10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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290 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
291 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
294 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
295 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
296 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
297 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
298 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
299 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
300 License'' in the Emacs manual.
302 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
303 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
304 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
306 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
307 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
308 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
309 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
317 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
319 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
320 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
322 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
323 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
324 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
325 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
326 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
327 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
328 License'' in the Emacs manual.
330 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
331 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
332 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
334 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
335 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
336 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
337 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
345 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
348 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
349 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
350 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
352 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
353 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
354 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
355 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
356 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
357 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
358 License'' in the Emacs manual.
360 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
361 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
362 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
364 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
365 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
366 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
367 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
376 @top The Gnus Newsreader
380 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
381 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
382 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
385 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v0.06.
396 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
397 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
399 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
400 being accused of plagiarism:
402 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
403 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
404 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
405 can even read news with it!
407 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
408 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
409 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
410 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
411 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
417 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
418 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
419 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
420 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
421 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
422 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
423 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
424 * Various:: General purpose settings.
425 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
426 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
427 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
428 * Key Index:: Key Index.
431 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
435 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
436 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
437 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
438 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
439 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
440 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
441 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
442 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
443 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
444 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
445 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
449 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
450 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
451 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
455 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
456 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
457 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
458 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
459 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
460 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
461 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
462 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
463 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
464 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
465 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
466 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
467 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
468 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
469 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
470 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
471 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
475 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
476 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
477 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
481 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
482 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
483 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
484 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
485 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
489 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
490 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
491 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
492 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
493 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
497 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
498 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
499 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
500 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
501 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
503 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
504 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
505 * Threading:: How threads are made.
506 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
507 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
508 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
509 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
510 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
511 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
512 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
513 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
514 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
515 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
516 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
517 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
518 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
519 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
520 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
521 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
522 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
523 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
524 or reselecting the current group.
525 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
526 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
527 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
528 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
530 Summary Buffer Format
532 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
533 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
534 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
535 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
539 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
540 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
542 Reply, Followup and Post
544 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
545 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
546 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
547 * Canceling and Superseding::
551 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
552 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
553 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
555 * Generic Marking Commands::
556 * Setting Process Marks::
560 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
561 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
562 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
566 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
567 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
569 Customizing Threading
571 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
572 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
573 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
574 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
578 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
579 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
580 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
581 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
582 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
583 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
587 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
588 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
589 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
593 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
594 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
595 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
596 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
597 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
598 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
599 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
600 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
601 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
602 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
604 Alternative Approaches
606 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
607 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
609 Various Summary Stuff
611 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
612 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
613 * Summary Generation Commands::
614 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
618 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
619 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
620 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
621 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
622 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
626 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
627 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
628 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
629 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
630 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
631 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
632 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
633 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
637 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
638 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
639 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
640 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
641 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
642 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
643 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
644 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
648 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
649 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
650 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
651 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
652 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
653 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
654 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
658 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
659 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
663 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
664 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
665 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
669 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
670 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
671 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
672 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
673 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
674 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
675 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
676 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
677 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
678 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
679 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
680 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
681 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
685 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
686 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
687 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
689 Choosing a Mail Back End
691 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
692 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
693 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
694 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
695 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
696 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
701 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
702 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
703 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
704 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
705 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
706 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
710 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
711 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
712 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
716 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
717 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
718 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
719 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
720 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
724 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
728 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
729 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
730 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
734 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
735 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
739 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
740 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
741 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
742 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
743 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
744 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
745 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
746 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
747 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
748 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
752 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
753 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
754 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
758 * Group Agent Commands::
759 * Summary Agent Commands::
760 * Server Agent Commands::
764 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
765 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
766 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
767 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
768 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
769 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
770 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
771 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
772 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
773 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
774 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
775 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
776 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
777 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
778 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
779 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
780 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
784 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
785 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
786 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
787 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
791 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
792 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
793 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
797 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
798 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
799 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
800 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
801 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
802 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
803 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
804 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
805 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
806 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
807 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
808 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
809 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
810 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
811 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
812 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
813 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
814 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
815 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
819 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
820 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
821 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
822 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
823 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
824 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
825 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
826 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
830 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
831 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
832 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
833 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
834 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
838 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
839 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
840 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
841 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
842 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
846 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
847 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
848 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
849 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
850 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
851 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
852 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
853 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
854 * Frequently Asked Questions::
858 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
859 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
860 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
861 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
862 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
863 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
864 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
865 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
866 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
870 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
871 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
872 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
873 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
874 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
878 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
879 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
880 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
881 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
885 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
886 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
887 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
888 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
889 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
890 * Group Info:: The group info format.
891 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
892 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
893 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
897 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
898 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
899 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
900 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
901 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
902 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
906 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
907 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
911 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
912 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
918 @chapter Starting Gnus
923 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
924 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
927 @findex gnus-other-frame
928 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
929 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
930 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
932 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
933 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
934 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
936 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
937 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
940 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
941 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
942 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
943 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
944 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
945 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
946 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
947 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
948 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
949 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
950 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
954 @node Finding the News
955 @section Finding the News
958 @vindex gnus-select-method
960 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
961 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
962 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
963 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
966 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
967 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
970 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
973 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
976 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
979 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
980 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
981 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
983 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
985 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
986 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
987 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
988 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
989 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
990 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
992 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
993 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
994 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
995 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
997 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
998 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
999 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1000 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1001 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1002 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1003 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1004 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1005 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1008 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1010 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1011 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1012 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1013 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1014 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1015 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1017 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1019 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1020 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1021 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1022 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1023 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1024 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1027 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1028 you would typically set this variable to
1031 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1035 @node The First Time
1036 @section The First Time
1037 @cindex first time usage
1039 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1040 be subscribed by default.
1042 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1043 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1044 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1045 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1048 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1049 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1050 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1052 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1053 help you with most common problems.
1055 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1056 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1060 @node The Server is Down
1061 @section The Server is Down
1062 @cindex server errors
1064 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1065 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1066 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1068 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1069 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1070 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1071 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1072 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1073 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1074 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1076 @findex gnus-no-server
1077 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1079 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1080 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1081 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1082 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1083 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1084 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1085 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1089 @section Slave Gnusae
1092 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1093 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1094 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1095 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1097 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1098 @code{.newsrc} file.
1100 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1101 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1102 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1103 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1104 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1105 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1106 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1108 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1109 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1110 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1111 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1112 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1113 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1114 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1115 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1117 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1118 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1120 If the @code{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1121 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1122 file. If you answer "yes", the unsaved changes to the master will be
1123 incorporated into the slave. If you answer "no", the slave may see some
1124 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1126 @node Fetching a Group
1127 @section Fetching a Group
1128 @cindex fetching a group
1130 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1131 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1132 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1133 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1134 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1135 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1141 @cindex subscription
1143 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1144 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1145 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1146 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1147 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1148 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1149 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1150 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1151 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1154 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1155 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1156 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1160 @node Checking New Groups
1161 @subsection Checking New Groups
1163 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1164 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1165 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1166 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1167 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1168 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1169 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1170 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1171 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1172 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1174 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1175 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1176 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1177 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1178 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1179 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1180 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1181 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1182 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1183 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1184 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1186 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1187 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1188 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1189 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1190 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1191 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1194 @node Subscription Methods
1195 @subsection Subscription Methods
1197 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1198 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1199 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1201 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1202 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1204 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1208 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1209 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1210 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1211 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1212 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1214 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1215 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1216 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1217 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1219 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1220 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1221 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1223 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1224 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1225 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1226 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1227 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1228 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1229 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1230 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1231 up. Or something like that.
1233 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1234 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1235 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1236 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1237 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1239 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1240 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1241 Kill all new groups.
1243 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1244 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1245 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1246 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1247 topic parameter that looks like
1253 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1256 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1261 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1262 A closely related variable is
1263 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1264 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1265 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1266 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1269 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1270 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1271 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1272 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1275 @node Filtering New Groups
1276 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1278 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1279 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1280 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1283 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1286 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1287 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1288 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1289 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1290 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1291 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1292 subscribing these groups.
1293 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1294 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1296 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1297 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1298 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1299 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1300 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1301 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1302 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1303 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1305 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1306 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1307 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1308 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1309 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1310 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1311 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1312 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1313 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1314 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1317 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1318 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1321 @node Changing Servers
1322 @section Changing Servers
1323 @cindex changing servers
1325 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1326 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1327 very flaky and you want to use another.
1329 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1330 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1334 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1335 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1336 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1337 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1340 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1341 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1342 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1343 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1345 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1346 @findex gnus-change-server
1347 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1348 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1349 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1350 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1351 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1353 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1354 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1355 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1356 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1357 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1359 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1360 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1361 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1362 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1363 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1364 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1366 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1367 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1368 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1369 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1371 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1372 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1373 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1374 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1375 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1376 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1377 cache for all groups).
1381 @section Startup Files
1382 @cindex startup files
1387 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1388 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1390 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1391 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1392 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1393 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1394 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1395 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1396 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1398 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1399 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1400 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1401 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1402 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1403 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1405 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1406 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1407 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1408 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1409 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1410 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1411 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1412 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1413 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1414 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1416 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1417 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1418 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1419 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1420 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1421 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1422 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1423 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1424 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1425 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1426 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1427 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1429 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1430 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1431 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1432 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1434 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1435 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1436 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1437 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1438 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1439 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1440 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1441 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1442 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1443 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1446 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1447 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1449 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1450 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1453 @vindex gnus-init-file
1454 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1455 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1456 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1457 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1458 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1459 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1460 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1461 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1462 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1468 @cindex dribble file
1471 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1472 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1473 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1474 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1475 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1478 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1479 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1482 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1483 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1484 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1486 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1487 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1488 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1489 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1490 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1491 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1493 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1494 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1495 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1498 @node The Active File
1499 @section The Active File
1501 @cindex ignored groups
1503 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1504 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1505 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1507 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1508 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1509 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1510 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1511 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1512 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1513 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1516 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1517 @c if you set it to anything else.
1519 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1521 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1522 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1523 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1525 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1526 you actually subscribe to.
1528 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1529 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1530 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1531 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1533 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1534 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1535 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1536 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1537 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1538 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1540 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1541 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1542 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1545 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1546 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1547 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1548 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1549 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1550 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1552 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1553 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1555 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1556 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1558 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1559 secondary select methods.
1562 @node Startup Variables
1563 @section Startup Variables
1567 @item gnus-load-hook
1568 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1569 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1570 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1571 times you start Gnus.
1573 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1574 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1575 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1577 @item gnus-startup-hook
1578 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1579 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1581 @item gnus-started-hook
1582 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1583 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1586 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1587 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1588 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1589 generating the group buffer.
1591 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1592 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1593 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1594 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1595 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1596 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1597 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1598 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1600 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1601 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1602 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1603 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1604 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1605 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1607 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1608 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1609 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1611 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1612 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1613 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1615 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1616 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1617 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1618 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1624 @chapter Group Buffer
1625 @cindex group buffer
1627 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1629 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1630 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1631 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1632 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1633 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1634 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1635 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1636 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1637 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1638 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1639 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1640 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1641 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1642 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1643 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1644 @c human rights at 9...
1647 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1648 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1649 long as Gnus is active.
