
8410 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
8411 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
8412 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
8415 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
8416 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
8417 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
8418 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
8419 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
8424 (signature "Peace and happiness")
8425 (organization "What me?"))
8427 (signature "Death to everybody"))
8428 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
8429 (organization "Emacs is it")))
8432 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
8433 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
8434 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
8435 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
8436 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
8437 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
8438 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
8439 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
8441 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
8442 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
8443 If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
8444 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
8445 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
8446 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
8449 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
8450 attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
8451 can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
8452 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
8453 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
8454 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
8457 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
8458 return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
8459 list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
8461 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
8462 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
8463 of the two dynamically bound variables @code{message-this-is-news} and
8464 @code{message-this-is-mail}.
8466 @vindex message-this-is-mail
8467 @vindex message-this-is-news
8469 So here's a new example:
8472 (setq gnus-posting-styles
8474 (signature-file "~/.signature")
8476 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
8477 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
8479 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
8480 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
8481 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
8482 (message-this-is-news
8483 (signature my-news-signature))
8484 (posting-from-work-p
8485 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
8486 (address "user@@bar.foo")
8487 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
8488 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
8490 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
8498 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
8499 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
8500 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
8501 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
8502 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
8504 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
8505 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
8506 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
8507 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
8508 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
8512 @vindex nndraft-directory
8513 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
8514 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
8515 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
8516 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
8517 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
8518 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
8520 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
8521 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
8524 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
8525 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
8526 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
8527 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
8528 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
8529 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
8530 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
8531 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
8532 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
8533 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
8534 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
8535 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
8536 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
8537 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
8539 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
8540 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
8541 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
8543 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
8545 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
8546 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
8547 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
8549 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
8552 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
8553 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
8554 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
8555 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
8556 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
8557 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
8558 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
8561 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
8562 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
8563 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
8566 @node Rejected Articles
8567 @section Rejected Articles
8568 @cindex rejected articles
8570 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
8571 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
8572 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
8573 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
8575 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
8576 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
8577 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
8578 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
8579 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
8581 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
8582 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
8583 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
8586 @node Select Methods
8587 @chapter Select Methods
8588 @cindex foreign groups
8589 @cindex select methods
8591 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
8592 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
8593 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
8594 personal mail group.
8596 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
8597 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
8598 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
8599 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
8600 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
8601 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
8603 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
8604 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
8606 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
8609 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
8610 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
8611 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
8612 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
8613 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
8615 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
8618 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
8619 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
8620 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
8621 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
8622 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
8623 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
8627 @node The Server Buffer
8628 @section The Server Buffer
8630 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
8631 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
8632 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
8633 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
8634 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
8635 backend represents a virtual server.
8637 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
8638 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
8639 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
8640 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
8642 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
8643 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
8644 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
8645 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
8646 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
8647 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
8648 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
8650 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
8651 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
8654 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
8655 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
8656 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
8657 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
8658 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
8659 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
8660 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
8663 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
8664 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
8667 @node Server Buffer Format
8668 @subsection Server Buffer Format
8669 @cindex server buffer format
8671 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
8672 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
8673 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
8674 variable, with some simple extensions:
8679 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
8682 The name of this server.
8685 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
8688 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
8691 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
8692 The mode line can also be customized by using the
8693 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
8694 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
8704 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
8707 @node Server Commands
8708 @subsection Server Commands
8709 @cindex server commands
8715 @findex gnus-server-add-server
8716 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
8720 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
8721 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
8724 @kindex SPACE (Server)
8725 @findex gnus-server-read-server
8726 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
8730 @findex gnus-server-exit
8731 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
8735 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
8736 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
8740 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
8741 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
8745 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
8746 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
8750 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
8751 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
8755 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
8756 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
8757 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
8762 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
8763 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
8764 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
8765 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
8770 @node Example Methods
8771 @subsection Example Methods
8773 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
8776 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
8779 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
8785 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
8786 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
8789 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
8790 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
8792 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
8793 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
8797 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
8800 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
8801 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
8803 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
8804 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
8805 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
8809 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
8812 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
8815 Here's the method for a public spool:
8819 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
8820 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
8823 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
8824 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
8825 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
8826 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
8827 should probably look something like this:
8831 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
8832 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
8833 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
8834 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
8835 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
8838 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
8839 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
8840 server that would look something like this:
8844 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
8845 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
8846 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
8847 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
8848 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
8849 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
8852 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
8853 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
8854 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
8855 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
8858 @node Creating a Virtual Server
8859 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
8861 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
8862 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
8864 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
8865 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
8866 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
8868 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
8870 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
8871 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
8872 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
8873 will contain the following:
8883 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
8884 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
8885 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
8888 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
8889 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
8890 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
8893 @node Server Variables
8894 @subsection Server Variables
8896 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
8897 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
8898 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
8899 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
8900 won't change the "derived" variables.
8902 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
8903 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
8904 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
8905 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
8906 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
8907 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
8908 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
8909 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
8910 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
8914 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
8915 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
8916 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
8920 @node Servers and Methods
8921 @subsection Servers and Methods
8923 Wherever you would normally use a select method
8924 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
8925 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
8926 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
8930 @node Unavailable Servers
8931 @subsection Unavailable Servers
8933 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
8934 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
8935 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
8936 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
8937 actually the case or not.
8939 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
8940 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
8941 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
8942 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
8943 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
8944 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
8945 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
8946 it will regard that server as ``down''.
8948 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
8949 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
8951 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
8952 with the following commands:
8958 @findex gnus-server-open-server
8959 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
8960 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
8964 @findex gnus-server-close-server
8965 Close the connection (if any) to the server
8966 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
8970 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
8971 Mark the current server as unreachable
8972 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
8975 @kindex M-o (Server)
8976 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
8977 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
8978 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
8981 @kindex M-c (Server)
8982 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
8983 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
8984 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
8988 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
8989 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
8990 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
8996 @section Getting News
8997 @cindex reading news
8998 @cindex news backends
9000 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
9001 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
9002 or it can read from a local spool.
9005 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
9006 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
9011 @subsection @sc{nntp}
9014 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
9015 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
9016 server as the, uhm, address.
9018 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
9019 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
9020 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
9021 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
9023 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
9024 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
9025 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
9027 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
9032 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
9033 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
9034 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
9036 @cindex authentification
9037 @cindex nntp authentification
9038 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9039 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
9040 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
9041 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
9042 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
9043 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
9044 present in this hook.
9046 @item nntp-authinfo-function
9047 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
9048 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
9049 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
9050 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
9051 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
9052 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
9053 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
9054 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
9055 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
9056 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
9057 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
9061 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
9064 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
9065 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
9066 @samp{default} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a valid
9067 @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is the only way the
9068 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
9073 Here's an example file:
9076 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
9077 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
9080 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
9081 have to be first, for instance.
9083 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
9084 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
9085 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
9086 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
9087 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
9088 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
9089 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
9091 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
9092 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
9098 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
9099 previously mentioned.
9101 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
9103 @item nntp-server-action-alist
9104 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
9105 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
9106 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
9107 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
9110 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
9114 You probably don't want to do that, though.
9116 The default value is
9119 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
9120 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
9123 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
9124 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
9126 @item nntp-maximum-request
9127 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
9128 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
9129 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
9130 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
9131 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
9132 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
9133 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
9135 @item nntp-connection-timeout
9136 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
9137 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
9138 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
9139 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
9140 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
9141 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
9142 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
9143 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
9144 no timeouts are done.
9146 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
9147 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
9148 @c @cindex PPP connections
9149 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
9150 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
9151 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
9152 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
9153 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
9154 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
9155 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
9156 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
9157 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
9158 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
9160 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
9161 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
9162 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
9163 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
9166 @item nntp-server-hook
9167 @vindex nntp-server-hook
9168 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
9171 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
9172 @findex nntp-open-telnet
9173 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
9174 @item nntp-open-connection-function
9175 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
9176 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
9177 functions are supplied:
9180 @item nntp-open-network-stream
9181 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
9184 @item nntp-open-rlogin
9185 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
9186 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
9189 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
9193 @item nntp-rlogin-program
9194 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
9195 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
9196 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
9198 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
9199 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
9200 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
9202 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9203 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9204 User name on the remote system.
9208 @item nntp-open-telnet
9209 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
9210 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
9212 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
9215 @item nntp-telnet-command
9216 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
9217 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
9219 @item nntp-telnet-switches
9220 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
9221 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
9223 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
9224 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
9225 User name for log in on the remote system.
9227 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
9228 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
9229 Password to use when logging in.
9231 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
9232 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
9233 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
9236 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9237 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9238 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
9239 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
9241 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9242 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9243 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
9244 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
9245 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
9249 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
9250 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
9251 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
9252 you must have SSLay installed
9253 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
9254 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
9255 define a server as follows:
9258 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
9260 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
9262 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
9263 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
9264 (nntp-port-number "snews")
9265 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
9270 @item nntp-end-of-line
9271 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
9272 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
9273 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
9274 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
9276 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9277 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9278 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
9282 @vindex nntp-address
9283 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
9285 @item nntp-port-number
9286 @vindex nntp-port-number
9287 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
9290 @item nntp-buggy-select
9291 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
9292 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
9294 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
9295 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
9296 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
9297 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
9300 @item nntp-xover-commands
9301 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
9304 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
9305 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
9309 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
9310 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
9311 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
9312 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
9313 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
9314 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
9315 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
9316 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
9317 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
9318 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
9319 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
9321 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
9322 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
9323 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
9325 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9326 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9327 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
9328 server closes connection.
9330 @item nntp-record-commands
9331 @vindex nntp-record-commands
9332 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
9333 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
9334 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
9335 that doesn't seem to work.
9341 @subsection News Spool
9345 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
9346 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
9347 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
9350 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
9351 anything else) as the address.
9353 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
9354 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
9355 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
9356 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
9360 @item nnspool-inews-program
9361 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
9362 Program used to post an article.
9364 @item nnspool-inews-switches
9365 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
9366 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
9368 @item nnspool-spool-directory
9369 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
9370 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
9371 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
9373 @item nnspool-nov-directory
9374 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
9375 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
9376 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
9378 @item nnspool-lib-dir
9379 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
9380 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
9382 @item nnspool-active-file
9383 @vindex nnspool-active-file
9384 The path to the active file.
9386 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
9387 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
9388 The path to the group descriptions file.
9390 @item nnspool-history-file
9391 @vindex nnspool-history-file
9392 The path to the news history file.
9394 @item nnspool-active-times-file
9395 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
9396 The path to the active date file.
9398 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
9399 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
9400 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
9403 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9404 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9406 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
9407 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
9408 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
9414 @section Getting Mail
9415 @cindex reading mail
9418 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
9422 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
9423 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
9424 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
9425 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
9426 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
9427 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
9428 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
9429 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
9430 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
9431 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
9432 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
9436 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
9437 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
9439 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
9440 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
9441 and things will happen automatically.
9443 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
9444 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
9447 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
9448 '((nnml "private")))
9451 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
9452 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
9453 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
9454 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
9455 like any other group.
9457 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
9460 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9461 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9462 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9466 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
9467 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
9468 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
9471 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
9472 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
9473 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
9476 @node Splitting Mail
9477 @subsection Splitting Mail
9478 @cindex splitting mail
9479 @cindex mail splitting
9481 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
9482 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
9483 to be split into groups.
9486 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9487 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9488 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9492 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
9493 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
9494 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
9495 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
9496 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
9497 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
9498 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
9501 ("list.\\1" "From:.*\\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
9504 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
9505 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
9506 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
9507 mail belongs in that group.
9509 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
9510 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
9511 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
9512 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
9513 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
9514 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
9516 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
9517 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
9518 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
9519 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
9520 thinks should carry this mail message.
9522 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
9523 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
9524 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
9525 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
9527 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
9528 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
9529 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
9530 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
9531 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
9533 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
9536 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
9537 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
9538 links. If that's the case for you, set
9539 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
9540 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
9542 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
9543 @kindex nnmail-split-history
9544 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
9545 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
9547 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
9548 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
9549 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
9550 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
9551 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
9552 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
9553 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
9554 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
9558 @node Mail Backend Variables
9559 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
9561 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
9565 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9566 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9567 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
9568 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
9570 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
9571 @item nnmail-spool-file
9575 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
9576 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
9577 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
9578 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
9579 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
9580 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
9581 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
9582 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
9583 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
9584 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
9585 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
9586 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
9587 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
9588 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
9589 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
9591 @code{nnmail-spool-file} can also be a list of mailboxes.
9593 Your Emacs has to have been configured with @samp{--with-pop} before
9594 compilation. This is the default, but some installations have it
9597 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
9598 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
9599 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
9600 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
9601 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
9602 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
9604 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
9605 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9606 @item nnmail-use-procmail
9607 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
9608 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
9609 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
9610 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
9613 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
9614 @item nnmail-crash-box
9615 When a mail backend reads a spool file, mail is first moved to this
9616 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
9617 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
9620 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9621 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9622 This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and can be
9623 used for, well, anything, really.
9625 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
9626 @item nnmail-split-hook
9627 @findex article-decode-rfc1522
9628 @findex RFC1522 decoding
9629 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
9630 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
9631 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
9632 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
9633 in the buffer will show up in any files. @code{gnus-article-decode-rfc1522}
9634 is one likely function to add to this hook.
9636 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9637 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9638 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9639 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9640 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
9641 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
9642 starting to handle the new mail) and
9643 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
9644 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
9645 default file modes the new mail files get:
9648 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9649 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
9651 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
9652 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
9655 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
9656 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
9657 This variable says where to move incoming mail to -- while processing
9658 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
9659 inhabits (e.g., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
9660 it will be used instead.
9662 @item nnmail-movemail-program
9663 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
9664 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
9665 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
9667 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be called
9668 with two parameters -- the name of the inbox, and the file to be moved
9671 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
9672 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
9673 @cindex incoming mail files
9674 @cindex deleting incoming files
9675 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
9676 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{t} by
9679 @c This is @code{nil} by
9680 @c default for reasons of security.