1653 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1654 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1655 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1656 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1657 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1658 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1659 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1660 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1666 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1667 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1668 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1669 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1670 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1671 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1672 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1673 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1674 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1675 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1676 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1677 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1678 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1679 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1680 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1681 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1682 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1686 @node Group Buffer Format
1687 @section Group Buffer Format
1690 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1691 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1692 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1696 @node Group Line Specification
1697 @subsection Group Line Specification
1698 @cindex group buffer format
1700 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1701 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1703 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1706 25: news.announce.newusers
1707 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1712 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1713 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1714 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1715 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1717 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1718 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1719 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1720 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1721 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1722 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1724 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1726 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1727 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1728 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1729 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1730 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1732 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1733 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1734 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1736 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1741 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1744 Whether the group is subscribed.
1747 Level of subscribedness.
1750 Number of unread articles.
1753 Number of dormant articles.
1756 Number of ticked articles.
1759 Number of read articles.
1762 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1763 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1765 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1766 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1767 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1768 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1769 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1770 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1771 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1772 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1775 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1778 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1787 Newsgroup description.
1790 @samp{m} if moderated.
1793 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1802 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1806 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1809 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1810 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1811 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1812 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1813 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1816 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1818 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1822 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1825 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1829 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1830 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1831 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1832 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1833 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1834 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1839 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1840 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1841 group, or a bogus native group.
1844 @node Group Modeline Specification
1845 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1846 @cindex group modeline
1848 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1849 The mode line can be changed by setting
1850 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1851 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1855 The native news server.
1857 The native select method.
1861 @node Group Highlighting
1862 @subsection Group Highlighting
1863 @cindex highlighting
1864 @cindex group highlighting
1866 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1867 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1868 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1869 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1870 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1872 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1876 (cond (window-system
1877 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1878 (defface my-group-face-1
1879 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1880 (defface my-group-face-2
1881 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1882 (defface my-group-face-3
1883 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1884 (defface my-group-face-4
1885 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1886 (defface my-group-face-5
1887 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1889 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1890 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1891 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1892 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1893 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1894 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1897 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1899 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1906 The number of unread articles in the group.
1910 Whether the group is a mail group.
1912 The level of the group.
1914 The score of the group.
1916 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1918 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1919 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1921 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1922 topic being inserted.
1925 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1926 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1927 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1929 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1930 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1931 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1932 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1933 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1936 @node Group Maneuvering
1937 @section Group Maneuvering
1938 @cindex group movement
1940 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1941 expected, hopefully.
1947 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1948 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1949 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1955 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1956 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1957 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1961 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1962 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1966 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1967 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1971 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1972 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1973 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1977 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1978 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1979 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1982 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1988 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1989 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1990 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1995 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1996 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1997 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2001 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2002 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2003 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2006 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2007 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2008 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2009 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2013 @node Selecting a Group
2014 @section Selecting a Group
2015 @cindex group selection
2020 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2021 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2022 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2023 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2024 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2025 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2026 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2027 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2028 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2029 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2031 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2032 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2033 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2035 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2036 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2041 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2042 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2043 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2044 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2045 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2049 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2050 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2051 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2052 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2053 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2054 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2055 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2056 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2057 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2058 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2061 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2062 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2063 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2064 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2065 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2068 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2069 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2070 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2071 doing any processing of its contents
2072 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2073 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2074 manner will have no permanent effects.
2078 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2079 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2080 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2081 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2082 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2083 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2084 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2085 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2088 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2089 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2090 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2091 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2092 Which article this is is controlled by the
2093 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2099 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2102 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2105 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2107 @item unseen-or-unread
2108 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2109 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2113 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2117 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2118 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2120 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2121 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2122 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2123 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2127 @node Subscription Commands
2128 @section Subscription Commands
2129 @cindex subscription
2137 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2138 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2139 Toggle subscription to the current group
2140 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2146 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2147 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2148 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2149 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2155 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2156 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2157 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2163 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2164 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2167 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2168 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2169 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2170 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2171 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2177 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2178 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2182 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2183 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2186 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2187 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2188 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2189 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2190 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2191 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2192 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2193 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2194 @file{.newsrc} file.
2198 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2208 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2209 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2210 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2211 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2212 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2213 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2218 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2219 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2220 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2224 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2225 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2226 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2228 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2229 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2230 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2231 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2232 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2233 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2240 @section Group Levels
2244 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2245 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2246 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2247 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2248 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2250 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2256 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2257 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2258 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2259 prompted for a level.
2262 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2263 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2264 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2265 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2266 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2267 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2268 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2269 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2270 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2271 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2272 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2273 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2274 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2275 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2276 reasons of efficiency.
2278 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2279 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2281 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2282 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2283 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2284 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2285 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2286 groups are hidden, in a way.
2288 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2289 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2290 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2291 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2292 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2293 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2295 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2296 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2297 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2298 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2299 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2300 list of killed groups.)
2302 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2303 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2304 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2306 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2307 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2308 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2309 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2310 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2311 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2312 relevant valid ranges.
2314 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2315 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2316 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2317 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2318 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2319 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2322 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2323 one with the best level.
2325 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2326 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2327 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2330 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2331 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2332 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2333 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2336 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2337 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2338 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2339 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2341 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2342 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2343 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2344 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2345 to 5. The default is 6.
2349 @section Group Score
2354 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2355 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2356 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2359 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2360 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2361 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2362 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2363 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2364 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2365 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2366 least significant part.))
2368 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2369 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2370 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2371 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2372 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2373 action after each summary exit, you can add
2374 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2375 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2376 slow things down somewhat.
2379 @node Marking Groups
2380 @section Marking Groups
2381 @cindex marking groups
2383 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2384 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2385 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2386 bidding on those groups.
2388 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2389 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2390 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2398 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2399 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2405 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2406 Remove the mark from the current group
2407 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2411 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2412 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2416 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2417 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2421 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2422 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2426 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2427 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2428 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2431 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2433 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2434 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2435 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2436 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2437 the command to be executed.
2440 @node Foreign Groups
2441 @section Foreign Groups
2442 @cindex foreign groups
2444 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2445 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2446 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2447 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2454 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2455 @cindex making groups
2456 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2457 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2458 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2462 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2463 @cindex renaming groups
2464 Rename the current group to something else
2465 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2466 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2472 @findex gnus-group-customize
2473 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2477 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2478 @cindex renaming groups
2479 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2480 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2484 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2485 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2486 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2490 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2491 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2492 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2496 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2498 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2499 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2504 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2505 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2509 @cindex (ding) archive
2510 @cindex archive group
2511 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2512 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2513 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2514 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2515 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2516 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2517 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2521 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2523 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2524 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2525 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2526 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2530 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2532 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2533 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2534 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2538 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2539 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2541 Make a group based on some file or other
2542 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2543 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2544 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2545 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2546 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2547 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2548 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2549 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2550 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2554 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2555 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2556 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2557 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2561 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2566 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2567 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2568 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2569 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2570 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2571 @xref{Web Searches}.
2573 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2574 to a particular group by using a match string like
2575 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2578 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2579 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2580 This function will delete the current group
2581 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2582 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2583 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2584 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2585 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2589 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2590 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2591 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2595 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2596 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2597 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2600 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2603 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2604 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2605 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2606 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2607 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2608 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2612 @node Group Parameters
2613 @section Group Parameters
2614 @cindex group parameters
2616 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2617 Here's an example group parameter list:
2620 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2624 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2625 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2626 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2627 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2629 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2630 is an alist of regexps and values.
2632 The following group parameters can be used:
2637 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2640 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2643 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2644 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2645 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2646 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2647 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2649 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2650 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2651 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2652 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2653 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2654 list address instead.
2656 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2660 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2663 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2666 It is totally ignored
2667 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2668 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2670 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2671 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2672 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2673 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2674 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2676 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2677 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2678 sending the message.
2680 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2681 @cindex Mail List Groups
2682 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2683 entering summary buffer.
2685 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2690 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2691 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2692 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information
2693 will help it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To headers for your
2694 posts to these lists.
2696 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2697 directly uses this group parameter.
2701 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2702 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2703 of whether it has any unread articles.
2705 @item broken-reply-to
2706 @cindex broken-reply-to
2707 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2708 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2709 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2710 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2711 broken behavior. So there!
2715 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2716 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2720 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2721 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2722 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2727 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2728 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2729 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2730 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2731 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2732 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2733 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2734 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2735 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept artciles.
2739 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2740 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2741 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2743 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2746 @cindex total-expire
2747 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2748 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2749 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2750 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2753 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2757 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2758 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2759 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2760 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2761 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2762 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2765 @cindex score file group parameter
2766 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2767 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2768 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2771 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2772 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2773 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2774 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2777 @cindex admin-address
2778 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2779 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2780 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2781 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2785 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2786 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2790 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2793 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2794 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2797 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2801 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2803 Here are some examples:
2807 Display only unread articles.
2810 Display everything except expirable articles.
2812 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2813 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2817 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2818 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2819 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2820 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2821 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2825 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2826 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2827 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2831 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2832 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2833 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2838 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2839 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2840 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2842 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2844 @item ignored-charsets
2845 @cindex ignored-charset
2846 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2847 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2848 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2850 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2853 @cindex posting-style
2854 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2855 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2856 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2857 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2858 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2860 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2861 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2862 like this in the group parameters:
2867 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2872 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2873 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2877 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2878 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2879 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2880 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2881 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2885 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2886 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2887 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2888 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2890 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2891 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2892 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2893 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2896 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2897 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2901 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2904 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2905 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2906 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2907 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2908 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2909 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2910 @code{eval}ed there.
2912 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2913 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2914 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2915 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2916 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2917 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2918 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2919 parameters for the group.
2922 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2923 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2924 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2925 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2926 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2930 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2931 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2932 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2933 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2934 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2936 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2937 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2941 (setq gnus-parameters
2943 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2944 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2945 (gnus-summary-line-format
2946 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2950 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2954 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2958 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2961 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2962 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2965 @node Listing Groups
2966 @section Listing Groups
2967 @cindex group listing
2969 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2977 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2978 List all groups that have unread articles
2979 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2980 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2981 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2982 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2989 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2990 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2991 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2992 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2993 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2994 unsubscribed groups).
2998 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2999 List all unread groups on a specific level
3000 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3001 with no unread articles.
3005 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3006 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3007 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3008 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3013 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3014 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3018 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3019 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3020 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3024 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3025 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3029 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3030 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3031 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3032 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3033 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3034 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3035 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3036 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3040 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3041 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3042 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3046 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3047 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3048 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3052 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3053 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3057 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3058 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3062 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3063 List groups limited within the current selection
3064 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3068 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3069 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3073 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3074 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3078 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3079 @cindex visible group parameter
3080 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3081 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3082 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3083 get the same effect.
3085 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3086 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3087 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3088 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3089 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3092 @node Sorting Groups
3093 @section Sorting Groups
3094 @cindex sorting groups
3096 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3097 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3098 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3099 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3100 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3101 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3106 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3107 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3108 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3110 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3111 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3112 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3114 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3115 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3116 Sort by group level.
3118 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3119 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3120 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3122 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3123 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3124 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3125 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3127 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3128 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3129 Sort by number of unread articles.
3131 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3132 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3133 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3135 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3136 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3137 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3142 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3143 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3147 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3148 some sorting criteria:
3152 @kindex G S a (Group)
3153 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3154 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3155 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3158 @kindex G S u (Group)
3159 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3160 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3161 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3164 @kindex G S l (Group)
3165 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3166 Sort the group buffer by group level
3167 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3170 @kindex G S v (Group)
3171 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3172 Sort the group buffer by group score
3173 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3176 @kindex G S r (Group)
3177 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3178 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3179 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3182 @kindex G S m (Group)
3183 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3184 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3185 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3189 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3190 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3192 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3193 commands will sort in reverse order.
3195 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3199 @kindex G P a (Group)
3200 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3201 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3202 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3205 @kindex G P u (Group)
3206 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3207 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3208 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3211 @kindex G P l (Group)
3212 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3213 Sort the groups by group level
3214 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3217 @kindex G P v (Group)
3218 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3219 Sort the groups by group score
3220 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3223 @kindex G P r (Group)
3224 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3225 Sort the groups by group rank
3226 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3229 @kindex G P m (Group)
3230 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3231 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3232 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3236 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3240 @node Group Maintenance
3241 @section Group Maintenance
3242 @cindex bogus groups
3247 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3248 Find bogus groups and delete them
3249 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3253 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3254 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3255 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3256 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3257 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3261 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3262 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3263 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3264 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3265 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3266 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3269 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3270 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3271 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3272 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3277 @node Browse Foreign Server
3278 @section Browse Foreign Server
3279 @cindex foreign servers
3280 @cindex browsing servers
3285 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3286 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3287 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3288 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3291 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3292 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3293 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3294 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3296 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3301 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3302 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3306 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3307 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3310 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3311 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3312 Enter the current group and display the first article
3313 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3316 @kindex RET (Browse)
3317 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3318 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3322 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3323 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3324 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3330 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3331 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3335 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3336 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3337 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3342 @section Exiting Gnus
3343 @cindex exiting Gnus
3345 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3350 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3351 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3352 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3353 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3357 @findex gnus-group-exit
3358 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3359 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3363 @findex gnus-group-quit
3364 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3365 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3368 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3369 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3370 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3371 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3372 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3377 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3378 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3379 trying to customize meta-variables.
3384 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3385 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3386 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3392 @section Group Topics
3395 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3396 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3397 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3398 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3399 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3400 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3404 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3405 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3416 2: alt.religion.emacs
3419 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3421 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3422 13: comp.sources.unix
3425 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3427 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3428 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3429 is a toggling command.)
3431 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3432 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3433 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3434 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3437 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3438 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3439 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3442 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3446 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3447 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3448 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3449 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3450 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3454 @node Topic Commands
3455 @subsection Topic Commands
3456 @cindex topic commands
3458 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3459 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3460 definitions slightly.
3462 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3463 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3464 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3465 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3466 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3467 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3469 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3476 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3477 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3478 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3482 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3484 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3485 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3486 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3487 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3490 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3491 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3492 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3493 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3497 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3498 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3499 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3500 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3506 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3507 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3508 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3512 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3513 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3514 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3517 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3518 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3519 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3520 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3521 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3523 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3524 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3528 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3529 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3536 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3538 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3539 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3540 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3541 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3542 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3543 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3547 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3553 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3554 Move the current group to some other topic
3555 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3556 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3560 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3561 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3565 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3566 Copy the current group to some other topic
3567 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3568 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3572 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3573 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3574 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3578 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3579 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3580 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3584 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3585 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3586 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3587 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3588 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3589 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3590 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3593 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3594 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3598 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3599 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3600 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3604 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3605 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3606 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3610 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3611 Toggle hiding empty topics
3612 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3616 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3617 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3618 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3621 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3622 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3623 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3624 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3627 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3628 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3629 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3630 expiry process (if any)
3631 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3635 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3636 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3639 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3640 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3641 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3645 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3646 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3647 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3650 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3651 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3652 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3655 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3656 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3657 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3661 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3662 @cindex group parameters
3663 @cindex topic parameters
3665 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3666 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3671 @node Topic Variables
3672 @subsection Topic Variables
3673 @cindex topic variables
3675 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3676 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3678 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3679 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3680 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3693 Number of groups in the topic.
3695 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3697 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3700 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3701 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3702 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3705 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3706 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3708 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3709 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3710 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3714 @subsection Topic Sorting
3715 @cindex topic sorting
3717 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3723 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3724 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3725 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3726 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3729 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3730 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3731 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3732 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3735 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3736 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3737 Sort the current topic by group level
3738 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3741 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3742 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3743 Sort the current topic by group score
3744 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3747 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3748 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3749 Sort the current topic by group rank
3750 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3753 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3754 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3755 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3756 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3759 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3760 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3761 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3762 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3766 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3769 @node Topic Topology
3770 @subsection Topic Topology
3771 @cindex topic topology
3774 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3780 2: alt.religion.emacs
3783 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3785 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3786 13: comp.sources.unix
3789 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3790 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3791 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3796 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3797 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3801 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3802 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3803 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3804 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3805 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3806 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3808 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3809 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3810 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3813 @node Topic Parameters
3814 @subsection Topic Parameters
3815 @cindex topic parameters
3817 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3818 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3819 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3821 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3826 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3827 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3828 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3831 @item subscribe-level
3832 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3833 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3834 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3838 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3839 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3840 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3841 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3847 2: alt.religion.emacs
3851 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3853 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3854 13: comp.sources.unix
3858 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3859 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3860 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3861 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3862 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3863 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3865 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3866 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3867 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3868 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3869 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3871 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3872 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3873 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3874 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3875 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3876 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3877 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3878 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3881 @node Misc Group Stuff
3882 @section Misc Group Stuff
3885 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3886 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3887 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3888 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3889 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3896 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3897 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3898 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3902 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3903 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3904 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3905 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3906 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3907 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3908 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3912 @findex gnus-group-mail
3913 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3914 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3915 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3916 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3920 @findex gnus-group-news
3921 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3922 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3923 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3925 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3926 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3927 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3928 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3929 for this to work though.
3933 Variables for the group buffer:
3937 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3938 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3939 is called after the group buffer has been
3942 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3943 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3944 is called after the group buffer is
3945 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3948 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3949 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3950 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3951 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3953 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3954 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3955 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3956 whether they are empty or not.
3958 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3959 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3960 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3961 non-ASCII group names.
3965 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3966 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3969 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3970 @cindex UTF-8 group names
3971 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3972 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
3973 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
3974 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
3978 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3979 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3984 @node Scanning New Messages
3985 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3986 @cindex new messages
3987 @cindex scanning new news
3993 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3994 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3995 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3996 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3997 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3998 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4003 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4004 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4005 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4006 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4007 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4008 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4009 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4011 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4012 @cindex activating groups
4014 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4015 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4020 @findex gnus-group-restart
4021 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4022 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4023 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4027 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4028 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4030 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4031 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4035 @node Group Information
4036 @subsection Group Information
4037 @cindex group information
4038 @cindex information on groups
4045 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4046 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4049 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4050 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4051 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4052 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4053 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4054 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4055 for fetching the file.
4057 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4058 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4062 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4064 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4065 @cindex describing groups
4066 @cindex group description
4067 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4068 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4069 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4073 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4074 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4075 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4082 @findex gnus-version
4083 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4087 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4088 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4091 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4094 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4095 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4099 @node Group Timestamp
4100 @subsection Group Timestamp
4102 @cindex group timestamps
4104 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4105 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4106 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4109 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4112 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4114 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4115 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4118 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4119 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4122 This will result in lines looking like:
4125 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4126 0: custom 19961002T012713
4129 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4130 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4134 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4135 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4138 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4139 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4143 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4144 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4145 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4146 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4148 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4154 @subsection File Commands
4155 @cindex file commands
4161 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4162 @vindex gnus-init-file
4163 @cindex reading init file
4164 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4165 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4169 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4170 @cindex saving .newsrc
4171 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4172 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4173 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4176 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4177 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4178 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4183 @node Sieve Commands
4184 @subsection Sieve Commands
4185 @cindex group sieve commands
4187 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4188 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4189 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4190 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4191 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4193 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4194 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4195 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4196 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4197 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4198 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4199 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4200 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4201 regenerate the Sieve script.
4203 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4204 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4205 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4206 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4207 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4208 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4209 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4210 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4211 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4212 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4215 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4216 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4221 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4227 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4228 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4229 @cindex generating sieve script
4230 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4231 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4235 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4236 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4237 @cindex updating sieve script
4238 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4239 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4240 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4245 @node Summary Buffer
4246 @chapter Summary Buffer
4247 @cindex summary buffer
4249 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4250 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4252 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4253 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4255 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4258 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4259 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4260 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4261 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4262 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4263 * Delayed Articles::
4264 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4265 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4266 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4267 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4268 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4269 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4270 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4271 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4272 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4273 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4274 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4275 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4276 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4277 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4278 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4279 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4280 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4281 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4282 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4283 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4284 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4285 or reselecting the current group.
4286 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4287 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4288 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4289 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4293 @node Summary Buffer Format
4294 @section Summary Buffer Format
4295 @cindex summary buffer format
4299 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4300 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4301 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4307 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4308 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4309 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4310 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4313 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4314 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4315 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4316 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4317 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4318 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4319 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4320 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4321 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4322 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4323 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4326 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4327 'mail-extract-address-components)
4330 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4331 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4332 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4333 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4336 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4337 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4339 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4340 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4341 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4342 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4343 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4345 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4346 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4347 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4348 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4349 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4350 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4352 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%) %s\n}.
4354 The following format specification characters and extended format
4355 specification(s) are understood:
4361 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4362 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4364 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4365 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4366 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4368 Full @code{From} header.
4370 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4372 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4373 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4375 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4376 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4377 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4378 may be more thorough.
4380 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4383 Number of lines in the article.
4385 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4386 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4388 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4390 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4393 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4394 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4396 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4397 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4399 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4400 for adopted articles.
4402 One space for each thread level.
4404 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4406 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4409 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4410 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4411 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4414 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4416 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4417 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4418 default level. If the difference between
4419 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4420 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4428 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4430 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4436 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4437 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4439 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4440 article has any children.
4446 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4447 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4449 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4450 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4451 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4452 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4453 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4454 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4457 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4458 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4459 There can only be one such area.
4461 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4462 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4463 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4464 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4465 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4466 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4468 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4469 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4471 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4474 @node To From Newsgroups
4475 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4479 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4480 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4481 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4482 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4483 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4487 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4488 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4489 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4493 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4494 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4497 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4498 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4501 @findex gnus-extra-header
4502 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4503 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4504 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4507 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4511 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4512 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4513 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4514 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4515 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4516 headers are used instead.
4520 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4521 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4522 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4523 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4526 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4527 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4528 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4529 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4531 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4535 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4537 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4538 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4539 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4540 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4544 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4547 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4548 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4555 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4556 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4559 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4560 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4562 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4563 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4564 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4565 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4567 Here are the elements you can play with:
4573 Unprefixed group name.
4575 Current article number.
4577 Current article score.
4581 Number of unread articles in this group.
4583 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4586 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4587 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4588 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4589 and no unselected ones.
4591 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4592 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4594 Subject of the current article.
4596 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4598 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4600 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4602 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4604 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4606 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4610 @node Summary Highlighting
4611 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4615 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4616 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4617 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4618 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4619 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4621 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4622 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4623 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4624 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4626 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4627 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4628 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4629 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4631 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4632 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4633 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4634 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4635 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4636 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4639 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4640 ((> score default) . bold))
4642 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4643 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4647 @node Summary Maneuvering
4648 @section Summary Maneuvering
4649 @cindex summary movement
4651 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4652 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4654 None of these commands select articles.