9682 @c Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
9683 (No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
9684 lost mail, I think, but that's not the point. (Except certain versions
9685 of Red Gnus.)) By not deleting the Incoming* files, one can be sure not
9686 to lose mail -- if Gnus totally whacks out, one can always recover what
9689 You may delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
9691 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
9692 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
9693 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
9694 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
9695 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
9696 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
9697 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
9699 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
9700 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
9702 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
9704 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9705 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9706 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
9707 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
9708 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
9713 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
9714 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
9715 @cindex mail splitting
9716 @cindex fancy mail splitting
9718 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
9719 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
9720 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
9721 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
9722 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
9723 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
9725 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
9728 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
9729 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
9730 ;; from real errors.
9731 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
9733 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
9734 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
9735 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
9736 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
9737 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
9738 ;; Other mailing lists...
9739 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
9740 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
9742 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
9743 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
9747 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
9748 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
9749 the five possible split syntaxes:
9754 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
9755 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
9759 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, the first element of
9760 which is a string, then store the message as specified by SPLIT, if
9761 header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a regexp).
9764 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9765 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
9766 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
9767 be stored in one or more groups.
9770 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9771 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
9774 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
9775 this message. Use with extreme caution.
9778 @var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
9779 element is @code{:}, then the second element will be called as a
9780 function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
9784 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
9788 In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
9789 @var{VALUE} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
9790 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
9791 field names or words. In other words, all @var{VALUE}'s are wrapped in
9792 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
9794 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
9795 @var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
9796 are expanded as specified by the variable
9797 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
9798 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
9801 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
9802 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
9803 when all this splitting is performed.
9805 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
9806 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
9807 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
9810 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
9813 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
9814 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
9815 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
9816 groupings 1 through 9.
9819 @node Mail and Procmail
9820 @subsection Mail and Procmail
9825 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
9826 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
9827 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
9828 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
9829 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
9831 If you have a combined @code{procmail}/POP/mailbox setup, you can do
9832 something like the following:
9834 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
9836 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
9837 (setq nnmail-spool-file
9838 '("/usr/spool/mail/my-name" "po:my-name"))
9841 This also means that you probably don't want to set
9842 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
9845 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
9846 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
9847 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends, except
9848 @code{nnmh}, actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
9849 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
9850 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
9852 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) by hand what
9855 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example:
9857 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
9858 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
9860 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
9861 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
9862 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
9863 to include all your mail groups.
9865 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
9866 method will be created automatically.
9868 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9869 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
9870 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
9871 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
9872 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
9873 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
9874 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
9875 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
9877 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
9878 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
9879 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
9880 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
9881 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
9883 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
9884 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directly into an @code{nnmh}
9885 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
9886 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
9887 ever expiring the final article (i.e., the article with the highest
9888 article number) in a mail newsgroup. This is quite, quite important.
9890 Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
9891 @file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i.e., the incoming
9892 spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
9893 @code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
9894 @code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
9897 (setq nnfolder-directory "~/fMail/")
9898 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
9899 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/incoming/")
9900 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnfolder "")))
9901 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "")
9905 @node Incorporating Old Mail
9906 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
9908 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
9909 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
9910 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
9913 Doing so can be quite easy.
9915 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
9916 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
9917 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
9918 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
9919 your @code{nnml} groups.
9925 Go to the group buffer.
9928 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
9929 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
9932 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
9935 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
9936 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
9939 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
9940 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
9943 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
9944 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
9945 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
9946 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
9947 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
9949 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
9950 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
9951 using the new mail backend.
9955 @subsection Expiring Mail
9956 @cindex article expiry
9958 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
9959 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
9960 different approach to mail reading.
9962 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
9963 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
9964 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
9965 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
9966 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
9967 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
9970 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
9971 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
9972 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
9973 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
9974 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
9975 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
9976 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
9977 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
9979 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
9980 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
9981 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
9982 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
9983 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
9984 column in the summary buffer.
9986 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
9987 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
9988 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
9989 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
9992 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
9994 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
9995 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
9996 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
9999 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
10000 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
10001 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
10002 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
10003 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
10005 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
10006 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
10009 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
10010 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
10013 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
10014 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
10016 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
10017 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
10018 don't really mix very well.
10020 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
10021 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
10022 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
10023 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
10026 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
10027 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
10028 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
10029 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
10032 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
10034 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
10036 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
10038 ((string= group "mail.junk")
10040 ((string= group "important")
10046 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
10047 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
10049 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
10050 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
10051 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
10054 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
10055 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
10057 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
10058 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
10059 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
10060 easier for procmail users.
10062 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
10063 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
10064 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
10065 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
10066 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
10067 caution. Even more dangerous is the
10068 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
10069 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
10070 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
10071 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
10072 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
10073 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
10074 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
10077 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
10081 @subsection Washing Mail
10082 @cindex mail washing
10083 @cindex list server brain damage
10084 @cindex incoming mail treatment
10086 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
10087 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
10088 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
10089 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
10090 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
10091 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
10093 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
10094 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
10095 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
10098 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
10099 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
10100 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
10101 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
10104 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
10105 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
10106 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
10107 grand, sweeping gestures. Functions to be used include:
10110 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
10111 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
10112 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
10113 Emacs running on MS machines.
10117 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
10118 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
10119 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
10120 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
10123 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
10124 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
10125 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
10126 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
10128 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
10129 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
10130 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
10131 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
10132 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
10133 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
10134 also be a list of regexp.
10136 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
10137 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
10140 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
10141 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
10144 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
10145 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
10146 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
10150 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10151 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10152 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
10156 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
10157 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
10158 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
10165 @subsection Duplicates
10167 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
10168 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
10169 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
10170 @cindex duplicate mails
10171 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
10172 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
10173 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
10174 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
10175 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
10176 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
10177 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
10178 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
10179 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
10180 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
10181 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
10182 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
10183 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
10185 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
10186 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
10187 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
10188 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
10190 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
10193 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
10194 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
10198 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
10199 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
10200 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
10201 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
10202 (any mail "mail.misc")
10209 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10210 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
10215 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
10216 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
10217 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
10218 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
10219 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
10222 @node Not Reading Mail
10223 @subsection Not Reading Mail
10225 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
10226 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
10227 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
10229 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
10230 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
10232 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10233 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10234 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10235 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10236 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10237 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
10238 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
10239 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
10240 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
10241 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
10242 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
10244 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
10245 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
10249 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
10250 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
10252 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
10253 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
10254 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
10257 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
10258 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
10259 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
10260 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
10261 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
10265 @node Unix Mail Box
10266 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
10268 @cindex unix mail box
10270 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10271 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10272 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
10273 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
10274 which group it belongs in.
10276 Virtual server settings:
10279 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
10280 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10281 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
10283 @item nnmbox-active-file
10284 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10285 The name of the active file for the mail box.
10287 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
10288 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10289 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
10295 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
10299 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10300 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10301 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
10302 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
10303 article to say which group it belongs in.
10305 Virtual server settings:
10308 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
10309 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10310 The name of the rmail mbox file.
10312 @item nnbabyl-active-file
10313 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10314 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
10316 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10317 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10318 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
10323 @subsubsection Mail Spool
10325 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
10327 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
10328 format. It should be used with some caution.
10330 @vindex nnml-directory
10331 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
10332 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
10333 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
10334 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
10336 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
10339 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
10340 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
10341 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
10342 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
10343 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
10344 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
10345 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
10346 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
10348 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
10349 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
10350 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
10351 backend when it comes to reading mail.
10353 Virtual server settings:
10356 @item nnml-directory
10357 @vindex nnml-directory
10358 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
10360 @item nnml-active-file
10361 @vindex nnml-active-file
10362 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
10364 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
10365 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
10366 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
10369 @item nnml-get-new-mail
10370 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10371 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
10373 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
10374 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
10375 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
10377 @item nnml-nov-file-name
10378 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
10379 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
10381 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10382 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10383 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
10387 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
10388 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
10389 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
10390 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
10391 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
10392 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
10393 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
10398 @subsubsection MH Spool
10400 @cindex mh-e mail spool
10402 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
10403 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
10404 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
10405 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
10407 Virtual server settings:
10410 @item nnmh-directory
10411 @vindex nnmh-directory
10412 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
10414 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
10415 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10416 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
10419 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
10420 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
10421 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
10422 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
10423 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
10424 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
10425 to set this variable to @code{t}.
10430 @subsubsection Mail Folders
10432 @cindex mbox folders
10433 @cindex mail folders
10435 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
10436 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
10437 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
10440 Virtual server settings:
10443 @item nnfolder-directory
10444 @vindex nnfolder-directory
10445 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
10447 @item nnfolder-active-file
10448 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
10449 The name of the active file.
10451 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10452 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10453 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
10455 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
10456 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10457 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
10459 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
10460 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
10461 @cindex backup files
10462 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
10463 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
10464 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
10465 your @file{.emacs} file:
10468 (defun turn-off-backup ()
10469 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
10471 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
10474 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
10475 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
10476 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
10477 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
10478 extract some information from it before removing it.
10483 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
10484 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
10485 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
10486 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
10487 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
10488 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
10491 @node Other Sources
10492 @section Other Sources
10494 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
10495 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
10499 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
10500 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
10501 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
10502 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
10503 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
10504 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
10508 @node Directory Groups
10509 @subsection Directory Groups
10511 @cindex directory groups
10513 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
10514 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
10517 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
10518 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
10519 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
10520 backend to read directories. Big deal.
10522 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
10523 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
10524 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
10525 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
10526 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
10528 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
10530 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
10531 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
10532 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
10533 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
10536 @node Anything Groups
10537 @subsection Anything Groups
10540 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
10541 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
10542 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
10545 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
10546 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
10547 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
10548 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
10549 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
10550 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
10551 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
10552 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
10553 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
10554 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
10557 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
10558 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
10559 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
10560 in the article buffer, just as usual.
10562 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
10563 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
10564 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
10565 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
10567 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
10568 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
10569 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
10570 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
10571 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
10572 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
10573 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
10574 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
10579 @item nneething-map-file-directory
10580 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
10581 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
10582 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
10584 @item nneething-exclude-files
10585 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
10586 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
10587 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
10589 @item nneething-map-file
10590 @vindex nneething-map-file
10591 Name of the map files.
10595 @node Document Groups
10596 @subsection Document Groups
10598 @cindex documentation group
10601 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
10602 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
10609 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
10614 The standard Unix mbox file.
10616 @cindex MMDF mail box
10618 The MMDF mail box format.
10621 Several news articles appended into a file.
10624 @cindex rnews batch files
10625 The rnews batch transport format.
10626 @cindex forwarded messages
10629 Forwarded articles.
10632 MIME multipart messages, besides digests.
10636 @cindex MIME digest
10637 @cindex 1153 digest
10638 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
10639 @cindex RFC 341 digest
10640 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
10642 @item standard-digest
10643 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
10646 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
10649 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
10650 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
10651 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
10654 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
10655 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
10656 group. And that's it.
10658 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
10659 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
10660 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
10661 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
10662 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
10663 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
10664 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
10665 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
10666 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
10667 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
10669 Virtual server variables:
10672 @item nndoc-article-type
10673 @vindex nndoc-article-type
10674 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
10675 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
10676 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{mime-digest},
10677 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs} or
10680 @item nndoc-post-type
10681 @vindex nndoc-post-type
10682 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
10683 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
10688 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
10692 @node Document Server Internals
10693 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
10695 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
10696 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
10697 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
10698 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
10700 First, here's an example document type definition:
10704 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
10705 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
10708 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
10709 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
10710 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
10711 types can be defined with very few settings:
10714 @item first-article
10715 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
10716 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
10719 @item article-begin
10720 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
10721 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
10723 @item head-begin-function
10724 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
10727 @item nndoc-head-begin
10728 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
10731 @item nndoc-head-end
10732 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
10733 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
10735 @item body-begin-function
10736 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
10740 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
10743 @item body-end-function
10744 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
10748 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
10751 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
10752 regexp will be totally ignored.
10756 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
10757 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
10758 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
10759 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
10760 something that's palatable for Gnus:
10763 @item prepare-body-function
10764 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
10765 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
10766 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
10768 @item article-transform-function
10769 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
10770 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
10771 body of the article.
10773 @item generate-head-function
10774 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
10775 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
10776 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
10777 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
10781 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
10786 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10787 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10788 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
10789 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
10790 (head-end . "^ ?$")
10791 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
10792 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
10793 (subtype digest guess))
10796 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
10797 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
10798 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
10799 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
10800 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
10802 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
10803 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
10804 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
10805 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
10806 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
10807 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
10808 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
10809 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
10810 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
10811 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
10819 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
10820 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
10821 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
10823 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
10824 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
10825 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
10828 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
10829 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
10830 that interested in doing things properly.
10832 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
10833 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
10836 First some terminology:
10841 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
10842 get news and/or mail from.
10845 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
10846 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
10849 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
10853 @item message packets
10854 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
10855 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
10856 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10858 @item response packets
10859 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
10860 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
10861 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10871 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
10872 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
10873 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
10874 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
10877 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
10880 You put the packet in your home directory.
10883 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
10884 the native or secondary server.
10887 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
10888 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
10891 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
10895 You transfer this packet to the server.
10898 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
10901 You then repeat until you die.
10905 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
10906 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
10909 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
10910 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
10911 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
10915 @node SOUP Commands
10916 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
10918 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
10922 @kindex G s b (Group)
10923 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
10924 Pack all unread articles in the current group
10925 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
10926 process/prefix convention.
10929 @kindex G s w (Group)
10930 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
10931 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
10934 @kindex G s s (Group)
10935 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
10936 Send all replies from the replies packet
10937 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
10940 @kindex G s p (Group)
10941 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
10942 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
10945 @kindex G s r (Group)
10946 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
10947 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
10950 @kindex O s (Summary)
10951 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
10952 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
10953 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
10954 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10959 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
10964 @item gnus-soup-directory
10965 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
10966 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
10967 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
10969 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
10970 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
10971 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
10972 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
10974 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
10975 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
10976 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
10977 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
10979 @item gnus-soup-packer
10980 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
10981 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
10982 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
10984 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
10985 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
10986 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
10987 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
10989 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
10990 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
10991 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
10993 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
10994 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
10995 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
10996 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
11002 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
11005 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
11006 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
11007 you can read them at leisure.
11009 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
11013 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
11014 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
11015 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
11016 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
11018 @item nnsoup-directory
11019 @vindex nnsoup-directory
11020 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
11021 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
11023 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
11024 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
11025 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
11026 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
11028 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
11029 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
11030 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
11031 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
11032 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
11034 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
11035 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
11036 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
11037 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
11039 @item nnsoup-active-file
11040 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
11041 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
11042 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
11043 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
11044 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
11046 @item nnsoup-packer
11047 @vindex nnsoup-packer
11048 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
11049 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
11051 @item nnsoup-unpacker
11052 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
11053 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
11054 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
11056 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
11057 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
11058 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
11061 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
11062 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
11063 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
11066 @item nnsoup-always-save
11067 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
11068 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
11074 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
11076 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
11077 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
11078 more for that to happen.
11080 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
11081 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
11082 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
11085 In specific, this is what it does:
11088 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
11089 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
11092 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
11093 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
11094 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
11098 @subsection Web Searches
11102 @cindex InReference
11103 @cindex Usenet searches
11104 @cindex searching the Usenet
11106 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
11107 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
11108 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
11109 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
11110 searches without having to use a browser.
11112 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
11113 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
11114 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
11115 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
11116 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
11118 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
11119 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
11120 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
11121 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
11122 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
11123 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
11124 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
11125 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
11126 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
11127 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
11130 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
11131 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
11132 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
11133 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
11134 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
11135 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
11137 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
11138 to use @code{nnweb}.
11140 Virtual server variables:
11145 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
11146 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
11150 @vindex nnweb-search
11151 The search string to feed to the search engine.
11153 @item nnweb-max-hits
11154 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
11155 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
11158 @item nnweb-type-definition
11159 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
11160 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
11161 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
11166 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
11170 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
11173 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
11176 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
11180 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
11187 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
11188 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
11189 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
11192 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
11193 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
11194 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
11196 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
11202 @item nngateway-address
11203 @vindex nngateway-address
11204 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
11206 @item nngateway-header-transformation
11207 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
11208 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
11209 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
11210 transformation should be called, and defaults to
11211 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
11212 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
11215 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
11216 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
11217 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
11220 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
11223 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
11226 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
11229 The following pre-defined functions exist:
11231 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11234 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11235 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11236 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
11238 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11240 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11241 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11242 @code{nngateway-address}.
11247 (setq gnus-post-method
11248 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
11249 (nngateway-header-transformation
11250 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
11258 So, to use this, simply say something like:
11261 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
11265 @node Combined Groups
11266 @section Combined Groups
11268 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
11272 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
11273 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
11277 @node Virtual Groups
11278 @subsection Virtual Groups
11280 @cindex virtual groups
11281 @cindex merging groups
11283 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
11286 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
11287 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
11288 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
11290 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
11291 regexp to match component groups.
11293 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
11294 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
11295 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
11296 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
11297 the virtual group.)
11299 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
11300 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
11303 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
11306 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
11307 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
11309 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
11310 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
11311 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
11312 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
11315 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
11318 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
11319 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
11320 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
11322 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
11323 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
11324 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
11325 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
11326 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
11328 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
11329 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
11330 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
11332 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
11333 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
11334 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
11335 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
11336 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
11337 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
11338 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
11339 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
11340 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
11341 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
11342 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
11344 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
11345 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
11346 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
11347 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
11348 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
11349 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
11350 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
11352 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
11353 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
11357 @node Kibozed Groups
11358 @subsection Kibozed Groups
11362 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
11363 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
11364 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
11365 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
11367 @kindex G k (Group)
11368 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
11371 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
11372 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
11373 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
11374 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
11376 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
11377 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
11378 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
11380 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
11381 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
11382 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
11383 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
11384 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
11385 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
11386 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
11387 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
11389 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
11390 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
11391 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
11392 Stranger things have happened.
11394 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
11395 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
11397 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
11398 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
11399 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
11400 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
11401 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
11402 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
11404 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
11405 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
11408 @node Gnus Unplugged
11409 @section Gnus Unplugged
11414 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
11416 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
11417 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
11418 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
11419 read news. Believe it or not.
11421 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
11422 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
11423 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
11424 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
11425 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
11427 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
11428 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
11429 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
11430 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
11431 reading news on a machine.
11433 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
11437 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
11438 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
11442 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
11443 @file{.gnus.el} file:
11450 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
11452 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
11455 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
11456 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
11457 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
11458 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
11459 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
11460 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
11461 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
11462 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
11467 @subsection Agent Basics
11469 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
11471 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
11472 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
11473 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
11474 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
11476 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
11477 connected to the net continuously.
11479 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
11480 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
11482 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
11487 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
11488 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
11489 already fetched while in this mode.
11492 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
11493 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
11494 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
11497 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
11498 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
11499 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
11500 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
11503 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
11504 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
11505 then you read the news offline.
11508 And then you go to step 2.
11511 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
11517 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
11518 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
11519 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
11520 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
11521 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
11522 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
11525 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}
11532 @node Agent Categories
11533 @subsection Agent Categories
11535 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
11536 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
11537 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
11538 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
11539 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
11540 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
11541 you're interested in the articles anyway.
11543 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
11544 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
11545 Gnus has its own buffer for creating and managing categories.
11548 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
11549 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
11550 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
11554 @node Category Syntax
11555 @subsubsection Category Syntax
11557 A category consists of two things.
11561 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
11562 are eligible for downloading; and
11565 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
11566 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
11567 score} is wholly unrelated to normal scores.)
11570 A predicate consists of predicates with logical operators sprinkled in
11573 Perhaps some examples are in order.
11575 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
11576 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
11582 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
11583 short (for some value of ``short'').
11585 Here's a more complex predicate:
11594 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
11595 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
11598 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
11599 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
11600 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
11602 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
11603 you want to do, you can write your own.
11607 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
11608 lines; default 100.
11611 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
11612 lines; default 200.
11615 True iff the article has a download score less than
11616 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
11619 True iff the article has a download score greater than
11620 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
11623 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
11624 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
11625 checksum and sees whether articles match.
11634 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
11635 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
11636 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
11639 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
11640 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
11641 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
11642 following headers can be scored on: @code{From}, @code{Subject},
11643 @code{Date}, @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars}, @code{Message-ID},
11644 and @code{References}.
11647 @node The Category Buffer
11648 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
11650 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
11651 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
11652 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
11654 The following commands are available in this buffer:
11658 @kindex q (Category)
11659 @findex gnus-category-exit
11660 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
11663 @kindex k (Category)
11664 @findex gnus-category-kill
11665 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
11668 @kindex c (Category)
11669 @findex gnus-category-copy
11670 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
11673 @kindex a (Category)
11674 @findex gnus-category-add
11675 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
11678 @kindex p (Category)
11679 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
11680 Edit the predicate of the current category
11681 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
11684 @kindex g (Category)
11685 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
11686 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
11687 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
11690 @kindex s (Category)
11691 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
11692 Edit the download score rule of the current category
11693 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
11696 @kindex l (Category)
11697 @findex gnus-category-list
11698 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
11702 @node Category Variables
11703 @subsubsection Category Variables
11706 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
11707 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
11708 Hook run in category buffers.
11710 @item gnus-category-line-format
11711 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
11712 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
11713 Variables}). Valid elements are:
11717 The name of the category.
11720 The number of groups in the category.
11723 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
11724 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
11725 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
11727 @item gnus-agent-short-article
11728 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
11729 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
11731 @item gnus-agent-long-article
11732 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
11733 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
11735 @item gnus-agent-low-score
11736 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
11737 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
11740 @item gnus-agent-high-score
11741 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
11742 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
11748 @node Agent Commands
11749 @subsection Agent Commands
11751 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
11752 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
11753 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
11757 * Group Agent Commands::
11758 * Summary Agent Commands::
11759 * Server Agent Commands::
11762 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
11763 following incantation:
11765 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
11767 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
11772 @node Group Agent Commands
11773 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
11777 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
11778 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
11779 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
11780 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
11783 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
11784 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
11785 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
11788 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
11789 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
11790 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
11791 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
11794 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
11795 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
11796 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
11797 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}). @xref{Drafts}
11800 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
11801 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
11802 Add the current group to an Agent category
11803 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}).
11808 @node Summary Agent Commands
11809 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
11813 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
11814 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
11815 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
11818 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
11819 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
11820 Remove the downloading mark from the article
11821 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
11824 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
11825 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
11826 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
11829 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
11830 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
11831 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
11836 @node Server Agent Commands
11837 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
11841 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
11842 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
11843 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
11844 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
11847 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
11848 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
11849 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
11850 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
11856 @subsection Agent Expiry
11858 @vindex gnus-agent-expiry-days
11859 @findex gnus-agent-expiry
11860 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expiry
11861 @cindex Agent expiry
11862 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
11865 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
11866 @code{gnus-agent-expiry} command that will expire all read articles that
11867 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expiry-days} days. It can be run
11868 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
11869 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
11870 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
11872 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
11873 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
11874 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
11875 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
11876 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
11879 @node Outgoing Messages
11880 @subsection Outgoing Messages
11882 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
11883 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
11884 after posting, and edit them at will.
11886 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
11887 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
11888 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
11889 messages in the draft group.
11893 @node Agent Variables
11894 @subsection Agent Variables
11897 @item gnus-agent-directory
11898 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
11899 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
11900 @file{~/News/agent/}.
11902 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
11903 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
11904 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
11905 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
11906 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
11909 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
11910 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
11911 Hook run when connecting to the network.
11913 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
11914 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
11915 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
11920 @node Example Setup
11921 @subsection Example Setup
11923 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
11924 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
11925 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
11928 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over NNTP
11929 ;;; from your ISP's server.
11930 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "nntp.your-isp.com"))
11932 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
11933 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
11934 (setenv "MAILHOST" "pop.your-isp.com")
11935 (setq nnmail-spool-file "po:username")
11937 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
11938 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
11940 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
11944 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
11945 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
11948 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
11949 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
11950 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
11951 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
11952 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
11955 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
11956 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
11957 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
11958 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
11959 back all the killed groups.)
11961 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
11962 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
11963 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
11966 @node Batching Agents
11967 @subsection Batching Agents
11969 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
11970 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
11971 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
11975 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
11984 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
11985 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
11986 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
11989 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
11990 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
11991 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
11992 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
11993 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
11995 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
11996 before generating the summary buffer.
11998 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
11999 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
12000 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
12002 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
12003 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
12004 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
12005 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
12008 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
12009 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
12010 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
12011 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
12012 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
12013 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
12014 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
12015 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
12016 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
12017 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
12018 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
12019 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
12020 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
12021 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
12022 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
12023 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
12027 @node Summary Score Commands
12028 @section Summary Score Commands
12029 @cindex score commands
12031 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
12032 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
12033 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
12034 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
12035 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
12037 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
12038 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
12039 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
12040 score file the current one.
12042 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
12047 @kindex V s (Summary)
12048 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
12049 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
12052 @kindex V S (Summary)
12053 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
12054 Display the score of the current article
12055 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
12058 @kindex V t (Summary)
12059 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
12060 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
12061 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
12064 @kindex V R (Summary)
12065 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
12066 Run the current summary through the scoring process
12067 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
12068 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
12069 effect you're having.
12072 @kindex V c (Summary)
12073 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
12074 Make a different score file the current
12075 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
12078 @kindex V e (Summary)
12079 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
12080 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
12081 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
12085 @kindex V f (Summary)
12086 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
12087 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
12088 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
12091 @kindex V F (Summary)
12092 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
12093 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
12094 after editing score files.
12097 @kindex V C (Summary)
12098 @findex gnus-score-customize
12099 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
12100 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
12104 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
12109 @kindex V m (Summary)
12110 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
12111 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
12112 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
12115 @kindex V x (Summary)
12116 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
12117 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
12118 expunge all articles below this score
12119 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
12122 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
12123 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
12126 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
12127 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
12131 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
12132 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
12134 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
12135 keys are available:
12139 Score on the author name.
12142 Score on the subject line.
12145 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
12148 Score on the References line.
12154 Score on the number of lines.
12157 Score on the Message-ID.
12160 Score on followups.
12174 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
12175 what headers you are scoring on.
12187 Substring matching.
12190 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
12219 Greater than number.
12224 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
12225 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
12226 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
12230 Temporary score entry.
12233 Permanent score entry.
12236 Immediately scoring.
12241 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
12242 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
12243 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
12244 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
12246 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
12247 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
12248 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
12249 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
12250 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
12252 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
12253 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
12254 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
12255 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
12256 current score file.
12258 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
12259 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
12260 pretend they are keymaps or not.
12263 @node Group Score Commands
12264 @section Group Score Commands
12265 @cindex group score commands
12267 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
12272 @kindex W f (Group)
12273 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
12274 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
12275 all the time. This command will flush the cache
12276 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
12280 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
12282 @findex gnus-batch-score
12283 @cindex batch scoring
12285 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l gnus -f gnus-batch-score
12289 @node Score Variables
12290 @section Score Variables
12291 @cindex score variables
12295 @item gnus-use-scoring
12296 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
12297 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
12298 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
12300 @item gnus-kill-killed
12301 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
12302 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
12303 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
12304 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
12305 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
12306 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
12307 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
12309 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
12310 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
12311 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
12312 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
12313 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
12315 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
12316 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
12317 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
12318 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
12320 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12321 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12322 @cindex score cache
12323 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
12324 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
12325 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
12326 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
12327 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
12328 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
12331 @item gnus-save-score
12332 @vindex gnus-save-score
12333 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
12334 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
12335 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
12337 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12338 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12339 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
12340 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
12341 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
12342 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
12343 manually entered data.