4659 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4660 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4661 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4662 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4663 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4667 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4668 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4669 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4670 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4671 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4674 @kindex G g (Summary)
4675 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4676 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4677 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4680 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4681 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4682 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4683 to the group buffer.
4685 Variables related to summary movement:
4689 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4690 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4691 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4692 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4693 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4694 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4695 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4696 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4697 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4698 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4699 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4700 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4701 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4702 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4704 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4705 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4706 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4707 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4708 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4709 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4710 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4712 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4714 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4715 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4716 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4717 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4718 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4720 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4721 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4722 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4723 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4724 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4725 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4726 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4727 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4730 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4731 the given number of lines from the top.
4736 @node Choosing Articles
4737 @section Choosing Articles
4738 @cindex selecting articles
4741 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4742 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4746 @node Choosing Commands
4747 @subsection Choosing Commands
4749 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4750 and they all select and display an article.
4752 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4753 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4757 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4758 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4759 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4760 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4765 @kindex G n (Summary)
4766 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4767 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4768 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4773 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4774 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4775 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4780 @kindex G N (Summary)
4781 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4782 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4787 @kindex G P (Summary)
4788 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4789 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4792 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4793 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4794 Go to the next article with the same subject
4795 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4798 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4799 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4800 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4801 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4805 @kindex G f (Summary)
4807 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4808 Go to the first unread article
4809 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4813 @kindex G b (Summary)
4815 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4816 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4817 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4818 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4823 @kindex G l (Summary)
4824 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4825 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4828 @kindex G o (Summary)
4829 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4831 @cindex article history
4832 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4833 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4834 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4835 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4836 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4837 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4842 @kindex G j (Summary)
4843 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4844 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4845 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4850 @node Choosing Variables
4851 @subsection Choosing Variables
4853 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4856 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4857 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4858 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4859 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4860 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4861 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4863 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4864 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4865 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4866 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4868 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4869 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4870 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4871 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4872 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4873 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4874 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4875 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4876 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4877 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4878 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4879 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4880 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4881 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4886 @node Paging the Article
4887 @section Scrolling the Article
4888 @cindex article scrolling
4893 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4894 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4895 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4896 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4897 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4900 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4901 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4902 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4905 @kindex RET (Summary)
4906 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4907 Scroll the current article one line forward
4908 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4911 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4912 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4913 Scroll the current article one line backward
4914 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4918 @kindex A g (Summary)
4920 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4921 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4922 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4923 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4924 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4925 the way it came from the server.
4927 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4928 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4929 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4932 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4937 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4942 @kindex A < (Summary)
4943 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4944 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4945 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4950 @kindex A > (Summary)
4951 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4952 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4956 @kindex A s (Summary)
4958 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4959 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4960 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4964 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4965 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4970 @node Reply Followup and Post
4971 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4974 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4975 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4976 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4977 * Canceling and Superseding::
4981 @node Summary Mail Commands
4982 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4984 @cindex composing mail
4986 Commands for composing a mail message:
4992 @kindex S r (Summary)
4994 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4995 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4996 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4997 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4998 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5003 @kindex S R (Summary)
5004 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5005 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5006 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5007 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5008 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5011 @kindex S w (Summary)
5012 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5013 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5014 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5015 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5016 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5019 @kindex S V (Summary)
5020 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5021 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5022 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5023 the process/prefix convention.
5026 @kindex S v (Summary)
5027 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5028 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5029 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5030 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5031 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5032 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5036 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5037 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5038 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5039 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5040 Forward the current article to some other person
5041 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5042 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5043 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5044 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5045 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5046 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5047 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5048 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5049 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime}
5055 @kindex S m (Summary)
5056 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5057 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5058 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5059 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5060 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5065 @kindex S i (Summary)
5066 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5067 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5068 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5069 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5071 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5072 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5073 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5074 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5075 for this to work though.
5078 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5079 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5080 @cindex bouncing mail
5081 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5082 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5083 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5084 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5085 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5086 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5087 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5088 very well fail, though.
5091 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5092 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5093 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5094 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5095 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5096 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5097 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5098 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5099 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5100 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5102 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5103 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5104 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5105 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5106 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5108 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5109 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5112 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5113 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5114 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5115 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5116 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5119 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5120 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5121 @cindex crossposting
5122 @cindex excessive crossposting
5123 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5124 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5126 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5127 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5128 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5129 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5130 command understands the process/prefix convention
5131 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5135 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5136 Manual}, for more information.
5139 @node Summary Post Commands
5140 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5142 @cindex composing news
5144 Commands for posting a news article:
5150 @kindex S p (Summary)
5151 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5152 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5153 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5154 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5155 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5160 @kindex S f (Summary)
5161 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5162 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5163 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5167 @kindex S F (Summary)
5169 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5170 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5171 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5172 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5173 process/prefix convention.
5176 @kindex S n (Summary)
5177 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5178 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5179 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5182 @kindex S N (Summary)
5183 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5184 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5185 message through mail and include the original message
5186 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5187 the process/prefix convention.
5190 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5191 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5192 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5193 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5194 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5195 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5196 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5197 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5198 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5199 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5200 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5201 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5202 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section.
5205 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5206 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5208 @cindex making digests
5209 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5210 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5211 process/prefix convention.
5214 @kindex S u (Summary)
5215 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5216 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5217 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5218 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5221 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5222 Manual}, for more information.
5225 @node Summary Message Commands
5226 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5230 @kindex S y (Summary)
5231 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5232 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5233 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5234 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5235 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5240 @node Canceling and Superseding
5241 @subsection Canceling Articles
5242 @cindex canceling articles
5243 @cindex superseding articles
5245 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5246 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5248 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5250 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5252 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5253 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5254 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5255 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5256 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5257 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5259 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5260 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5263 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5264 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5265 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5267 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5268 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5269 your original article.
5271 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5273 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5274 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5275 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5278 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5279 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5280 have posted almost the same article twice.
5282 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5283 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5284 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5285 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5286 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5287 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5288 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5289 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5290 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5291 canceled/superseded.
5293 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5295 @node Delayed Articles
5296 @section Delayed Articles
5297 @cindex delayed sending
5298 @cindex send delayed
5300 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5301 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5302 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5303 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5306 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5309 @findex gnus-delay-article
5310 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5311 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5312 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5313 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5317 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5318 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5319 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5320 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5323 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5324 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5325 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5328 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5329 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5330 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5331 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5332 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5333 that means a time tomorrow.
5336 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5337 couple of variables:
5340 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5341 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5342 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5343 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5345 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5346 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5347 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5348 formats described above.
5350 @item gnus-delay-group
5351 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5352 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5353 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5354 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5356 @item gnus-delay-header
5357 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5358 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5359 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5360 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5363 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5364 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5365 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5366 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5367 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5369 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5370 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5371 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5372 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5373 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5374 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5377 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5378 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5379 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5380 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5381 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5382 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5383 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5384 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5386 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5387 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5388 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5389 forget to set that up :-)
5393 @node Marking Articles
5394 @section Marking Articles
5395 @cindex article marking
5396 @cindex article ticking
5399 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5401 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5402 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5403 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5405 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5408 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5409 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5410 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5414 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5418 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5419 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5420 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5424 @node Unread Articles
5425 @subsection Unread Articles
5427 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5432 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5433 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5435 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5436 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5437 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5438 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5439 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5440 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5441 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5444 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5445 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5447 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5448 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5449 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5450 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5454 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5455 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5457 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5462 @subsection Read Articles
5463 @cindex expirable mark
5465 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5470 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5471 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5472 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5475 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5476 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5479 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5480 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5481 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5484 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5485 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5488 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5489 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5492 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5493 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5496 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5497 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5500 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5501 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5504 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5505 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5508 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5509 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5513 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5514 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5515 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5519 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5520 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5522 One more special mark, though:
5526 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5527 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5529 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5530 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5531 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5532 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5538 @subsection Other Marks
5539 @cindex process mark
5542 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5548 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5549 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5550 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5551 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5552 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5555 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5556 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5557 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5558 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5561 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5562 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5563 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5566 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5567 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5568 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5571 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5572 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5573 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5574 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5577 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5578 Articles that according to the back end haven't been seen by the user
5579 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5580 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all back ends support this
5581 mark, in which case it simply never appears.
5584 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5585 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5586 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5589 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5590 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5591 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5592 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5593 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5596 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5597 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5598 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5599 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5600 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5601 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5605 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5606 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5607 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5609 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5610 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5611 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5615 @subsection Setting Marks
5616 @cindex setting marks
5618 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5623 @kindex M c (Summary)
5624 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5625 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5626 @cindex mark as unread
5627 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5628 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5634 @kindex M t (Summary)
5635 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5636 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5637 @xref{Article Caching}.
5642 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5643 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5644 Mark the current article as dormant
5645 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5649 @kindex M d (Summary)
5651 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5652 Mark the current article as read
5653 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5657 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5658 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5659 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5664 @kindex M k (Summary)
5665 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5666 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5667 and then select the next unread article
5668 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5672 @kindex M K (Summary)
5673 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5674 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5675 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5676 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5679 @kindex M C (Summary)
5680 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5681 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5682 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5685 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5686 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5687 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5688 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5691 @kindex M H (Summary)
5692 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5693 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5694 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5697 @kindex M h (Summary)
5698 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5699 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5700 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5703 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5704 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5705 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5706 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5709 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5710 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5711 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5712 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5716 @kindex M e (Summary)
5718 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5719 Mark the current article as expirable
5720 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5723 @kindex M b (Summary)
5724 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5725 Set a bookmark in the current article
5726 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5729 @kindex M B (Summary)
5730 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5731 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5732 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5735 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5736 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5737 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5738 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5741 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5742 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5743 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5744 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5747 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5748 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5749 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5750 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5751 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5754 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5755 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5756 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5757 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5758 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5759 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5760 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5761 The default is @code{t}.
5764 @node Generic Marking Commands
5765 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5767 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5768 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5769 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5770 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5771 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5774 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5775 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5778 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5779 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5780 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5781 to list in this manual.
5783 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5784 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5785 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5786 article, you could say something like:
5789 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5790 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5791 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5797 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5798 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5802 @node Setting Process Marks
5803 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5804 @cindex setting process marks
5811 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5812 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5813 Mark the current article with the process mark
5814 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5815 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5819 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5820 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5821 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5822 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5825 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5826 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5827 Remove the process mark from all articles
5828 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5831 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5832 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5833 Invert the list of process marked articles
5834 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5837 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5838 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5839 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5840 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5843 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5844 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5845 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5846 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5849 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5850 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5851 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5854 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5855 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5856 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5857 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5860 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5861 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5862 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5863 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5866 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5867 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5868 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5869 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5872 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5873 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5874 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5877 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5878 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5879 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5880 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5883 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5884 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5885 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5888 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5889 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5890 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5891 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5894 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5895 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5896 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5897 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5900 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5901 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5902 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5903 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5906 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5907 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5908 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5909 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5913 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5914 set process marks based on article body contents.
5921 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5922 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5923 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5926 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5927 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5928 additional articles.
5934 @kindex / / (Summary)
5935 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5936 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5937 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
5941 @kindex / a (Summary)
5942 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5943 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5944 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
5948 @kindex / x (Summary)
5949 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5950 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5951 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5952 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
5957 @kindex / u (Summary)
5959 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5960 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5961 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5962 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5963 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5966 @kindex / m (Summary)
5967 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5968 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5969 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5972 @kindex / t (Summary)
5973 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5974 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5975 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5976 articles younger than that number of days.
5979 @kindex / n (Summary)
5980 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5981 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5982 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5983 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5986 @kindex / w (Summary)
5987 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5988 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5989 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5993 @kindex / v (Summary)
5994 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5995 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5996 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5999 @kindex / p (Summary)
6000 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter
6001 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6002 group parameter predicate
6003 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter}). See @pxref{Group
6004 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6008 @kindex M S (Summary)
6009 @kindex / E (Summary)
6010 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6011 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6012 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6015 @kindex / D (Summary)
6016 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6017 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6018 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6021 @kindex / * (Summary)
6022 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6023 Include all cached articles in the limit
6024 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6027 @kindex / d (Summary)
6028 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6029 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6030 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6033 @kindex / M (Summary)
6034 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6035 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6038 @kindex / T (Summary)
6039 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6040 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6043 @kindex / c (Summary)
6044 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6045 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6046 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6049 @kindex / C (Summary)
6050 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6051 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6052 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6053 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6056 @kindex / N (Summary)
6057 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6058 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6059 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6062 @kindex / o (Summary)
6063 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6064 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6065 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6073 @cindex article threading
6075 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6076 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6077 hierarchical fashion.
6079 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6080 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6081 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6082 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6083 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6084 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6085 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6087 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6091 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6094 A tree-like article structure.
6097 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6100 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6101 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6102 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6103 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6104 called loose threads.
6106 @item thread gathering
6107 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6109 @item sparse threads
6110 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6111 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6117 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6118 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6122 @node Customizing Threading
6123 @subsection Customizing Threading
6124 @cindex customizing threading
6127 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6128 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6129 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6130 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6135 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6138 @cindex loose threads
6141 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6142 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6143 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6144 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6145 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6146 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6148 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6149 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6150 There are four possible values:
6154 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6155 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6156 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6157 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6158 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6163 @cindex adopting articles
6168 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6169 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6170 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6171 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6174 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6175 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6176 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6177 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6178 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6179 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6180 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6183 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6184 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6185 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6189 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6190 display them after one another.
6193 Don't gather loose threads.
6196 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6197 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6198 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6199 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6200 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6201 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6202 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6203 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6204 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6205 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6206 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6208 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6209 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6210 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6213 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6214 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6215 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6216 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6217 simplification is used.
6219 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6220 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6221 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6222 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6224 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6226 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6232 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6233 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6234 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6235 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6240 (mapconcat 'identity
6241 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6243 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6246 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6249 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6250 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6251 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6252 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6253 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6254 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6256 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6259 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6260 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6261 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6263 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6264 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6267 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6268 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6269 Remove excessive whitespace.
6272 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6275 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6276 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6277 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6278 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6279 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6280 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6281 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6282 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6284 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6285 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6286 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6287 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6288 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6289 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6290 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6291 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6292 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6296 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6297 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6298 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6299 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6301 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6302 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6303 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6306 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6310 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6311 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6317 @node Filling In Threads
6318 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6321 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6322 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6323 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6324 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6325 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6326 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6327 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6328 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6329 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6330 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6331 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6332 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6335 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6336 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6337 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6339 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6340 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6341 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6342 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6343 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6344 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6345 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6346 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6347 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6348 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6349 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6350 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6351 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6352 @code{nil} by default.
6354 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6355 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6356 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6357 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6358 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6359 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6360 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6362 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6363 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6364 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6369 @node More Threading
6370 @subsubsection More Threading
6373 @item gnus-show-threads
6374 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6375 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6376 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6377 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6378 slower and more awkward.
6380 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6381 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6382 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6385 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6386 Avaliable predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6387 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6392 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6393 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6394 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6397 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6398 unread, but you get my drift.)
6401 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6402 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6403 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6404 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6405 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6406 threads are expunged.
6408 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6409 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6410 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6413 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6414 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6415 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6416 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6417 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6418 result in a new thread.
6420 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6421 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6422 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6425 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6426 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6427 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6428 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6429 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6430 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6431 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6432 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6433 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6434 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6435 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6440 @node Low-Level Threading
6441 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6445 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6446 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6447 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6449 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6450 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6451 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6452 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6453 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6454 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6455 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6456 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6457 meaningful. Here's one example:
6460 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6462 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6463 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6465 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6467 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6474 @node Thread Commands
6475 @subsection Thread Commands
6476 @cindex thread commands
6482 @kindex T k (Summary)
6483 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6484 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6485 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6486 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6487 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6492 @kindex T l (Summary)
6493 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6494 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6495 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6496 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6499 @kindex T i (Summary)
6500 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6501 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6502 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6505 @kindex T # (Summary)
6506 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6507 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6508 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6511 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6512 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6513 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6514 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6517 @kindex T T (Summary)
6518 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6519 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6522 @kindex T s (Summary)
6523 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6524 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6525 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6528 @kindex T h (Summary)
6529 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6530 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6533 @kindex T S (Summary)
6534 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6535 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6538 @kindex T H (Summary)
6539 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6540 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6543 @kindex T t (Summary)
6544 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6545 Re-thread the current article's thread
6546 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6547 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6550 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6551 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6552 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6553 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6557 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6558 understand the numeric prefix.
6563 @kindex T n (Summary)
6565 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6567 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6568 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6569 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6572 @kindex T p (Summary)
6574 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6576 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6577 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6578 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6581 @kindex T d (Summary)
6582 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6583 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6586 @kindex T u (Summary)
6587 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6588 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6591 @kindex T o (Summary)
6592 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6593 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6596 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6597 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6598 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6599 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6600 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6601 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6602 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6603 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6604 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6605 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6606 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6607 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6611 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6612 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6614 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6615 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6616 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6617 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6618 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6619 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6620 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6621 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6622 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6623 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6624 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6625 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6627 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6628 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6629 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6630 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6631 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6632 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date} and
6633 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6635 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6636 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6637 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6639 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6640 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6641 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6642 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6643 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6644 ascending article order.
6646 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6647 by number, you could do something like:
6650 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6651 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6652 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6653 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6656 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6657 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6658 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6659 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6660 which the articles arrived.
6662 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6666 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6668 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6669 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6672 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6673 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6674 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6675 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6678 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6679 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6680 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6681 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6682 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6683 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6684 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6685 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6686 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6687 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6688 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6689 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6690 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6692 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6696 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6697 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6698 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6703 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6704 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6705 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6706 @cindex article pre-fetch
6709 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6710 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6711 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6712 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6713 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6715 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6716 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6718 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6719 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6720 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6721 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6722 connection is blocked.
6724 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6725 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6726 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6727 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6729 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6730 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6731 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6732 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6735 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6738 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6739 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6740 happen automatically.
6742 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6743 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6744 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6745 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6746 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6747 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6748 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6750 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6751 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6752 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6753 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6754 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6755 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6756 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6757 data structure as the only parameter.
6759 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6762 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6763 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6764 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6765 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6768 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6771 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6772 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6773 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6775 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6776 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6777 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6778 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6782 Remove articles when they are read.
6785 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6788 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6790 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6791 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6792 @c from the next group.
6795 @node Article Caching
6796 @section Article Caching
6797 @cindex article caching
6800 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6801 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6802 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6803 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6804 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6806 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6808 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6809 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6810 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6811 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6812 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6813 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6814 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6815 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6817 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6818 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6819 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6820 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6821 as dormant, and don't worry.
6823 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6825 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6826 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6827 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6828 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6829 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6830 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6831 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6832 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6833 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6834 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6836 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6837 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6838 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6839 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6840 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6841 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6842 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6843 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6844 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6845 not then be downloaded by this command.
6847 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6848 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6849 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6850 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6851 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6852 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6854 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6855 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6856 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6857 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6858 variables, the group is not cached.
6860 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6861 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6862 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6863 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6864 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6865 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6866 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6867 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6868 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6871 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
6872 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
6873 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
6874 where, isn't that cool?
6876 @node Persistent Articles
6877 @section Persistent Articles
6878 @cindex persistent articles
6880 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6881 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6882 useful in my opinion.
6884 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6885 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6886 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6887 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6888 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6889 the expiry going on at the news server.
6891 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6892 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6893 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6899 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6900 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6903 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6904 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6905 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6906 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6910 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6912 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6913 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6914 interested in persistent articles:
6917 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6921 @node Article Backlog
6922 @section Article Backlog
6924 @cindex article backlog
6926 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6927 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6928 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6929 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6930 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6931 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6932 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6933 increase memory usage some.
6935 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6936 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6937 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6938 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6939 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6940 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6941 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6943 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6946 @node Saving Articles
6947 @section Saving Articles
6948 @cindex saving articles
6950 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6951 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6952 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6953 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6954 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6956 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6957 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6958 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6960 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6961 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6962 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6963 deleted before saving.
6969 @kindex O o (Summary)
6971 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6972 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6973 Save the current article using the default article saver
6974 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6977 @kindex O m (Summary)
6978 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6979 Save the current article in mail format
6980 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6983 @kindex O r (Summary)
6984 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6985 Save the current article in rmail format
6986 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6989 @kindex O f (Summary)
6990 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6991 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6992 Save the current article in plain file format
6993 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6996 @kindex O F (Summary)
6997 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6998 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6999 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7002 @kindex O b (Summary)
7003 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7004 Save the current article body in plain file format
7005 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7008 @kindex O h (Summary)
7009 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7010 Save the current article in mh folder format
7011 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7014 @kindex O v (Summary)
7015 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7016 Save the current article in a VM folder
7017 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7021 @kindex O p (Summary)
7023 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7024 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7025 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7028 @kindex O P (Summary)
7029 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7030 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7031 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7032 external program Muttprint (see
7033 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7034 options to use is controlled by the variable
7035 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7039 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7040 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7041 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7042 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7043 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7044 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7045 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7046 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7047 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7048 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7049 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7050 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7054 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7055 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7056 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7057 functions below, or you can create your own.
7061 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7062 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7063 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7064 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7065 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7066 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7067 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7069 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7070 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7071 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7072 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7073 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7074 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7076 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7077 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7078 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7079 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7080 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7081 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7082 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7084 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7085 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7086 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7087 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7088 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7089 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7091 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7092 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7093 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7094 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7095 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7097 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7098 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7099 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7100 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7101 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7104 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7105 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7106 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7107 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7108 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7110 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7111 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7112 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7113 reader to use this setting.