12345 @item gnus-summary-default-score
12346 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
12347 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
12349 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
12350 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
12351 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
12352 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
12353 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
12354 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
12356 @item gnus-score-over-mark
12357 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
12358 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
12359 default. Default is @samp{+}.
12361 @item gnus-score-below-mark
12362 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
12363 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
12364 default. Default is @samp{-}.
12366 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12367 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12368 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
12369 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
12371 Predefined functions available are:
12374 @item gnus-score-find-single
12375 @findex gnus-score-find-single
12376 Only apply the group's own score file.
12378 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
12379 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
12380 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
12381 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
12382 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
12383 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
12384 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
12385 then a regexp match is done.
12387 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
12388 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
12390 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
12391 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
12392 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
12393 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
12395 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12396 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12397 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
12398 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
12399 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
12402 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
12403 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
12404 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
12405 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
12406 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
12407 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
12410 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
12411 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
12412 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
12413 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
12414 are expired. It's 7 by default.
12416 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12417 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12418 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
12419 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
12420 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
12421 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
12422 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
12425 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12426 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12427 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
12429 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
12430 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
12431 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
12432 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
12433 threading---according to the current value of
12434 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
12435 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
12436 simplified in this manner.
12441 @node Score File Format
12442 @section Score File Format
12443 @cindex score file format
12445 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
12446 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
12447 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
12449 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
12453 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
12455 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
12457 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
12459 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
12464 (mark-and-expunge -10)
12468 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
12469 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
12470 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
12471 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
12475 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
12476 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
12478 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
12479 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
12480 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
12482 Six keys are supported by this alist:
12487 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
12488 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
12489 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
12490 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
12491 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
12492 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
12493 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
12494 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
12495 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
12496 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
12497 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
12498 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
12499 to articles that matches these score entries.
12501 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
12502 score entry has one to four elements.
12506 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
12507 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
12511 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
12512 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
12513 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
12514 is successful. If this element is not present, the
12515 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
12516 instead. This is 1000 by default.
12519 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
12520 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
12521 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
12522 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
12523 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
12526 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
12527 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
12528 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
12529 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
12532 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
12533 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
12534 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
12535 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
12536 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
12537 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
12538 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
12539 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
12540 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
12541 instead, if you feel like.
12544 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
12545 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
12547 These predicates are true if
12550 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
12553 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
12554 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
12561 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
12562 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
12563 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
12564 it's not. I think.)
12566 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
12567 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
12568 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
12569 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
12572 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
12573 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
12574 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
12575 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
12576 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
12577 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
12578 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
12582 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
12583 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
12584 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
12585 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
12586 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
12587 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
12588 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
12589 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
12592 @item Head, Body, All
12593 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
12597 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
12598 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
12599 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
12600 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
12601 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
12602 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
12603 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
12607 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
12608 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
12609 @samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
12610 article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
12611 @samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
12612 articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
12613 entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
12614 complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
12615 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
12616 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
12620 @cindex Score File Atoms
12622 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12623 lower than this number will be marked as read.
12626 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12627 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
12629 @item mark-and-expunge
12630 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12631 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
12634 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
12635 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
12636 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
12637 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
12638 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
12641 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
12642 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
12645 @item exclude-files
12646 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
12647 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
12651 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
12652 ignored when handling global score files.
12655 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
12656 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
12657 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
12658 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
12661 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
12662 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
12663 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
12664 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
12666 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
12670 (mark-and-expunge -100)
12673 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
12674 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
12675 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
12676 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
12677 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
12679 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
12680 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
12681 ordinary scoring rules.
12684 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
12685 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
12686 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
12687 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
12688 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
12689 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
12690 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
12691 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
12692 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
12693 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
12694 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
12698 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
12699 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
12700 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
12701 file for a number of groups.
12704 @cindex local variables
12705 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
12706 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
12707 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
12708 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
12709 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
12713 @node Score File Editing
12714 @section Score File Editing
12716 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
12717 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
12718 with a mode for that.
12720 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
12721 additional commands:
12726 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
12727 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
12728 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
12729 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
12732 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
12733 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
12734 Insert the current date in numerical format
12735 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
12736 you were wondering.
12739 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
12740 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
12741 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
12742 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
12743 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
12748 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
12750 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
12751 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
12753 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
12754 e} to begin editing score files.
12757 @node Adaptive Scoring
12758 @section Adaptive Scoring
12759 @cindex adaptive scoring
12761 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
12762 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
12763 stupidity, to be precise.
12765 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
12766 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
12767 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
12768 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
12769 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
12770 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
12771 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
12772 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
12773 variable to @code{(word line)}.
12775 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
12776 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
12777 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
12778 might look something like this:
12781 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
12782 '((gnus-unread-mark)
12783 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
12784 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
12785 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
12786 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
12787 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
12788 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
12789 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
12790 (gnus-ancient-mark)
12791 (gnus-low-score-mark)
12792 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
12795 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
12796 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
12797 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
12798 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
12799 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
12800 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
12803 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
12804 will be applied to each article.
12806 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
12807 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
12808 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
12809 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
12811 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
12812 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
12813 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
12814 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
12816 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
12817 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
12818 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
12819 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
12821 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
12822 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
12823 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
12824 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
12825 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
12826 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
12828 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
12829 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
12830 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
12831 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
12832 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
12833 aspirins afterwards.)
12835 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
12836 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
12837 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
12839 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
12840 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
12841 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
12843 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
12844 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
12845 let you use different rules in different groups.
12847 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
12848 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
12849 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
12852 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
12853 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
12854 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
12855 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
12856 the length of the match is less than
12857 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
12858 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
12861 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
12862 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
12863 headers. If you adapt on words, the
12864 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
12865 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
12868 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
12869 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
12870 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
12871 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
12872 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
12875 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
12876 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
12877 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
12878 score with 30 points.
12880 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
12881 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
12882 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
12883 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
12884 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
12886 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
12887 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
12888 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
12889 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
12891 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
12892 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
12893 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
12894 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
12896 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
12897 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
12898 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
12900 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
12901 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
12902 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
12903 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
12906 @node Home Score File
12907 @section Home Score File
12909 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
12910 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
12911 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
12912 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
12914 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
12915 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
12916 could perhaps use the same home score file.
12918 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
12919 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
12924 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
12928 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
12929 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
12933 A list. The elements in this list can be:
12937 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
12938 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
12941 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
12942 the home score file.
12945 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
12948 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
12953 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
12956 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12957 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
12960 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
12961 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
12963 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
12965 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12966 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
12969 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
12970 Other functions include
12973 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
12974 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
12975 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
12976 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
12980 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
12981 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
12982 their own home score files:
12985 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12986 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
12987 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
12988 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
12989 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
12992 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
12993 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
12994 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
12995 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
12996 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
12998 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
12999 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
13000 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
13001 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
13002 precedence over this variable.
13005 @node Followups To Yourself
13006 @section Followups To Yourself
13008 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
13009 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
13010 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
13011 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
13012 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
13013 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
13017 @item gnus-score-followup-article
13018 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
13019 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
13022 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
13023 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
13024 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
13028 @vindex message-sent-hook
13029 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
13030 @code{message-sent-hook}.
13032 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
13033 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
13037 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
13038 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
13041 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
13042 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
13047 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
13051 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
13052 is system-dependent.
13056 @section Scoring Tips
13057 @cindex scoring tips
13063 @cindex scoring crossposts
13064 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
13065 the @code{Xref} header.
13067 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
13070 @item Multiple crossposts
13071 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
13072 more than, say, 3 groups:
13074 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
13077 @item Matching on the body
13078 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
13079 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
13080 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
13081 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
13082 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
13083 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
13084 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
13087 @item Marking as read
13088 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
13089 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
13090 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
13094 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
13096 @item Negated character classes
13097 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
13098 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
13099 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
13103 @node Reverse Scoring
13104 @section Reverse Scoring
13105 @cindex reverse scoring
13107 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
13108 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
13109 like this in your score file:
13113 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
13118 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
13119 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
13122 @node Global Score Files
13123 @section Global Score Files
13124 @cindex global score files
13126 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
13127 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
13128 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
13130 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
13131 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
13132 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
13134 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
13135 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
13136 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
13137 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
13138 files are applicable to which group.
13140 Say you want to use the score file
13141 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
13142 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
13145 (setq gnus-global-score-files
13146 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
13147 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
13150 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
13151 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
13152 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
13153 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
13154 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
13156 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
13157 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
13159 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
13160 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
13161 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
13162 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
13163 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
13164 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
13166 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
13172 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
13174 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
13176 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
13178 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
13179 lowered out of existence.
13181 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
13182 articles completely.
13185 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
13186 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
13187 old articles for a long time.
13190 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
13191 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
13192 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
13193 holding our breath yet?
13197 @section Kill Files
13200 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
13201 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
13202 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
13204 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
13205 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
13206 files into score files.
13208 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
13209 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
13210 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
13211 that isn't a very good idea.
13213 Normal kill files look like this:
13216 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13217 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
13221 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
13222 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
13224 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
13225 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
13228 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
13233 @kindex M-k (Summary)
13234 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
13235 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
13238 @kindex M-K (Summary)
13239 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
13240 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
13243 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
13248 @kindex M-k (Group)
13249 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
13250 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
13253 @kindex M-K (Group)
13254 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
13255 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
13258 Kill file variables:
13261 @item gnus-kill-file-name
13262 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
13263 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
13264 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
13265 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
13266 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
13267 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
13269 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13270 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13271 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
13272 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
13275 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
13276 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
13277 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
13278 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
13279 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
13280 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
13281 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
13282 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
13283 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
13285 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13286 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13287 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
13292 @node Converting Kill Files
13293 @section Converting Kill Files
13295 @cindex converting kill files
13297 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
13298 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
13299 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
13302 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
13303 You can fetch it from
13304 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
13306 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
13307 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
13308 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
13316 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
13317 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
13318 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
13320 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
13321 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
13322 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
13323 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
13324 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
13325 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
13326 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
13327 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
13331 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
13332 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
13333 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
13334 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
13338 @node Using GroupLens
13339 @subsection Using GroupLens
13341 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
13343 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
13344 better bit in town at the moment.
13346 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
13350 @item gnus-use-grouplens
13351 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
13352 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
13353 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
13355 @item grouplens-pseudonym
13356 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
13357 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
13358 with the Better Bit Bureau.
13360 @item grouplens-newsgroups
13361 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
13362 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
13366 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
13367 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
13368 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
13369 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
13370 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
13371 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
13374 @node Rating Articles
13375 @subsection Rating Articles
13377 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
13378 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
13379 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
13380 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
13383 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
13388 @kindex r (GroupLens)
13389 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
13390 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
13393 @kindex k (GroupLens)
13394 @findex grouplens-score-thread
13395 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
13396 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
13397 threads in rec.humor.
13401 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
13402 the score of the article you're reading.
13407 @kindex n (GroupLens)
13408 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
13409 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
13412 @kindex , (GroupLens)
13413 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
13414 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
13418 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
13419 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
13422 @node Displaying Predictions
13423 @subsection Displaying Predictions
13425 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
13426 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
13427 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
13428 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
13429 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
13431 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
13432 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
13433 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
13434 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
13435 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
13436 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
13437 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
13438 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
13439 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
13440 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
13441 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
13442 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
13443 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
13445 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
13446 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
13447 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
13448 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
13450 The following are valid values for that variable.
13453 @item prediction-spot
13454 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
13457 @item confidence-interval
13458 A numeric confidence interval.
13460 @item prediction-bar
13461 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
13463 @item confidence-bar
13464 Numerical confidence.
13466 @item confidence-spot
13467 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
13469 @item prediction-num
13470 Plain-old numeric value.
13472 @item confidence-plus-minus
13473 Prediction +/- confidence.
13478 @node GroupLens Variables
13479 @subsection GroupLens Variables
13483 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
13484 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
13485 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
13486 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
13489 @item grouplens-bbb-host
13490 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
13493 @item grouplens-bbb-port
13494 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
13496 @item grouplens-score-offset
13497 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
13498 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
13501 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
13502 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
13503 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
13508 @node Advanced Scoring
13509 @section Advanced Scoring
13511 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
13512 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
13513 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
13514 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
13515 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
13517 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
13521 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
13522 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
13523 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
13527 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
13528 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
13530 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
13531 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
13532 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
13533 non-@code{nil} value.
13535 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
13536 operator, and various match operators.
13543 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13544 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
13545 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
13550 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13551 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
13552 then this operator will return @code{false}.
13557 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
13558 logical negation of the value of its argument.
13562 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
13563 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
13564 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
13565 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
13566 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
13567 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
13568 the ancestry you want to go.
13570 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
13571 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
13572 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
13573 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
13574 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
13577 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
13578 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
13580 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
13581 when he's talking about Gnus:
13585 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13586 ("subject" "Gnus"))
13592 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
13596 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13603 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
13604 really don't want to read what he's written:
13608 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13609 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
13613 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
13614 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
13615 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
13622 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
13623 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
13624 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
13625 ("body" "white.*socks"))
13629 The possibilities are endless.
13632 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
13633 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
13635 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
13636 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
13637 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
13638 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
13639 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
13640 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
13641 @samp{subject}) first.
13643 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
13644 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
13655 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
13656 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
13662 ("subject" "Gnus")))
13669 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
13670 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
13675 @section Score Decays
13676 @cindex score decays
13679 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
13680 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
13681 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
13682 use them in any sensible way.
13684 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
13685 @findex gnus-decay-score
13686 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
13687 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
13688 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
13689 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
13690 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
13691 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
13692 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
13693 definition of that function:
13696 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
13698 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
13699 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
13702 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
13704 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
13706 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
13709 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
13710 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
13711 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
13712 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
13716 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
13719 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
13722 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
13726 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
13727 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
13728 the new score, which should be an integer.
13730 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
13731 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
13738 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
13739 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
13740 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
13741 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
13742 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
13743 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
13744 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
13745 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
13746 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
13747 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
13748 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
13749 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
13750 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
13751 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
13752 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
13753 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
13754 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
13755 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
13759 @node Process/Prefix
13760 @section Process/Prefix
13761 @cindex process/prefix convention
13763 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
13764 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
13766 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
13767 command to be performed on.
13771 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
13772 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
13773 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
13774 with the current one.
13776 @vindex transient-mark-mode
13777 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
13778 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
13780 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
13781 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
13784 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
13785 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
13787 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
13790 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
13791 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
13792 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
13793 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13795 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
13796 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
13797 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
13798 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
13799 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
13800 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
13801 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
13802 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
13806 @section Interactive
13807 @cindex interaction
13811 @item gnus-novice-user
13812 @vindex gnus-novice-user
13813 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
13814 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
13815 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
13816 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
13819 @item gnus-expert-user
13820 @vindex gnus-expert-user
13821 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
13822 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
13823 matter how strange.
13825 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
13826 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
13827 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
13828 is @code{t} by default.
13830 @item gnus-interactive-exit
13831 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
13832 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
13837 @node Symbolic Prefixes
13838 @section Symbolic Prefixes
13839 @cindex symbolic prefixes
13841 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
13842 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
13843 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
13844 rule of 900 to the current article.
13846 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
13847 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
13848 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
13849 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
13850 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
13851 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
13852 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
13854 @kindex M-i (Summary)
13855 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
13856 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
13857 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
13858 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
13859 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
13860 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
13861 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
13862 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
13864 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
13865 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
13866 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
13868 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
13872 @node Formatting Variables
13873 @section Formatting Variables
13874 @cindex formatting variables
13876 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
13877 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
13878 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
13879 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
13880 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
13883 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
13884 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
13885 lots of percentages everywhere.
13888 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
13889 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
13890 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
13891 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
13892 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
13895 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
13896 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
13897 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
13898 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
13899 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
13900 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
13901 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
13902 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
13904 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
13905 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
13907 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
13908 @findex gnus-update-format
13909 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
13910 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
13911 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
13912 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
13916 @node Formatting Basics
13917 @subsection Formatting Basics
13919 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
13920 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
13921 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
13923 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
13924 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
13925 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
13926 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
13927 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
13930 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
13931 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
13932 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
13933 less than 4 characters wide.
13936 @node Mode Line Formatting
13937 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
13939 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
13940 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
13941 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
13942 with the following two differences:
13947 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
13950 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
13951 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
13952 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
13953 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
13954 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
13955 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
13956 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
13961 @node Advanced Formatting
13962 @subsection Advanced Formatting
13964 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
13965 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
13966 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
13967 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
13969 These are the valid modifiers:
13974 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
13978 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
13983 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
13986 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
13991 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
13994 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
13997 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
14000 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
14004 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
14005 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
14006 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
14007 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
14008 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
14009 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
14010 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
14012 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
14013 last operation, padding.
14015 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
14016 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
14017 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
14018 @xref{Compilation}.
14021 @node User-Defined Specs
14022 @subsection User-Defined Specs
14024 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
14025 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
14026 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
14027 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
14028 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
14029 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
14030 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
14031 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
14032 should protect against that.
14034 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
14035 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
14036 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
14037 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
14041 @node Formatting Fonts
14042 @subsection Formatting Fonts
14044 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
14045 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
14046 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
14047 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
14050 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
14051 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
14052 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
14053 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
14054 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
14055 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
14057 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
14060 ;; Create three face types.
14061 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
14062 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
14064 ;; We want the article count to be in
14065 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
14066 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
14067 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
14069 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
14070 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
14072 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
14073 (setq gnus-group-line-format
14074 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
14077 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
14078 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
14080 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
14081 mode-line variables.
14084 @node Windows Configuration
14085 @section Windows Configuration
14086 @cindex windows configuration
14088 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
14090 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
14091 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
14092 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
14093 @code{t} by default.
14095 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
14096 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
14097 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
14100 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
14101 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
14102 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
14106 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
14107 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
14108 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
14109 possible names is listed below.
14111 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
14112 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
14115 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
14119 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
14120 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
14121 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
14122 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
14123 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
14124 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
14125 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
14126 size spec per split.
14128 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
14129 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
14130 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
14131 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
14132 present) gets focus.
14134 Here's a more complicated example:
14137 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
14138 (summary 0.25 point)
14139 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
14143 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
14144 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
14145 occupy, not a percentage.
14147 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
14148 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
14149 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
14150 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
14151 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
14154 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
14157 (article (horizontal 1.0
14162 (summary 0.25 point)
14167 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
14168 @code{horizontal} thingie?
14170 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
14171 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
14172 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
14173 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
14174 the screen is to be given to this strip.
14176 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
14177 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
14178 lines from the splits.
14180 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
14184 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
14185 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
14186 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
14187 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
14188 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
14189 size = number | frame-params
14190 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
14193 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
14194 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
14195 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
14196 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
14198 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
14199 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
14200 @cindex window height
14201 @cindex window width
14202 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
14203 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
14204 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
14205 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
14206 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
14207 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
14209 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
14210 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
14211 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
14212 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
14214 @findex gnus-configure-frame
14215 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
14216 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
14217 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
14218 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
14219 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
14220 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
14221 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
14222 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
14223 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
14224 configuration list.
14227 (gnus-configure-frame
14231 (article 0.3 point))
14239 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
14240 @code{frame} split:
14243 (gnus-configure-frame
14246 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
14248 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
14249 (user-position . t)
14250 (left . -1) (top . 1))
14255 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
14256 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
14257 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
14258 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
14259 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
14260 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
14261 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
14262 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
14265 Here's a list of all possible keys for
14266 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
14268 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
14269 @code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
14270 @code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
14271 @code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
14272 @code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft}, @code{pipe},
14273 @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}, and @code{score-trace}.
14275 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
14276 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
14277 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
14281 (message (horizontal 1.0
14282 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
14284 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
14289 @findex gnus-add-configuration
14290 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
14291 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
14292 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
14293 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
14296 (gnus-add-configuration
14297 '(article (vertical 1.0
14299 (summary .25 point)
14303 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
14304 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
14305 Gnus has been loaded.
14307 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
14308 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
14309 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
14310 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
14311 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
14314 @node Faces and Fonts
14315 @section Faces and Fonts
14320 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
14321 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
14322 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
14327 @section Compilation
14328 @cindex compilation
14329 @cindex byte-compilation
14331 @findex gnus-compile
14333 Remember all those line format specification variables?
14334 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
14335 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
14336 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
14337 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
14338 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
14341 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
14342 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
14343 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
14344 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
14345 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
14346 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
14347 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
14351 @section Mode Lines
14354 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
14355 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
14356 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
14357 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
14358 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
14359 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
14360 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
14363 @cindex display-time
14365 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
14366 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
14367 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
14368 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
14369 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
14370 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
14371 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
14372 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
14375 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
14377 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
14378 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
14380 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
14381 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
14382 (length display-time-string)))))
14385 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
14386 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
14387 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
14388 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
14389 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
14392 @node Highlighting and Menus
14393 @section Highlighting and Menus
14395 @cindex highlighting
14398 @vindex gnus-visual
14399 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
14400 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
14401 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
14404 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
14405 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
14408 @item group-highlight
14409 Do highlights in the group buffer.
14410 @item summary-highlight
14411 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
14412 @item article-highlight
14413 Do highlights according to @code{gnus-article-display-hook} in the
14416 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
14418 Create menus in the group buffer.
14420 Create menus in the summary buffers.
14422 Create menus in the article buffer.
14424 Create menus in the browse buffer.
14426 Create menus in the server buffer.
14428 Create menus in the score buffers.
14430 Create menus in all buffers.
14433 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
14434 buffers, you could say something like:
14437 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
14440 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
14443 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
14446 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
14447 in all Gnus buffers.
14449 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
14452 @item gnus-mouse-face
14453 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
14454 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
14455 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
14459 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
14463 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
14464 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
14465 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
14467 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
14468 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
14469 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
14471 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
14472 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
14473 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
14475 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
14476 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
14477 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
14479 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
14480 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
14481 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
14483 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
14484 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
14485 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
14496 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
14497 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
14498 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
14499 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
14500 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
14504 @vindex gnus-carpal
14505 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
14506 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
14507 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
14512 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14513 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14514 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
14516 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
14517 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
14518 Face used on buttons.
14520 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
14521 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
14522 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
14524 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14525 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14526 Buttons in the group buffer.
14528 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14529 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14530 Buttons in the summary buffer.
14532 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14533 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14534 Buttons in the server buffer.
14536 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14537 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14538 Buttons in the browse buffer.
14541 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
14542 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
14543 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
14551 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
14552 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
14553 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
14554 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
14555 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
14557 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
14558 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
14559 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
14561 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
14562 been idle for thirty minutes:
14565 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
14568 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
14572 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
14575 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
14576 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
14577 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14579 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
14580 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
14581 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
14582 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14584 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
14585 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
14586 @var{idle} minutes.
14588 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
14589 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
14592 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
14593 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
14594 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
14596 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
14597 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
14598 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
14599 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
14601 @vindex gnus-use-demon
14602 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
14603 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
14605 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
14606 your @file{.gnus} file:
14608 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
14610 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
14613 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
14614 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
14615 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
14616 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
14617 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
14618 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
14619 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
14620 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
14621 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
14622 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
14623 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
14625 @findex gnus-demon-init
14626 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
14627 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
14628 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
14629 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
14630 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
14632 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
14633 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
14634 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
14643 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
14644 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
14646 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
14647 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
14648 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
14649 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
14652 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
14653 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
14654 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
14655 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
14657 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
14658 this will make spam disappear.
14660 There are some variables to customize, of course:
14663 @item gnus-use-nocem
14664 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
14665 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
14668 @item gnus-nocem-groups
14669 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
14670 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
14671 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
14672 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
14674 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
14675 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
14676 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
14677 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
14678 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
14679 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
14680 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
14682 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
14685 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
14686 @cindex Chris Lewis
14687 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
14688 usenet abuse than anybody else.
14691 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
14692 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
14693 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
14695 @item jem@@xpat.com;
14697 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
14700 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
14701 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
14702 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
14705 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
14706 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
14707 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
14708 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
14709 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
14710 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
14711 @var{(issuer conditions ...)} elements in the list. Each condition is
14712 either a string (which is a regexp that matches types you want to use)
14713 or a list on the form @code{(not STRING)}, where @var{string} is a
14714 regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
14716 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
14717 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
14720 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
14723 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
14724 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
14727 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
14730 The specs are applied left-to-right.
14733 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
14734 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
14736 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
14737 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
14738 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
14739 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
14741 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
14742 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
14745 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
14747 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
14755 This might be dangerous, though.
14757 @item gnus-nocem-directory
14758 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
14759 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
14760 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
14762 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
14763 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
14764 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
14765 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
14766 might then see old spam.
14770 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
14771 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
14772 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
14773 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
14780 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
14781 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
14782 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
14784 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
14785 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
14786 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
14787 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
14788 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
14789 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
14790 @code{undo} function.
14792 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
14793 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
14794 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
14795 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
14796 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
14797 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
14798 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
14799 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
14800 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
14801 never be totally undoable.
14803 @findex gnus-undo-mode
14804 @vindex gnus-use-undo
14806 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
14807 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
14808 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
14809 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
14814 @section Moderation
14817 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
14818 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
14819 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
14822 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
14826 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
14829 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
14831 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
14836 You split your incoming mail by matching on
14837 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
14838 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
14841 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
14842 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
14845 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
14846 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
14850 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
14853 (setq gnus-moderated-list
14854 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
14858 @node XEmacs Enhancements
14859 @section XEmacs Enhancements
14862 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
14866 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
14867 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
14868 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
14869 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
14882 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
14883 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
14884 over your shoulder as you read news.
14887 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
14888 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
14889 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
14890 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
14891 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
14896 @subsubsection Picon Basics
14898 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
14907 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
14908 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
14909 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
14910 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
14911 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
14912 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
14913 @code{GIF} formats.
14916 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14917 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
14918 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
14919 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
14920 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
14922 @vindex gnus-picons-database
14923 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
14924 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
14925 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
14926 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
14927 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
14930 @node Picon Requirements
14931 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
14933 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
14934 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
14937 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
14938 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
14939 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
14941 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
14942 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
14943 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
14944 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
14945 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
14949 @subsubsection Easy Picons
14951 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
14952 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
14955 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
14956 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
14957 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
14958 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
14959 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
14962 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
14963 containing the Picons databases.
14965 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
14968 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14969 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
14974 @subsubsection Hard Picons
14982 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
14983 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
14984 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
14985 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
14986 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
14991 @item gnus-picons-database
14992 @vindex gnus-picons-database
14993 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
14994 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
14995 subdirectories. This is only useful if
14996 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
14997 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
14999 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15000 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
15001 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
15002 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
15003 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
15004 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
15005 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
15007 @item gnus-picons-display-where
15008 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
15009 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
15010 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
15011 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
15012 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
15013 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
15014 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
15016 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
15017 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
15018 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
15023 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
15024 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
15026 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
15027 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
15030 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
15031 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
15033 @item gnus-article-display-picons
15034 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
15035 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
15036 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to the
15037 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
15039 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
15040 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
15041 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
15042 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
15046 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
15047 for the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
15050 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
15054 @node Picon Useless Configuration
15055 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
15063 The following variables offer further control over how things are
15064 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
15065 don't need to worry about.