7116 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7117 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7118 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7119 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7122 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7123 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7124 available functions that generate names:
7128 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7129 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7130 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7132 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7133 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7134 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7136 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7137 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7138 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7140 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7141 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7142 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7144 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7145 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7146 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7149 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7150 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7151 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7152 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7153 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7157 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7158 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7159 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7160 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7163 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7164 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7165 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7166 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7167 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7168 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7169 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7170 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7171 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7173 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7174 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7175 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7176 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7178 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7179 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7180 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7183 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7184 lots of mail groups called things like
7185 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7186 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7187 following will do just that:
7190 (defun my-save-name (group)
7191 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7192 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7194 (setq gnus-split-methods
7195 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7200 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7201 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7202 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7203 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7204 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7205 all the files in the top level directory
7206 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7207 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7208 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7209 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7211 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7212 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7213 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7214 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7215 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7218 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7222 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7223 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7224 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7227 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7228 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7229 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7230 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7233 @node Decoding Articles
7234 @section Decoding Articles
7235 @cindex decoding articles
7237 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7238 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7241 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7242 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7243 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7244 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7245 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7246 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7250 @cindex article series
7251 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7252 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7253 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7254 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7255 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7257 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7258 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7259 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7261 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7262 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7263 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7265 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7266 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7267 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7270 @node Uuencoded Articles
7271 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7273 @cindex uuencoded articles
7278 @kindex X u (Summary)
7279 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7280 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7281 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7284 @kindex X U (Summary)
7285 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7286 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7287 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7290 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7291 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7292 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7295 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7296 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7297 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7298 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7302 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7303 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7304 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7305 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7306 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7308 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7309 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7310 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7311 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7314 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7315 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7316 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7317 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7318 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7319 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7323 @node Shell Archives
7324 @subsection Shell Archives
7326 @cindex shell archives
7327 @cindex shared articles
7329 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7330 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7331 some commands to deal with these:
7336 @kindex X s (Summary)
7337 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7338 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7341 @kindex X S (Summary)
7342 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7343 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7346 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7347 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7348 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7351 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7352 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7353 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7354 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7358 @node PostScript Files
7359 @subsection PostScript Files
7365 @kindex X p (Summary)
7366 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7367 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7370 @kindex X P (Summary)
7371 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7372 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7373 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7376 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7377 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7378 View the current PostScript series
7379 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7382 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7383 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7384 View and save the current PostScript series
7385 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7390 @subsection Other Files
7394 @kindex X o (Summary)
7395 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7396 Save the current series
7397 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7400 @kindex X b (Summary)
7401 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7402 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7403 doesn't really work yet.
7407 @node Decoding Variables
7408 @subsection Decoding Variables
7410 Adjective, not verb.
7413 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7414 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7415 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7419 @node Rule Variables
7420 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7421 @cindex rule variables
7423 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7424 variables are of the form
7427 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7434 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7435 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7437 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7438 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7441 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7442 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7445 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7446 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7447 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7448 user and default view rules.
7450 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7451 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7452 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7457 @node Other Decode Variables
7458 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7461 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7463 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7464 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7465 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7466 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7467 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7471 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7472 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7475 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7476 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7477 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7480 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7481 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7482 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7483 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7484 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7487 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7488 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7489 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7491 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7492 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7493 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7494 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7495 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7498 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7499 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7500 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7502 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7503 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7504 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7505 looking for files to display.
7507 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7508 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7509 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7512 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7513 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7514 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7517 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7518 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7519 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7522 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7523 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7524 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7527 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7528 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7529 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7530 decoded articles as unread.
7532 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7533 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7534 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7535 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7537 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7538 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7539 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7541 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7542 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7544 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7545 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7546 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7547 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7549 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7550 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7551 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7552 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7553 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7554 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7555 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7556 simply dropped them.
7561 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7562 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7566 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7567 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7568 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7569 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7570 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7571 for you when you post the article.
7573 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7574 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7575 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7576 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7578 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7579 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7580 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7581 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7582 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7583 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7584 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7586 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7587 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7588 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7589 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7590 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7591 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7592 Default is @code{t}.
7598 @subsection Viewing Files
7599 @cindex viewing files
7600 @cindex pseudo-articles
7602 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7603 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7604 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7605 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7606 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7607 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7608 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7610 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7611 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7612 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7613 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7615 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7616 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7617 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7619 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7620 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7621 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7622 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7623 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7625 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7626 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7627 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7628 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7629 a list of parameters to that command.
7631 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7632 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7633 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7635 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7636 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7637 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7640 @node Article Treatment
7641 @section Article Treatment
7643 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7644 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7645 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7646 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7647 these articles easier.
7650 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7651 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7652 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7653 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7654 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7655 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7656 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7657 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7658 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7659 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7663 @node Article Highlighting
7664 @subsection Article Highlighting
7665 @cindex highlighting
7667 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7668 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7673 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7674 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7675 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7676 Do much highlighting of the current article
7677 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7678 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7681 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7682 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7683 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7684 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7685 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7686 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7687 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7688 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7689 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7690 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7691 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7692 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7695 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7696 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7697 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7699 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7702 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7704 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7705 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7706 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7708 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7709 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7710 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7712 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7713 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7714 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7715 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7716 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7717 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7719 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7720 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7721 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7723 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7724 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7725 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7727 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7728 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7729 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7730 that it's a citation.
7732 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7733 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7734 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7736 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7737 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7738 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7740 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7741 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7742 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7743 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7749 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7750 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7751 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7752 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7753 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7754 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7755 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7756 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7761 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7764 @node Article Fontisizing
7765 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7767 @cindex article emphasis
7769 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7770 @kindex W e (Summary)
7771 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7772 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7773 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7774 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7776 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7777 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7778 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7779 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7780 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7781 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7782 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7783 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7787 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7788 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7789 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7798 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7799 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7800 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7801 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7802 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7803 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7804 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7805 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7806 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7807 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7808 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7809 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7810 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7812 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7813 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7814 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7818 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7821 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7823 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7824 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7825 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7826 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7828 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7831 @node Article Hiding
7832 @subsection Article Hiding
7833 @cindex article hiding
7835 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7836 too much cruft in most articles.
7841 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7842 @findex gnus-article-hide
7843 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7844 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7845 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7848 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7849 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7850 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7854 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7855 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7856 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7857 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7860 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7861 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7862 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7866 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7867 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7868 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7869 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7870 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7871 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7872 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7873 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7877 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7878 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7879 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7880 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7885 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7886 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7887 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7888 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7889 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7890 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7891 articles that have signatures in them do:
7893 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7895 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7897 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7898 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7900 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7903 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7908 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7909 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7910 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7911 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7914 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7915 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7918 @cindex stripping advertisements
7919 @cindex advertisements
7920 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7921 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7922 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7923 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7924 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7925 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7926 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7927 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7928 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7929 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7933 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7934 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7935 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7936 customizing the hiding:
7940 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7941 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7942 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7943 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7944 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7945 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7946 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7951 Starting point of the hidden text.
7953 Ending point of the hidden text.
7955 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7957 Number of lines of hidden text.
7960 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7961 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7962 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7963 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7964 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7969 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7970 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7972 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7973 following two variables:
7976 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7977 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7978 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7979 50), hide the cited text.
7981 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7982 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7983 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7988 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7989 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7990 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7991 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7992 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7993 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7997 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7998 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7999 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8001 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8002 citation customization.
8004 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8008 @node Article Washing
8009 @subsection Article Washing
8011 @cindex article washing
8013 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8014 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8016 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8017 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8020 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8021 articles by default.
8026 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8027 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8031 @kindex W l (Summary)
8032 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8033 Remove page breaks from the current article
8034 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8038 @kindex W r (Summary)
8039 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8040 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8041 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8042 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8043 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8044 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8046 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8047 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8048 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8049 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8053 @kindex W t (Summary)
8055 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8056 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8057 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8060 @kindex W v (Summary)
8061 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
8062 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8063 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
8066 @kindex W o (Summary)
8067 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8068 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8071 @kindex W d (Summary)
8072 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8073 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8075 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8077 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8078 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8079 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8080 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8083 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8084 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8085 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8086 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8089 @kindex W w (Summary)
8090 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8091 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8093 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8097 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8098 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8099 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8102 @kindex W C (Summary)
8103 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8104 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8105 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8108 @kindex W c (Summary)
8109 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8110 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8111 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8112 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8113 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8116 @kindex W q (Summary)
8117 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8118 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8119 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
8120 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
8121 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
8122 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
8123 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
8124 header that says that this encoding has been done.
8125 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8128 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8129 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8130 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8131 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8132 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
8133 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8134 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8136 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8139 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8140 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8141 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8142 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8143 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8146 @kindex W u (Summary)
8147 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8148 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8149 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8150 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8151 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8154 @kindex W h (Summary)
8155 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8156 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that the this is
8157 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8158 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8160 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8162 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8163 The default is to use w3 to convert the @sc{html}, but this is
8164 controlled by the @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable.
8165 Pre-defined functions you can use include:
8168 @item gnus-article-wash-html-with-w3
8169 @findex gnus-article-wash-html-with-w3
8170 Use w3 (this is the default).
8172 @item gnus-article-wash-html-with-w3m
8173 @findex gnus-article-wash-html-with-w3m
8174 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8179 @kindex W b (Summary)
8180 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8181 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8182 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8185 @kindex W B (Summary)
8186 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8187 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8188 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8191 @kindex W p (Summary)
8192 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8193 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8194 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8195 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8196 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8197 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8198 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8201 @kindex W s (Summary)
8202 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8203 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8204 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8207 @kindex W W H (Summary)
8208 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
8209 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8210 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
8213 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8214 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8215 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8216 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8219 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8220 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8221 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8222 lines with a single empty line.
8223 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8226 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8227 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8228 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8229 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8232 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8233 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8234 Do all the three commands above
8235 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8238 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8239 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8240 Remove all blank lines
8241 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8244 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8245 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8246 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8247 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8250 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8251 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8252 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8253 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8257 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8260 @node Article Header
8261 @subsection Article Header
8263 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8268 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8269 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8270 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8273 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8274 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8275 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8276 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8279 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8280 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-header
8281 Fold all the message headers
8282 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8287 @node Article Buttons
8288 @subsection Article Buttons
8291 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8292 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8293 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8294 button on these references.
8296 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8297 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
8298 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
8303 @item gnus-button-alist
8304 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8305 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8308 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8314 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8315 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8316 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
8319 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8320 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8321 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8324 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8325 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8326 avoid false matches.
8329 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8332 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8333 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8337 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8340 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8343 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8344 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8345 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8346 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8347 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8350 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8353 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8355 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8356 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8357 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8358 default values of the variables above.
8360 @item gnus-article-button-face
8361 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8362 Face used on buttons.
8364 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8365 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8366 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8370 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8374 @subsection Article Date
8376 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8377 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8378 when the article was sent.
8383 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8384 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8385 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8386 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8389 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8390 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8392 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8393 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8396 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8397 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8398 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8401 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8402 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8403 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8404 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8407 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8408 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8409 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8410 @findex format-time-string
8411 Display the date using a user-defined format
8412 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8413 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8414 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8415 for a list of possible format specs.
8418 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8419 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8420 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8421 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8422 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8423 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8426 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8429 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8430 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8433 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8434 into wonderful absurdities.
8436 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8439 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8442 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8443 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8447 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8448 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8449 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8450 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8451 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8452 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8453 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8457 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8458 preferred format automatically.
8461 @node Article Display
8462 @subsection Article Display
8467 These commands add various frivolous display gimmics to the article
8468 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8470 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8471 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8473 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8474 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8476 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8477 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8479 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8484 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8485 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8486 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8487 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8490 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8491 @findex gnus-smiley-smiley
8492 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8495 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8496 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8497 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8500 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8501 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8502 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8503 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8506 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8507 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8508 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8509 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8512 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8513 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8514 Remove all images from the article buffer
8515 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8521 @node Article Signature
8522 @subsection Article Signature
8524 @cindex article signature
8526 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8527 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8528 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8529 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8530 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8531 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8532 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8533 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8534 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8537 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8538 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8539 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8540 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8541 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8542 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8543 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8544 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8547 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8550 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8551 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8552 signature when displaying articles.
8556 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8559 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8562 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8563 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8565 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8566 in question is not a signature.
8569 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8570 listed above. Here's an example:
8573 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8574 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8577 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8578 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8579 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8580 signature after all.
8583 @node Article Miscellania
8584 @subsection Article Miscellania
8588 @kindex A t (Summary)
8589 @findex gnus-article-babel
8590 Translate the article from one language to another
8591 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8597 @section @sc{mime} Commands
8598 @cindex MIME decoding
8600 @cindex viewing attachments
8602 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8603 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8609 @kindex K v (Summary)
8610 View the @sc{mime} part.
8613 @kindex K o (Summary)
8614 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8617 @kindex K c (Summary)
8618 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8621 @kindex K e (Summary)
8622 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8625 @kindex K i (Summary)
8626 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8629 @kindex K | (Summary)
8630 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8633 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8638 @kindex K b (Summary)
8639 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8640 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8644 @kindex K m (Summary)
8645 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8646 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8647 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8648 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8649 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8652 @kindex X m (Summary)
8653 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8654 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8655 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8656 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8659 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8660 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8661 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8662 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8665 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8666 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8667 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8670 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8671 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8672 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8674 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8675 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8676 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8677 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
8678 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
8679 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8682 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8683 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8684 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8691 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8692 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8693 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8694 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8697 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8700 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8704 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8705 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8706 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8707 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8708 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8709 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8712 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8713 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8714 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8715 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8716 displayed. This variable overrides
8717 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8719 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8720 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8721 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8723 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8724 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8725 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8726 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8727 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8728 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8729 save all jpegs into some directory).
8731 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8734 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8735 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8737 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8738 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8739 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8740 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8741 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8744 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8745 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8746 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8748 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8749 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8750 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8751 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8753 Ready-made functions include@*
8754 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8755 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8756 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8757 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8758 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8759 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8760 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8761 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8762 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8763 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8764 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8765 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8767 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8768 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8770 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8771 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8772 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8775 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8776 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8777 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8778 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8782 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8791 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8792 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8793 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8794 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8795 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8796 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8797 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8799 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8800 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8801 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8802 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8804 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8805 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
8806 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8807 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8808 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
8809 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8810 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
8811 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
8813 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8814 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8815 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8816 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8817 quoted-printable header encoding.
8819 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8820 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8821 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8825 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8828 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8829 means encode all charsets),
8831 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8832 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8833 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8840 @cindex coding system aliases
8841 @cindex preferred charset
8843 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8845 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8846 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8849 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8850 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8853 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8854 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8856 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8859 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8862 This will almost do the right thing.
8864 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8868 (codepage-setup 1251)
8869 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8873 @node Article Commands
8874 @section Article Commands
8881 @kindex A P (Summary)
8882 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8883 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8884 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8885 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
8886 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
8887 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
8892 @node Summary Sorting
8893 @section Summary Sorting
8894 @cindex summary sorting
8896 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8897 can't really see why you'd want that.
8902 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8903 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8904 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8907 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8908 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8909 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8912 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8913 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8914 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8917 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8918 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8919 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8922 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8923 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8924 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8927 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8928 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8929 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8932 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8933 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8934 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8937 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8938 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8939 Sort using the default sorting method
8940 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8943 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8944 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8945 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8946 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8947 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8951 @node Finding the Parent
8952 @section Finding the Parent
8953 @cindex parent articles
8954 @cindex referring articles
8959 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8960 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8961 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8962 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8963 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8964 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8965 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8966 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8967 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8969 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8970 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8971 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
8972 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8973 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8977 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8978 @kindex A R (Summary)
8979 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8980 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8983 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8984 @kindex A T (Summary)
8985 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8986 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8987 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8988 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8989 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8990 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8991 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8993 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8994 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8995 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8996 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8997 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8998 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9001 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9002 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9004 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9005 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9006 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9007 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9008 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9009 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9010 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9013 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9014 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9015 by giving this command a prefix.
9017 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9018 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9019 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9020 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9021 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9022 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9025 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9026 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9027 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9030 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9031 then ask Deja if that fails:
9034 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9036 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
9039 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9040 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9041 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9042 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9043 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9044 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9045 support this at all.
9048 @node Alternative Approaches
9049 @section Alternative Approaches
9051 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9052 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9055 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9056 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9061 @subsection Pick and Read
9062 @cindex pick and read
9064 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9065 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9066 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9067 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9069 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9070 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9071 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9072 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9073 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9074 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9076 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9081 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9082 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9083 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9084 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9085 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9086 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9087 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9088 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9091 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9092 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9093 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9094 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9098 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9099 Unpick the thread or article
9100 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9101 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9102 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9103 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9104 the thread or article at that line.
9108 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9109 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9110 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9111 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9112 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9113 will still be visible when you are reading.
9117 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9118 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9119 which is mapped to the same function
9120 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9122 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9125 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9128 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9129 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9131 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9132 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9133 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9135 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9136 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9137 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9138 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9139 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9140 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9141 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9145 @subsection Binary Groups
9146 @cindex binary groups
9148 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9149 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9150 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9151 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9152 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9153 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9154 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9157 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9158 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9159 command, when you have turned on this mode
9160 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9162 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9163 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9167 @section Tree Display
9170 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9171 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9172 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9173 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9176 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9179 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9180 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9181 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9183 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9184 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9185 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9186 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9187 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9189 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9190 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9191 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9192 default is @code{modeline}.
9194 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9195 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9196 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9197 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9198 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9199 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9200 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9206 The name of the poster.
9208 The @code{From} header.
9210 The number of the article.
9212 The opening bracket.
9214 The closing bracket.
9219 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9221 Variables related to the display are:
9224 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9225 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9226 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9227 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9228 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9229 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9231 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9232 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9233 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9234 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9238 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9239 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9240 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9241 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9242 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9243 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9244 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9245 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9246 other windows displayed next to it.
9248 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9252 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9253 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9256 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9257 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9258 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9259 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9260 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9261 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9262 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9266 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9269 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9279 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9283 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9284 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9286 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9288 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9293 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9294 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9295 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9298 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9299 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9300 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9301 (gnus-add-configuration
9305 (summary 0.75 point)
9310 @xref{Window Layout}.
9313 @node Mail Group Commands
9314 @section Mail Group Commands
9315 @cindex mail group commands
9317 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9318 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9320 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9321 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9326 @kindex B e (Summary)
9327 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9328 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9329 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9330 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9331 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9334 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9335 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9336 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9337 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9338 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9339 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9342 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9343 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9344 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9345 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9346 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9347 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9350 @kindex B m (Summary)
9352 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9353 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9354 Move the article from one mail group to another
9355 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9356 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9359 @kindex B c (Summary)
9361 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9362 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9363 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9364 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9365 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9368 @kindex B B (Summary)
9369 @cindex crosspost mail
9370 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9371 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9372 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9373 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9374 be properly updated.
9377 @kindex B i (Summary)
9378 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9379 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9380 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9381 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9384 @kindex B r (Summary)
9385 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9386 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9387 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9388 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9389 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9390 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9391 (which is the default).
9395 @kindex B w (Summary)
9397 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9398 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9399 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9400 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9401 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9402 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9405 @kindex B q (Summary)
9406 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9407 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9408 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9409 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9412 @kindex B t (Summary)
9413 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9414 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9415 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9418 @kindex B p (Summary)
9419 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9420 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9421 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9422 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9423 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9424 article from your news server (or rather, from
9425 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9426 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9427 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9428 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9429 just not have arrived yet.
9433 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9434 @cindex moving articles
9435 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
9436 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9437 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9438 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9439 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9440 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9441 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9444 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9445 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9446 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9447 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9451 @node Various Summary Stuff
9452 @section Various Summary Stuff
9455 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9456 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9457 * Summary Generation Commands::
9458 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9462 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9463 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9464 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9466 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9467 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9468 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9469 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9470 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9471 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9474 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9475 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9476 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9477 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9478 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9480 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9481 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9482 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9485 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9486 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9487 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9488 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9489 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9490 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9491 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
9492 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9493 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9494 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9496 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9497 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9498 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9499 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9500 list of articles to be selected.
9502 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9503 the list in one particular group:
9506 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9507 (if (string= group "some.group")
9508 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9512 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9513 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9514 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9515 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9516 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9517 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9518 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9519 buffers. For example:
9522 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9523 '(message-use-followup-to
9524 (gnus-visible-headers .
9525 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9531 @node Summary Group Information
9532 @subsection Summary Group Information
9537 @kindex H f (Summary)
9538 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9539 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9540 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9541 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9542 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9543 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9544 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9545 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9546 be used for fetching the file.
9549 @kindex H d (Summary)
9550 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9551 Give a brief description of the current group
9552 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9553 rereading the description from the server.
9556 @kindex H h (Summary)
9557 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9558 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9559 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9562 @kindex H i (Summary)
9563 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9564 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9568 @node Searching for Articles
9569 @subsection Searching for Articles
9574 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9575 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9576 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9577 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9580 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9581 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9582 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9583 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9587 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9588 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9589 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9590 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9591 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9592 search backward instead.
9594 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9595 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9598 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9599 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9600 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9601 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9604 @node Summary Generation Commands
9605 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9610 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9611 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9612 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9615 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9616 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9617 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9618 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9623 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9624 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9630 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9631 @kindex A D (Summary)
9632 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9633 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9634 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9635 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9636 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9637 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9638 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9639 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9643 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9644 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9645 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9646 several documents into one biiig group
9647 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9648 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9649 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9650 command understands the process/prefix convention
9651 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9654 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9655 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9656 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9657 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9658 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9659 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9663 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9664 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9665 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9668 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9669 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9670 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9671 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9674 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9675 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9676 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9677 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9682 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9683 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9684 @cindex summary exit
9685 @cindex exiting groups
9687 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9688 group and return you to the group buffer.
9694 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9696 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9697 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9698 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9699 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9700 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9701 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9702 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9703 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9704 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9705 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9706 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9710 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9712 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9713 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9714 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9718 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9720 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9721 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9722 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9723 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9726 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9727 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9728 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9729 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9732 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9733 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9734 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9735 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9738 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9739 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9740 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9741 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9742 all articles, both read and unread.
9746 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9747 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9748 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9749 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9750 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9751 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9752 articles, both read and unread.
9755 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9756 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9757 Exit the group and go to the next group
9758 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9761 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9762 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9763 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9764 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9767 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9768 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9769 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9770 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9771 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9772 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9775 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9776 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9777 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9778 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9780 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9781 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9782 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9783 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9784 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9785 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9786 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9787 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9788 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9789 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9790 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9791 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9793 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9795 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9796 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9797 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9798 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9799 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9800 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9801 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9802 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9803 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9806 @node Crosspost Handling
9807 @section Crosspost Handling
9811 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9812 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9813 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9814 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9815 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9816 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9819 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9820 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9821 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9822 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9823 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9825 @cindex cross-posting
9828 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9829 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9830 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9831 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9832 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9833 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9834 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9835 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9836 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9837 the cross reference mechanism.
9839 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9840 @cindex overview.fmt
9841 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9842 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9843 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9844 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9845 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9846 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9849 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9850 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9851 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9856 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9859 @node Duplicate Suppression
9860 @section Duplicate Suppression
9862 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9863 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9864 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9865 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9870 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9871 is evil and not very common.
9874 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9875 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9878 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9879 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9882 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9885 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9886 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9888 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9889 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9890 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9891 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9892 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9893 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9894 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9897 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9898 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9899 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9900 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9901 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9905 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9906 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9907 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9909 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9910 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9911 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9912 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9913 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
9914 session are suppressed.