15069 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
15070 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
15071 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
15072 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
15074 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
15075 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
15076 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
15077 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
15079 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
15080 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
15081 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
15082 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
15083 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
15085 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15086 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
15087 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
15088 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
15089 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
15090 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
15091 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
15093 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
15094 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
15095 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
15096 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
15098 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
15099 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
15100 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
15101 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
15102 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
15103 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
15104 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
15106 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
15107 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
15108 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
15109 Defaults to @code{nil}.
15111 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
15112 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
15113 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
15114 Defaults to @code{t}.
15116 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
15117 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
15118 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
15119 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
15121 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
15122 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
15123 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
15124 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
15126 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
15127 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
15128 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
15129 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
15130 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
15131 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
15132 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
15133 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
15144 @subsection Smileys
15149 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
15154 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
15155 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
15157 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
15158 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15161 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-smiley-display t)
15164 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
15165 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
15166 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
15167 text and maps that to file names.
15169 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
15170 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
15171 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
15172 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
15173 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
15174 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
15176 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
15177 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
15179 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
15180 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
15181 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
15183 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
15184 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
15188 @item smiley-data-directory
15189 @vindex smiley-data-directory
15190 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
15192 @item smiley-flesh-color
15193 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
15194 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
15196 @item smiley-features-color
15197 @vindex smiley-features-color
15198 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15200 @item smiley-tongue-color
15201 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
15202 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
15204 @item smiley-circle-color
15205 @vindex smiley-circle-color
15206 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15208 @item smiley-mouse-face
15209 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
15210 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
15216 @subsection Toolbar
15226 @item gnus-use-toolbar
15227 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
15228 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
15229 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
15230 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
15232 @item gnus-group-toolbar
15233 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
15234 The toolbar in the group buffer.
15236 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
15237 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
15238 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
15240 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15241 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15242 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
15248 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
15251 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15252 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15253 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
15254 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
15255 unusual directory structure.
15257 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15258 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15259 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
15260 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
15262 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15263 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15264 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
15265 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
15266 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
15267 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
15269 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
15270 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
15271 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
15285 @node Fuzzy Matching
15286 @section Fuzzy Matching
15287 @cindex fuzzy matching
15289 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
15290 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
15292 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
15293 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
15294 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
15296 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
15297 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
15298 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
15299 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
15300 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
15303 @node Thwarting Email Spam
15304 @section Thwarting Email Spam
15308 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
15310 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
15311 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
15312 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
15313 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
15314 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
15315 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
15316 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
15317 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
15320 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
15321 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
15322 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
15323 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
15324 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
15325 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
15329 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
15330 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
15332 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
15333 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
15334 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
15335 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
15336 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
15337 part of the mail address.)
15340 (setq message-default-news-headers
15341 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
15344 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
15345 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
15350 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
15351 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
15352 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
15358 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
15359 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
15360 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
15361 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
15363 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
15364 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
15365 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
15366 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
15367 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
15368 your fancy split rule in this way:
15373 (to "larsi" "misc")
15377 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
15378 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
15379 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
15380 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
15381 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
15383 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
15384 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
15385 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
15386 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
15387 cosmic balance somewhat.
15389 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
15390 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
15391 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
15392 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
15395 @node Various Various
15396 @section Various Various
15402 @item gnus-home-directory
15403 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
15404 defaults to @file{~/}.
15406 @item gnus-directory
15407 @vindex gnus-directory
15408 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
15409 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
15410 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
15412 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
15413 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
15414 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
15415 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
15417 @item gnus-default-directory
15418 @vindex gnus-default-directory
15419 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
15420 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
15421 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
15422 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15423 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
15424 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
15427 @vindex gnus-verbose
15428 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
15429 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
15430 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
15431 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
15432 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
15434 @item gnus-verbose-backends
15435 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
15436 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
15437 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
15439 @item nnheader-max-head-length
15440 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
15441 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
15442 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
15443 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
15444 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
15445 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
15446 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
15447 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
15448 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
15450 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
15451 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
15452 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
15453 read when doing the operation described above.
15455 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15456 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15458 @cindex invalid characters in file names
15459 @cindex characters in file names
15460 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
15461 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
15462 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
15465 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15469 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
15470 Windows (phooey) systems.
15472 @item gnus-hidden-properties
15473 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
15474 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
15475 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
15476 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
15478 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
15479 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
15480 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
15481 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
15482 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
15484 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
15485 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
15486 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
15495 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
15496 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
15498 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
15500 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
15506 Not because of victories @*
15509 but for the common sunshine,@*
15511 the largess of the spring.
15515 but for the day's work done@*
15516 as well as I was able;@*
15517 not for a seat upon the dais@*
15518 but at the common table.@*
15523 @chapter Appendices
15526 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
15527 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
15528 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
15529 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
15530 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
15531 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
15532 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
15540 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
15541 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
15543 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
15544 can point your (feh!) web browser to
15545 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
15546 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
15547 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
15549 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
15550 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
15551 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
15552 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
15553 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
15554 appropriate name, don't you think?)
15556 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
15557 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
15558 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
15559 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
15561 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
15562 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
15563 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
15565 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
15566 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
15568 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
15569 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
15571 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37
15572 releases. If was released as ``Gnus 5.6 on March 8th 1998.
15574 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
15575 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
15576 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
15577 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
15578 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
15582 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
15583 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
15584 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
15585 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
15586 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
15587 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
15588 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
15595 What's the point of Gnus?
15597 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
15598 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
15599 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
15600 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
15601 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
15602 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
15603 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
15604 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
15605 keep track of millions of people who post?
15607 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
15608 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
15609 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
15610 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
15611 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
15612 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
15613 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
15614 every one of you to explore and invent.
15616 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
15617 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
15620 @node Compatibility
15621 @subsection Compatibility
15623 @cindex compatibility
15624 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
15625 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
15626 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
15631 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
15635 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
15638 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
15641 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
15642 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
15643 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
15644 important variables have their values copied into their global
15645 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
15646 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
15648 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
15649 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
15650 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
15651 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
15652 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
15656 @cindex highlighting
15657 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
15658 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
15659 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
15660 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
15661 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
15662 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
15665 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
15666 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
15667 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
15668 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
15670 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
15671 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
15672 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
15673 to stop doing it the old way.
15675 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
15677 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
15679 @cindex reporting bugs
15681 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
15682 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
15683 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
15685 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
15686 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
15687 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
15688 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
15693 @subsection Conformity
15695 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
15696 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
15703 There are no known breaches of this standard.
15707 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
15709 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
15710 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
15711 We do have some breaches to this one.
15716 Gnus does not yet fully handle MIME, and this standard-to-be seems to
15717 think that MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
15720 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
15721 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
15722 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
15723 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
15724 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
15729 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
15730 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
15731 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
15732 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
15736 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
15737 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
15742 @subsection Emacsen
15748 Gnus should work on :
15756 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
15760 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
15761 reliably, at least.
15763 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
15764 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
15765 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
15770 @subsection Contributors
15771 @cindex contributors
15773 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
15774 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
15775 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
15776 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
15777 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
15778 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
15779 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
15780 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
15781 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
15782 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
15784 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
15790 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
15793 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
15794 well as numerous other things).
15797 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
15800 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
15803 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
15804 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
15807 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
15810 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
15811 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
15814 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
15817 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
15820 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
15823 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
15826 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
15827 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
15830 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
15833 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
15836 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
15839 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
15843 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
15846 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
15849 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
15852 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
15853 well as autoconf support.
15857 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
15858 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
15860 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
15869 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
15873 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
15895 Massimo Campostrini,
15903 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
15909 Michael Welsh Duggan,
15912 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
15916 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
15922 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
15924 Michelangelo Grigni,
15927 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
15929 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
15931 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
15936 François Felix Ingrand,
15937 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
15939 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
15948 Peter Skov Knudsen,
15949 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
15950 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
15951 Thor Kristoffersen,
15954 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
15971 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
15972 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
15979 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
15983 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
15986 John McClary Prevost,
15992 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
15997 Christian von Roques,
15999 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
16005 Philippe Schnoebelen,
16007 Randal L. Schwartz,
16036 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
16038 Shenghuo Zhu. @c Zhu
16040 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
16041 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
16042 (550kB and counting).
16044 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
16047 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
16048 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
16052 @subsection New Features
16053 @cindex new features
16056 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
16057 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
16058 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
16059 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
16062 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
16063 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
16064 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
16068 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
16070 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
16075 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
16076 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
16079 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
16080 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
16083 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
16086 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
16087 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
16088 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
16091 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
16092 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
16093 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
16094 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
16097 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
16098 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16101 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
16102 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
16103 (@pxref{The Active File}).
16106 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
16107 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
16110 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
16111 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
16112 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
16115 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
16116 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
16117 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
16120 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
16121 the @file{.emacs} file.
16124 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
16125 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16128 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
16129 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
16132 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
16133 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16136 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
16137 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
16140 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
16141 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
16144 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
16147 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
16148 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
16151 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
16152 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
16155 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
16156 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
16159 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
16162 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
16163 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
16166 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
16170 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
16174 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
16175 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
16178 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
16184 @node September Gnus
16185 @subsubsection September Gnus
16189 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
16193 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
16198 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
16199 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
16203 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
16204 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
16208 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
16212 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
16213 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
16216 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
16220 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
16223 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
16226 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
16229 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
16233 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
16234 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
16237 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
16241 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
16245 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
16249 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
16253 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
16256 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
16257 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
16260 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
16264 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
16265 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
16268 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
16271 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
16272 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
16273 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
16276 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
16280 The Gnus cache is much faster.
16283 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
16287 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
16288 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
16291 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
16292 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
16295 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
16296 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16299 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
16300 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
16301 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
16304 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
16305 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
16308 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
16311 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
16314 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16315 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
16319 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
16322 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
16325 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
16326 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
16329 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
16333 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
16336 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
16341 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
16344 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
16348 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16351 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
16355 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
16358 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
16361 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
16362 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
16365 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
16366 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
16370 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
16371 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
16374 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
16378 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
16379 buffer to allow easier treatment.
16382 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
16385 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
16389 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
16393 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
16394 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
16397 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
16401 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
16402 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
16405 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
16406 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
16409 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
16413 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
16416 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16417 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers t)
16421 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
16424 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
16430 @subsubsection Red Gnus
16432 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
16436 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
16443 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
16446 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
16447 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
16450 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
16451 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
16455 Article washing status can be displayed in the
16456 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
16459 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
16462 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
16463 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
16466 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
16470 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
16471 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
16475 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
16476 Server Internals}).
16479 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
16483 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
16486 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
16487 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
16490 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
16491 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
16492 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
16495 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
16496 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16499 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
16500 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
16503 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
16507 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
16508 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16511 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
16512 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
16515 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
16519 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
16522 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
16526 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
16527 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16530 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
16531 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16534 A new command for reading collections of documents
16535 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
16536 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
16539 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
16543 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
16544 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
16547 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
16548 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
16549 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
16552 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
16553 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
16557 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
16561 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
16565 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
16570 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
16574 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
16578 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
16579 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
16582 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
16585 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16586 'gnus-article-emphasize)
16593 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
16595 New features in Gnus 5.6:
16600 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
16601 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
16602 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
16605 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
16606 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
16607 group, which is created automatically.
16610 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
16614 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
16617 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
16618 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
16621 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
16625 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
16628 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
16629 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
16632 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
16635 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
16636 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
16639 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
16640 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
16643 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
16644 control over simplification.
16647 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
16650 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
16654 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
16657 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16660 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
16661 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
16662 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
16665 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
16666 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
16669 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
16673 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
16674 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
16677 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
16678 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
16681 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
16685 A history of where mails have been split is available.
16688 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
16691 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
16692 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
16695 A new function for citing in Message has been
16696 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
16699 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
16702 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
16706 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
16707 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
16710 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
16711 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
16714 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
16717 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
16722 @node Newest Features
16723 @subsection Newest Features
16726 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
16729 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
16731 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
16732 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
16735 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
16740 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
16743 Really do unbinhexing.
16746 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
16747 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
16750 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
16753 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
16756 facep is not declared.
16759 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
16760 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
16763 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
16768 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
16769 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
16770 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
16771 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
16772 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
16773 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
16774 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
16779 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
16782 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
16785 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
16787 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
16788 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
16790 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
16792 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
16794 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
16795 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
16797 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
16799 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
16800 be marked as unread.
16802 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
16804 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
16806 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
16807 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
16809 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
16811 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
16813 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
16814 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
16816 topics that contain just groups with ticked
16817 articles aren't displayed.
16819 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
16821 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
16822 make the mail groups killed.
16824 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
16826 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
16827 and articles have to be removed.
16829 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
16832 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
16834 finding short score file names takes forever.
16836 canceling articles in foreign groups.
16838 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
16840 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
16842 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
16844 nnweb doesn't work properly.
16846 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
16848 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
16849 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
16853 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
16855 really unbinhex binhex files.
16857 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
16858 bar and the Gnus bar.
16861 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
16862 `(canonize-message-id id)'
16863 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
16864 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
16865 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
16866 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
16871 nnml .overview directory with splits.
16875 postponed commands.
16877 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
16879 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
16882 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
16883 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
16885 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
16886 inherit copy prompts and save files.
16888 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
16890 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
16891 for backends that support that.
16893 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
16895 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
16896 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
16898 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
16899 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
16901 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
16903 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
16905 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
16907 server mode command: close/open all connections
16909 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
16910 has been changed before using it.
16912 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
16914 hide (sub)threads with low score.
16916 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
16918 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
16920 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
16921 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
16923 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
16924 contain groups that match a regexp.
16926 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
16929 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
16932 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
16933 from subject lines.
16935 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
16937 nntp-ping-before-connect
16939 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
16941 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
16942 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
16944 message annotations.
16946 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
16948 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
16949 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
16951 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
16956 support qmail maildir spools
16958 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
16960 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
16962 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
16964 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
16965 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
16967 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
16969 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
16971 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
16972 finds and generate proper active ranges.
16974 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
16975 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
16977 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
16979 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
16981 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
16982 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
16984 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
16986 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
16988 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
16989 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
16992 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
16994 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
16996 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
16997 `C-c C-c' when posting.
16999 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
17002 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
17003 should be marker as expirable.
17005 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
17007 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
17008 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
17010 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
17011 Also consult Date headers.
17013 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
17015 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
17017 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
17018 Message-ID, delete the "original".
17020 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
17021 into a See-Also header.
17023 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
17025 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
17027 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
17028 should be listed as such and not as "K".
17030 generate font names dynamically.
17032 score file mode auto-alist.
17034 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
17035 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
17037 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
17038 absolutely all headers there is.
17040 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
17041 and pipe them to the process.
17043 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
17044 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
17045 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
17047 function for starting to edit a file to put into
17048 the current mail group.
17050 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
17052 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
17053 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
17055 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
17056 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
17058 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
17060 when replying to several process-marked articles,
17061 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
17063 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
17064 groups it has been mailed to.
17066 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
17068 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
17070 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
17072 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
17073 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
17075 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
17076 newlines) should be ignored.
17078 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
17079 groups in subtopics as well.
17081 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
17083 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
17086 add edit and forward secondary marks.
17088 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
17090 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
17092 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
17094 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
17096 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
17098 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
17099 or the formatted article.
17101 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
17103 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
17104 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
17106 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
17108 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
17110 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
17112 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
17113 even unread articles.
17115 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
17117 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
17119 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
17121 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
17123 canceling articles in foreign groups.
17125 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
17128 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
17129 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
17131 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
17132 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
17134 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
17136 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
17138 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
17139 from a particular server? Hm.
17141 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
17142 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
17144 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
17146 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
17147 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
17149 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
17150 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
17152 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
17153 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
17154 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
17157 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
17158 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
17160 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
17162 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
17164 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
17166 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
17169 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
17172 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
17173 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
17175 command to show and edit group scores
17177 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
17180 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
17182 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
17184 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
17185 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
17188 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
17189 that are of that length.
17191 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
17193 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
17195 asynchronous posting under nntp.
17197 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
17199 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
17201 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
17203 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
17204 a score lower than this number.
17206 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
17208 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
17210 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
17211 so that each copy can be edited separately.
17213 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
17215 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
17216 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
17218 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
17221 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
17222 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
17223 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
17224 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
17226 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
17229 command to remove all topic stuff.
17231 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
17232 and splitting the resulting digests.
17234 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
17236 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
17238 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
17239 matches an alist -- before saving.
17241 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
17243 variable to activate each group before entering them
17244 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
17246 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
17247 starting Gnus first if necessary.
17249 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
17250 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
17252 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
17254 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
17255 of several groups at once.
17257 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
17258 matches some regexp(s).
17260 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
17262 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
17264 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
17266 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
17268 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
17270 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
17272 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
17274 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
17275 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
17276 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
17277 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
17279 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
17280 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
17282 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
17284 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
17285 recently cited text.
17287 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
17289 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
17292 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
17293 server and just read the articles in the server
17295 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
17296 value of nnoo variables.
17298 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
17300 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
17301 listed in each group info.
17303 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
17306 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
17307 should only be applied to some groups.
17309 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
17310 mail-copies-to: never.
17312 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
17313 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
17315 the slave dribble files should autosave to the slave file names.
17317 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
17320 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
17323 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
17325 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
17328 group user-defined meta-parameters.
17332 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
17334 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
17335 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
17336 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
17337 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
17338 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
17340 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
17341 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
17348 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
17349 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
17351 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
17352 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
17354 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
17355 "Return the date the group was last read."
17356 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
17361 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
17362 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
17363 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
17364 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
17368 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
17369 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
17371 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
17374 They could be used like this:
17378 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
17379 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
17380 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
17382 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
17384 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
17387 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
17390 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
17391 affect the summary line format.
17395 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
17397 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
17398 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
17400 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
17403 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
17405 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
17407 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
17409 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
17411 - For other files, just find them normally.
17413 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
17414 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
17417 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
17418 tell him what you are doing.
17421 Currently, I get prompted:
17425 decend into sci.something ?
17429 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
17430 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
17431 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
17432 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
17435 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
17436 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
17437 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
17438 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
17441 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
17442 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
17448 more than n blank lines
17450 more than m identical lines
17451 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
17453 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
17457 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
17458 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
17459 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
17460 "same" subject for threading purposes.
17463 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
17464 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
17465 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
17466 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
17469 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
17472 soup - bowl of soup
17473 score below - dim light bulb
17474 score over - bright light bulb
17477 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
17482 show-list-of-articles-in-group
17483 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
17484 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
17485 if (articles-selected)
17486 start-reading-selected-articles;
17487 junk-unread-articles;
17492 else if (key-pressed = '.')
17493 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
17494 select-thread-under-cursor;
17496 select-article-under-cursor;
17500 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
17501 if (more-pages-in-article)
17503 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
17510 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
17511 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
17512 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
17515 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
17516 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
17517 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
17518 the wildcard expression).
17521 It would be nice if it also handled
17523 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
17525 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
17530 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
17531 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
17532 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
17533 article versions) variable.
17535 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
17537 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
17538 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
17542 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
17545 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
17546 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
17547 (message-sent-hook).
17549 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
17552 * Enhancements to Gnus:
17556 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
17557 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
17560 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
17561 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
17562 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
17565 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
17566 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
17570 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
17573 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
17577 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
17578 the nnmail duplicate checking.
17581 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
17582 value of the signature file.
17585 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
17586 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
17589 (setq message-tab-alist
17590 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
17591 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
17593 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
17597 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
17600 a command to import a buffer into a group.
17603 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
17606 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
17607 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
17610 a command to process mark all unread articles.
17613 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
17614 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
17615 do more gathering by subject.
17618 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
17619 article numerical order.
17622 (gnus-thread-total-score
17623 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
17627 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
17630 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
17631 in the summary buffer.
17634 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
17635 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
17638 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
17639 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
17640 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
17641 and/or newsgroup name.
17644 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
17647 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
17650 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
17653 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
17654 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
17655 will automatically get the process mark.
17658 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
17659 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
17660 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
17663 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
17667 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
17668 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
17671 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
17672 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
17676 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
17677 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
17680 be able to post via DejaNews.
17683 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
17686 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
17687 allow them to be displayed separately.
17690 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
17691 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
17694 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
17695 articles that match a certain From header.
17698 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
17699 saving living summary buffers.
17702 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
17703 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
17706 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
17707 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
17710 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
17711 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
17714 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
17715 (goto-char (point-min))
17716 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
17717 (replace-match "`" t t))
17718 (goto-char (point-min))
17719 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
17720 (replace-match "'" t t))
17721 (goto-char (point-min))
17722 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
17723 (replace-match "\"" t t))
17724 (goto-char (point-min))
17725 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
17726 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
17731 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
17733 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
17734 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
17735 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
17736 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
17740 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
17743 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
17744 numbers and match on the age of the article.
17748 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
17749 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
17750 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
17752 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
17753 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
17755 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
17756 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
17761 all commands that react to the process mark should push
17762 the current process mark set onto the stack.
17765 gnus-article-hide-pgp
17766 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
17768 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
17770 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
17771 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
17774 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
17775 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
17778 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
17782 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
17783 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
17786 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
17789 nndraft-request-group should tally autosave files.
17792 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
17795 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
17799 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
17805 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
17808 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
17812 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
17813 X characters in the body.
17816 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
17819 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
17822 format spec to "tab" to a position.
17825 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
17828 command to display all dormant articles.
17831 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
17834 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
17835 to something someone else has said.
17838 Read Netscape discussion groups:
17839 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
17842 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
17843 the displayed version.
17846 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
17850 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
17853 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
17854 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
17855 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
17859 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
17860 in the head or body.
17863 Allow breaking lengthy NNTP commands.
17866 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
17869 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
17870 in a special, unique buffer.
17873 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
17876 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
17877 is less than a certain number of days old.
17880 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
17883 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
17886 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
17887 file, for instance.
17890 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
17891 in any other dummy thread will make Gnus highlight the
17892 dummy root instead of the first article.
17895 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
17896 topics for displaying.
17899 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
17900 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
17903 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
17906 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
17907 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
17908 summary buffer for each article.
17911 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
17914 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
17918 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
17921 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
17925 Solve the halting problem.
17934 @section The Manual
17938 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
17939 either @code{texi2dvi}
17941 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
17942 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
17944 to get what you hold in your hands now.
17946 The following conventions have been used:
17951 This is a @samp{string}
17954 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
17957 This is a @file{file}
17960 This is a @code{symbol}
17964 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
17968 (setq flargnoze "yes")
17971 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
17974 (setq flumphel 'yes)
17977 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
17978 ever get them confused.
17982 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
17983 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
17984 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
17985 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
17986 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
17987 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
17988 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
17996 @section Terminology
17998 @cindex terminology
18003 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
18004 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
18005 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
18006 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
18007 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
18011 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
18012 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
18013 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
18014 not posting, and replying is not following up.
18018 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
18022 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
18027 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
18028 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
18029 is all done by the backends.
18033 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
18034 default, way of getting news.
18038 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
18039 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
18044 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
18045 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
18049 A message that has been posted as news.
18052 @cindex mail message
18053 A message that has been mailed.
18057 A mail message or news article
18061 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
18066 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
18071 A line from the head of an article.
18075 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
18076 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
18080 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
18081 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
18082 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
18083 normal @sc{head} format.
18087 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
18088 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
18089 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
18090 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
18091 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
18092 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
18094 @item killed groups
18095 @cindex killed groups
18096 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
18097 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
18099 @item zombie groups
18100 @cindex zombie groups
18101 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
18104 @cindex active file
18105 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
18106 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
18107 is rather large, as you might surmise.
18110 @cindex bogus groups
18111 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
18112 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
18113 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
18116 @cindex activating groups
18117 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
18118 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
18119 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
18123 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
18125 @item select method
18126 @cindex select method
18127 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
18130 @item virtual server
18131 @cindex virtual server
18132 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
18133 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
18134 whole is a virtual server.
18138 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
18139 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
18142 @item ephemeral groups
18143 @cindex ephemeral groups
18144 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
18145 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
18146 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
18149 @cindex solid groups
18150 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
18151 group buffer are solid groups.
18153 @item sparse articles
18154 @cindex sparse articles
18155 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
18156 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
18160 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
18161 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
18165 @cindex thread root
18166 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
18167 articles in the thread.
18171 An article that has responses.
18175 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
18179 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
18180 specified by RFC1153.
18186 @node Customization
18187 @section Customization
18188 @cindex general customization
18190 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
18191 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
18192 for some quite common situations.
18195 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
18196 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
18197 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
18198 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
18202 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
18203 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
18205 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
18206 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
18207 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
18211 @item gnus-read-active-file
18212 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
18213 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
18214 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
18215 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
18216 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
18218 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
18219 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
18220 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
18221 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
18225 @node Slow Terminal Connection
18226 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
18228 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
18229 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
18230 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
18234 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
18235 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
18236 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
18237 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
18238 horizontal and vertical recentering.
18240 @item gnus-visible-headers
18241 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
18242 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
18243 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
18244 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
18246 @item gnus-article-display-hook
18247 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
18249 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
18250 '(gnus-article-hide-headers
18251 gnus-article-hide-signature
18252 gnus-article-hide-citation))
18255 @item gnus-use-full-window
18256 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
18257 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
18258 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
18259 want to read them anyway.
18261 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
18262 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
18265 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
18266 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
18267 lines, which might save some time.
18271 @node Little Disk Space
18272 @subsection Little Disk Space
18275 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
18276 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
18280 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
18281 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
18282 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
18283 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18286 @item gnus-save-killed-list
18287 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
18288 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
18289 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
18290 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
18296 @subsection Slow Machine
18297 @cindex slow machine
18299 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
18300 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
18302 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
18303 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
18305 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
18306 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
18307 summary buffer faster.
18309 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
18310 processing a bit faster.
18314 @node Troubleshooting
18315 @section Troubleshooting
18316 @cindex troubleshooting
18318 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
18326 Make sure your computer is switched on.
18329 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
18330 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
18334 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
18335 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
18336 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
18337 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
18340 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
18344 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
18345 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
18346 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
18347 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
18348 something like that.
18351 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
18354 @cindex reporting bugs
18356 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
18358 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
18359 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
18360 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
18361 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
18363 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
18364 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
18365 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
18366 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
18369 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
18370 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
18371 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
18372 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
18373 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
18374 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
18376 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
18377 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
18378 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
18381 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
18382 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
18384 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
18385 @cindex ding mailing list
18386 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
18387 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
18391 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
18392 @section A Programmer@'s Guide to Gnus
18394 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
18395 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
18396 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
18397 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
18400 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
18401 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
18402 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
18403 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
18404 and general methods of operation.
18407 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
18408 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
18409 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
18410 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
18411 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
18412 * Group Info:: The group info format.
18413 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
18414 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
18415 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
18419 @node Gnus Utility Functions
18420 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
18421 @cindex Gnus utility functions
18422 @cindex utility functions
18424 @cindex internal variables
18426 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
18427 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
18428 Below is a list of the most common ones.
18432 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
18433 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
18434 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
18436 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
18437 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
18438 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
18440 @item gnus-group-real-name
18441 @findex gnus-group-real-name
18442 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
18445 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
18446 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
18447 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
18448 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
18450 @item gnus-get-info
18451 @findex gnus-get-info
18452 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
18454 @item gnus-group-unread
18455 @findex gnus-group-unread
18456 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
18460 @findex gnus-active
18461 The active entry for @var{group}.
18463 @item gnus-set-active
18464 @findex gnus-set-active
18465 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
18467 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
18468 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
18469 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
18472 @item gnus-continuum-version
18473 @findex gnus-continuum-version
18474 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
18475 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
18478 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
18479 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
18480 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
18482 @item gnus-news-group-p
18483 @findex gnus-news-group-p
18484 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
18486 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
18487 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
18488 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
18490 @item gnus-server-to-method
18491 @findex gnus-server-to-method
18492 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
18494 @item gnus-server-equal
18495 @findex gnus-server-equal
18496 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
18498 @item gnus-group-native-p
18499 @findex gnus-group-native-p
18500 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
18502 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
18503 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
18504 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
18506 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
18507 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
18508 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
18510 @item group-group-find-parameter
18511 @findex group-group-find-parameter
18512 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
18513 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
18515 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
18516 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
18517 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
18519 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
18520 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
18521 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
18523 @item gnus-check-backend-function
18524 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
18525 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
18526 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
18529 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
18533 @item gnus-read-method
18534 @findex gnus-read-method
18535 Prompts the user for a select method.
18540 @node Backend Interface
18541 @subsection Backend Interface
18543 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
18544 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
18545 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
18546 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
18547 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
18548 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
18550 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
18551 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
18552 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
18553 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
18554 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
18555 been opened, the function should fail.
18557 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
18558 name. Take this example:
18562 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
18563 (nntp-port-number 4324))
18566 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
18567 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
18569 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
18570 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
18571 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
18573 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
18574 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
18575 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
18577 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
18578 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
18579 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
18580 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
18581 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
18582 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
18585 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
18586 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
18587 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
18588 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
18591 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
18594 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
18597 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
18598 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
18599 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
18600 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
18601 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
18602 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
18606 @node Required Backend Functions
18607 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
18611 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
18613 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
18614 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
18615 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
18616 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
18618 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
18619 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
18620 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
18621 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
18623 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
18624 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
18625 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
18626 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
18627 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
18628 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
18629 number, do maximum fetches.
18631 Here's an example HEAD:
18634 221 1056 Article retrieved.
18635 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
18636 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
18637 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
18638 Subject: Re: Something very droll
18639 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
18640 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
18642 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
18643 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
18644 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
18648 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
18649 these in the data buffer.
18651 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
18655 head = error / valid-head
18656 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
18657 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
18658 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
18659 header = <text> eol
18662 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
18663 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
18667 nov-buffer = *nov-line
18668 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
18669 field = <text except TAB>
18672 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
18676 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
18678 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
18679 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
18681 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
18682 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
18683 server. In fact, it should do so.
18685 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
18686 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
18689 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
18691 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
18692 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
18695 There should be no data returned.
18698 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
18700 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
18701 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
18702 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
18703 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
18705 There should be no data returned.
18708 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
18710 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
18711 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
18712 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
18713 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
18715 There should be no data returned.
18718 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
18720 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
18722 There should be no data returned.
18725 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
18727 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
18728 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
18729 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
18730 it would be nice if that were possible.
18732 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
18733 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
18734 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
18735 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
18736 into its article buffer.
18738 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
18739 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
18740 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
18741 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
18742 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
18743 on successful article retrieval.
18746 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
18748 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
18749 making @var{group} the current group.
18751 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
18754 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
18757 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
18760 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
18761 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
18762 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
18763 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
18764 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
18765 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
18766 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
18767 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
18770 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
18771 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
18772 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
18776 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
18778 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
18779 a no-op on most backends.
18781 There should be no data returned.
18784 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
18786 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
18789 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
18792 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
18793 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
18796 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
18797 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
18800 active-file = *active-line
18801 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
18803 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
18806 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
18807 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
18808 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
18811 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
18813 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
18814 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
18815 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
18816 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
18817 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
18818 clear if the posting could not be completed.
18820 There should be no result data from this function.
18825 @node Optional Backend Functions
18826 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
18830 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
18832 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
18833 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
18834 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
18836 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
18837 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
18838 former is in the same format as the data from
18839 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
18840 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
18843 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
18847 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
18849 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
18850 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
18851 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
18852 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
18853 should return the (altered) group info.
18855 There should be no result data from this function.
18858 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
18860 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
18861 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
18862 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
18863 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
18864 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
18865 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
18866 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
18867 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
18869 There should be no result data from this function.
18872 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
18874 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
18875 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
18876 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
18877 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
18878 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
18880 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
18881 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
18882 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
18885 There should be no result data from this function.
18888 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
18890 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
18891 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
18892 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
18893 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
18894 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
18895 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
18896 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
18898 There should be no result data from this function.
18901 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
18903 The result data from this function should be a description of
18907 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
18909 description = <text>
18912 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
18914 The result data from this function should be the description of all
18915 groups available on the server.
18918 description-buffer = *description-line
18922 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
18924 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
18925 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
18926 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
18929 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
18931 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
18933 There should be no return data.
18936 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
18938 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
18939 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
18940 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
18941 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
18942 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
18945 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
18948 There should be no result data returned.
18951 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
18954 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
18955 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
18957 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
18958 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
18959 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
18960 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
18961 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
18962 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
18964 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
18965 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
18968 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
18969 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
18971 There should be no data returned.
18974 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
18976 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
18977 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
18978 this function in short order.
18980 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
18981 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
18983 There should be no data returned.
18986 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
18988 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
18989 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
18991 There should be no data returned.
18994 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
18996 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
18997 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
18998 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
19000 There should be no data returned.
19003 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
19005 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
19006 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
19008 There should be no data returned.
19013 @node Error Messaging
19014 @subsubsection Error Messaging
19016 @findex nnheader-report
19017 @findex nnheader-get-report
19018 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
19019 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
19020 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
19021 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
19022 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
19023 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
19026 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
19028 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
19031 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
19032 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
19033 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
19034 takes one argument---the server symbol.
19036 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
19037 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
19038 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
19041 @node Writing New Backends
19042 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
19044 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
19045 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
19046 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
19047 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
19048 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
19051 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
19052 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
19053 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
19055 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
19056 package called @code{nnoo}.
19058 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
19059 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
19065 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
19066 parameters. For instance:
19069 (nnoo-declare nndir
19073 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
19074 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
19077 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
19078 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
19079 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
19081 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
19082 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
19083 a function in those backends.
19086 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
19087 "Where nndir will look for groups."
19088 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
19091 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
19092 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
19093 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
19095 @item nnoo-define-basics
19096 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
19100 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
19104 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
19105 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
19106 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
19108 @item nnoo-map-functions
19109 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
19110 functions from the parent backends.
19113 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
19114 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19115 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
19118 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
19119 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
19120 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
19121 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
19124 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
19125 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
19126 haven't already been defined.
19132 nnmh-request-newgroups)
19136 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
19137 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
19138 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
19143 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
19146 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
19147 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
19151 (require 'nnheader)
19155 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
19157 (nnoo-declare nndir
19160 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
19161 "Where nndir will look for groups."
19162 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
19164 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
19165 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
19168 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
19169 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
19170 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
19172 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
19173 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
19175 ;;; Interface functions.
19177 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
19179 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
19180 (setq nndir-directory
19181 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
19183 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
19184 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
19185 (push `(nndir-current-group
19186 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
19188 (push `(nndir-top-directory
19189 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
19191 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
19193 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
19194 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19195 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
19196 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
19197 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
19201 nnmh-status-message
19203 nnmh-request-newgroups))
19209 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
19210 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
19212 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
19213 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
19214 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
19215 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
19217 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
19218 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
19223 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
19226 The abilities can be:
19230 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
19232 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
19234 This backend supports both mail and news.
19236 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
19239 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
19240 articles and groups.
19242 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
19243 true for almost all backends.
19244 @item prompt-address
19245 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
19246 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
19247 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
19251 @node Mail-like Backends
19252 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
19254 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
19255 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
19256 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
19257 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
19260 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
19261 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
19262 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
19265 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
19266 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
19269 This function takes four parameters.
19273 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
19276 @item exit-function
19277 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
19279 @item temp-directory
19280 Where the temporary files should be stored.
19283 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
19284 performed for one group only.
19287 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
19288 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
19289 find the article number assigned to this article.
19291 The function also uses the following variables:
19292 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
19293 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
19294 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
19295 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
19299 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
19300 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
19304 @node Score File Syntax
19305 @subsection Score File Syntax
19307 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
19308 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
19309 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
19311 Here's a typical score file:
19315 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
19322 BNF definition of a score file:
19325 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
19326 element = rule / atom
19327 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
19328 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
19329 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
19330 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
19332 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
19333 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
19334 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
19335 date-header = "date"
19336 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19337 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19338 score = "nil" / <integer>
19339 date = "nil" / <natural number>
19340 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
19341 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
19342 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
19343 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
19344 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19345 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19346 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
19347 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19348 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
19349 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
19350 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
19351 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
19352 exclude-files / read-only / touched
19353 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
19354 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
19355 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
19356 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
19357 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
19358 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
19359 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
19360 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
19361 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
19362 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
19363 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
19364 eval = "eval" space <form>
19365 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
19368 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
19371 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
19372 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
19373 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
19374 one looong line, then that's ok.
19376 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
19377 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19381 @subsection Headers
19383 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
19384 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
19385 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
19386 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
19388 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
19389 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
19390 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
19391 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
19392 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
19393 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
19394 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
19396 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
19397 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
19398 @code{xref}. There are macros for accessing and setting these
19399 slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
19400 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
19402 The @code{xref} slot is really a @code{misc} slot. Any extra info will
19409 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
19410 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
19412 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
19413 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
19414 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
19415 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
19417 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
19421 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
19424 is transformed into
19427 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
19430 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
19431 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
19434 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
19437 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
19438 is slightly tricky:
19441 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
19447 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
19450 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
19456 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
19463 and is equal to the previous range.
19465 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
19466 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
19467 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
19471 range = simple-range / normal-range
19472 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
19473 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
19474 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
19475 number *[ " " contents ]
19478 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
19479 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
19480 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
19481 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
19482 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
19487 @subsection Group Info
19489 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
19490 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
19491 describes the group.
19493 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
19494 second is a more complex one:
19497 ("no.group" 5 (1 . 54324))
19499 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
19500 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
19502 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
19505 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
19506 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
19507 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
19508 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
19509 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
19510 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
19511 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
19512 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
19513 this section is about.
19515 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
19516 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
19517 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
19519 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
19522 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
19523 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
19524 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19525 group = quote <string> quote
19526 ralevel = rank / level
19527 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
19528 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
19529 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
19531 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
19532 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
19533 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
19534 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
19537 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
19538 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
19541 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
19542 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
19545 @item gnus-info-group
19546 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
19547 @findex gnus-info-group
19548 @findex gnus-info-set-group
19549 Get/set the group name.
19551 @item gnus-info-rank
19552 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
19553 @findex gnus-info-rank
19554 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
19555 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
19557 @item gnus-info-level
19558 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
19559 @findex gnus-info-level
19560 @findex gnus-info-set-level
19561 Get/set the group level.
19563 @item gnus-info-score
19564 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
19565 @findex gnus-info-score
19566 @findex gnus-info-set-score
19567 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
19569 @item gnus-info-read
19570 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
19571 @findex gnus-info-read
19572 @findex gnus-info-set-read
19573 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
19575 @item gnus-info-marks
19576 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
19577 @findex gnus-info-marks
19578 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
19579 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
19581 @item gnus-info-method
19582 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
19583 @findex gnus-info-method
19584 @findex gnus-info-set-method
19585 Get/set the group select method.
19587 @item gnus-info-params
19588 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
19589 @findex gnus-info-params
19590 @findex gnus-info-set-params
19591 Get/set the group parameters.
19594 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
19595 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
19597 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
19598 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
19599 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
19600 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
19603 @node Extended Interactive
19604 @subsection Extended Interactive
19605 @cindex interactive
19606 @findex gnus-interactive
19608 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
19609 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
19610 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
19613 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
19614 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
19619 The best thing to do would have been to implement
19620 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
19621 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
19622 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
19623 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
19624 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
19625 @code{interactive}.
19627 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
19632 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
19633 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
19637 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
19638 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
19639 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
19642 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
19646 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
19650 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
19656 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
19657 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
19661 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
19662 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
19663 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
19665 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
19666 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
19667 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
19668 Gnus, that's very useful.
19670 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
19671 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
19672 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
19673 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
19674 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
19675 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
19676 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
19677 following function:
19680 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
19684 (,function ,@@args))
19688 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
19689 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
19690 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
19693 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
19694 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
19695 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
19697 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
19698 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
19699 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
19702 @node Various File Formats
19703 @subsection Various File Formats
19706 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
19707 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
19711 @node Active File Format
19712 @subsubsection Active File Format
19714 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
19715 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
19718 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
19721 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
19722 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
19723 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
19724 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
19725 no.general 1000 900 y
19728 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
19731 active = *group-line
19732 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
19733 group = <non-white-space string>
19735 high-number = <non-negative integer>
19736 low-number = <positive integer>
19737 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
19740 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
19741 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
19744 @node Newsgroups File Format
19745 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
19747 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
19748 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
19749 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
19752 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
19753 Here's the definition:
19757 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
19758 group = <non-white-space string>
19760 description = <string>
19765 @node Emacs for Heathens
19766 @section Emacs for Heathens
19768 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
19769 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
19770 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
19771 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
19772 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
19773 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
19774 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
19778 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
19779 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
19784 @subsection Keystrokes
19788 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
19791 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
19794 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
19795 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
19796 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
19797 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
19798 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
19799 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
19801 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
19802 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
19803 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
19804 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
19805 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
19806 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
19807 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
19809 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
19810 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
19811 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
19812 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
19813 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
19814 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
19815 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
19817 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
19818 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
19819 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
19820 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
19821 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
19827 @subsection Emacs Lisp
19829 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
19830 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
19831 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
19832 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
19834 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
19835 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
19836 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
19837 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
19838 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
19839 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
19840 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
19843 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
19844 write the following:
19847 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
19850 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
19851 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
19852 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
19855 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
19856 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
19857 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
19858 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
19859 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
19861 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
19862 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
19863 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
19867 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
19871 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
19874 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
19875 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
19878 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
19881 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
19882 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
19885 @include gnus-faq.texi