9916 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9917 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9918 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9919 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9921 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9922 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9923 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9924 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9927 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
9928 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9929 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9930 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9931 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
9932 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9933 to you to figure out, I think.
9938 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
9939 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
9940 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
9944 To handle PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or gpg.el as
9945 well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG).
9948 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
9949 or newer is recommended.
9953 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
9954 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
9957 @item mm-verify-option
9958 @vindex mm-verify-option
9959 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9960 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9961 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9963 @item mm-decrypt-option
9964 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9965 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9966 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
9967 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9972 @section Mailing List
9974 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
9975 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
9976 possibly using @kbd{A M} in the summary buffer, or say:
9979 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
9982 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
9987 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
9988 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
9989 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
9992 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
9993 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
9994 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
9997 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
9998 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
9999 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10003 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10004 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10005 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10008 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10009 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10010 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10013 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10014 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10015 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10019 @node Article Buffer
10020 @chapter Article Buffer
10021 @cindex article buffer
10023 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10024 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10025 tell Gnus otherwise.
10028 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10029 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10030 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10031 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10032 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10036 @node Hiding Headers
10037 @section Hiding Headers
10038 @cindex hiding headers
10039 @cindex deleting headers
10041 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10042 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10044 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10045 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10046 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10047 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10048 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10049 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10050 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10051 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10052 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10054 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10058 @item gnus-visible-headers
10059 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10060 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10061 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10062 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10064 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10065 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10068 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10071 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10074 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10075 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10076 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10077 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10078 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10079 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10081 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
10082 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
10085 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10088 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10091 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10092 variable will have no effect.
10096 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10097 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10098 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10099 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10100 the headers are to be displayed.
10102 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10103 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10106 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10109 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10110 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10112 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10113 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10114 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10115 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10116 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10117 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10118 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10121 These conditions are:
10124 Remove all empty headers.
10126 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10127 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10129 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10130 @code{From} header.
10132 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10135 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10136 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10138 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10141 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10143 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10146 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10149 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10150 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10153 This is also the default value for this variable.
10157 @section Using MIME
10160 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10161 while people stand around yawning.
10163 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10164 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10166 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10167 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10168 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10170 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10171 @findex gnus-display-mime
10172 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10173 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10174 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10175 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
10177 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10181 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10182 @item RET (Article)
10183 @kindex RET (Article)
10184 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10185 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
10186 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If builtin viewers can not display
10187 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
10188 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
10189 object is displayed inline.
10191 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
10192 @item M-RET (Article)
10193 @kindex M-RET (Article)
10195 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10196 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
10198 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
10200 @kindex t (Article)
10201 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
10202 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
10204 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
10206 @kindex C (Article)
10207 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10208 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
10210 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
10212 @kindex o (Article)
10213 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
10214 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
10216 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
10217 @item C-o (Article)
10218 @kindex C-o (Article)
10219 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
10220 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
10221 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
10222 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
10223 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
10224 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
10226 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
10228 @kindex c (Article)
10229 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
10230 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
10232 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
10234 @kindex p (Article)
10235 Print the @sc{mime} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
10236 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
10237 @file{.mailcap} file.
10239 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
10241 @kindex i (Article)
10242 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
10243 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
10244 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
10245 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
10246 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
10249 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
10251 @kindex E (Article)
10252 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
10253 viewer is available, use an external viewer
10254 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
10256 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
10258 @kindex e (Article)
10259 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
10260 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
10262 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
10264 @kindex | (Article)
10265 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
10267 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
10269 @kindex . (Article)
10270 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
10271 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
10275 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
10276 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
10279 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
10280 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
10281 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
10282 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
10283 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
10284 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
10285 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
10286 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
10287 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
10289 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10291 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10294 @node Customizing Articles
10295 @section Customizing Articles
10296 @cindex article customization
10298 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10299 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10300 called automatically when you select the articles.
10302 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10303 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10304 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10305 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10307 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10308 for sensible values.
10312 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10315 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10318 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10321 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10324 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10328 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10329 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10330 regexps in the list.
10333 A list where the first element is not a string:
10335 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10336 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10337 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10341 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10346 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10347 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10348 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10349 considered to contain just a single part.
10351 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10352 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10353 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10354 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10355 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10356 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10357 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10359 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10360 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10361 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10362 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10365 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10366 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10368 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10370 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10371 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10372 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10373 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10374 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10375 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10376 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10377 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10378 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10379 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10381 @xref{Article Washing}.
10383 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10384 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10385 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10386 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10387 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10388 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10389 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10391 @xref{Article Date}.
10393 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10394 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10395 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10399 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10401 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10403 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10404 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10405 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10409 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10413 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10414 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10415 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10416 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10417 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10418 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10419 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10420 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10422 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10424 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10425 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10426 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10428 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10430 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10431 @item gnus-treat-translate
10432 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10434 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10435 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10436 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10442 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10443 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10444 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10445 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10446 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10450 @node Article Keymap
10451 @section Article Keymap
10453 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10454 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10455 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10456 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10459 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10464 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10465 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10466 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10469 @kindex DEL (Article)
10470 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10471 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10474 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10475 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10476 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10477 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10478 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10481 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10482 @findex gnus-article-mail
10483 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10484 given a prefix, include the mail.
10487 @kindex s (Article)
10488 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10489 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10490 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10493 @kindex ? (Article)
10494 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10495 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10496 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10499 @kindex TAB (Article)
10500 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10501 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10502 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10505 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10506 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10507 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10510 @kindex R (Article)
10511 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10512 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10513 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10514 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10518 @kindex F (Article)
10519 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10520 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10521 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10522 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10530 @section Misc Article
10534 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10535 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10536 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10537 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10540 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10541 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10543 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10544 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10546 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10547 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10548 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10549 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10550 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10551 the contents of the article buffer.
10553 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10554 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10555 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10557 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10558 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10559 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10560 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10562 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10563 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10564 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10565 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10566 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10572 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10573 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10574 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10579 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10582 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10585 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10586 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10587 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10590 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10593 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10596 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10601 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10605 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10607 @item gnus-break-pages
10608 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10609 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10610 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10611 paging will not be done.
10613 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10614 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10615 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10620 @node Composing Messages
10621 @chapter Composing Messages
10622 @cindex composing messages
10625 @cindex sending mail
10630 @cindex using s/mime
10631 @cindex using smime
10633 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10634 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10635 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10636 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10637 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10638 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10641 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10642 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
10643 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10644 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10645 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10646 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10647 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10648 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10651 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10652 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10658 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10661 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10662 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10663 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10664 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10666 @item gnus-add-to-list
10667 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10668 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10669 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10674 @node Posting Server
10675 @section Posting Server
10677 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10678 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10680 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10682 It can be quite complicated.
10684 @vindex gnus-post-method
10685 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
10686 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
10687 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
10688 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
10689 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
10690 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
10691 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
10692 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
10693 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10696 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10699 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10700 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10701 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10702 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10704 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10705 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10707 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10708 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10711 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10712 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10714 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
10715 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
10716 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
10717 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
10718 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
10719 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
10720 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
10721 package correctly. An example:
10724 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
10725 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
10728 Other possible choises for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
10729 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
10730 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
10732 @node Mail and Post
10733 @section Mail and Post
10735 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10739 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10740 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10741 @cindex mailing lists
10743 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10744 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10745 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10746 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10747 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10748 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10749 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10750 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10751 still a pain, though.
10755 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10756 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10757 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10760 @findex ispell-message
10762 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10765 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10766 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10769 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10773 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10774 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10776 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10779 Modify to suit your needs.
10782 @node Archived Messages
10783 @section Archived Messages
10784 @cindex archived messages
10785 @cindex sent messages
10787 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10788 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10789 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10790 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10793 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10794 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
10795 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10798 (nnfolder "archive"
10799 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10800 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10801 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10802 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10805 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10806 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10807 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10808 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10811 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10812 '(nnfolder "archive"
10813 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10814 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10815 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10818 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10820 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10821 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10822 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10824 This variable can be used to do the following:
10829 Messages will be saved in that group.
10831 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10832 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10833 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10834 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10835 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10836 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10837 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10838 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10842 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10844 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10845 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10848 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10853 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10855 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10858 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10860 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10863 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10865 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10866 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10867 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10868 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10871 More complex stuff:
10873 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10874 '((if (message-news-p)
10879 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10880 messages in one file per month:
10883 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10884 '((if (message-news-p)
10886 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10889 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10890 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10892 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10893 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10894 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10895 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10896 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10897 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10898 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10899 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10900 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10901 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10903 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10904 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10905 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10906 this will disable archiving.
10909 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10910 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10911 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10912 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10913 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10916 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10917 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10918 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10921 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10922 but the latter is the preferred method.
10924 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
10925 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
10926 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10928 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
10929 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
10930 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
10931 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
10932 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
10933 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
10934 changed in the future.
10939 @node Posting Styles
10940 @section Posting Styles
10941 @cindex posting styles
10944 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10946 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10947 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10948 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10951 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10952 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10953 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10954 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10955 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10960 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10961 (organization "What me?"))
10963 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10964 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10965 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10968 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10969 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10970 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10971 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10972 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10973 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10974 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10975 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10977 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10978 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10979 If it is the form @code{(header MATCH REGEXP)}, then Gnus will look in
10980 the original article for a header whose name is MATCH and compare that
10981 REGEXP. MATCH and REGEXP are strings. If it's a function symbol, that
10982 function will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol,
10983 then the variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list
10984 will be @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil}
10985 value, then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10987 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10988 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10989 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10990 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
10991 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
10992 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
10993 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
10994 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
10995 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
10996 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
10999 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11000 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11001 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11002 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11003 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11004 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11005 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11006 references chars lines xref extra.
11008 @vindex message-reply-headers
11010 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11011 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11012 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11014 @findex message-mail-p
11015 @findex message-news-p
11017 So here's a new example:
11020 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11022 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11024 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11025 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11027 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11028 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
11029 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11030 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
11031 (signature my-news-signature))
11032 (window-system ;; A value symbol
11033 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11034 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
11035 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
11036 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11037 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
11038 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11039 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11040 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11041 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11043 (From (save-excursion
11044 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11045 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11047 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11050 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11051 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11052 if you fill many roles.
11059 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11060 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11061 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11062 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11063 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11065 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11066 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11067 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11068 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11069 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11073 @vindex nndraft-directory
11074 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11075 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11076 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11077 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11078 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11079 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11081 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11082 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11085 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11086 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11087 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11088 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11089 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11090 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11091 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11092 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11093 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11094 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11095 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11096 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11097 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11098 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11100 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11101 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11102 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11104 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11105 @kindex D e (Draft)
11106 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11107 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11108 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11110 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11113 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11114 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11115 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11116 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11117 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11118 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11119 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11122 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11123 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11124 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11127 @node Rejected Articles
11128 @section Rejected Articles
11129 @cindex rejected articles
11131 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11132 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11133 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11134 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11136 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
11137 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11138 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11139 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
11140 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11142 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11143 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11144 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11146 @node Signing and encrypting
11147 @section Signing and encrypting
11149 @cindex using s/mime
11150 @cindex using smime
11152 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11153 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11154 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11155 (@pxref{Security}).
11157 For PGP, Gnus supports two external libraries, @sc{gpg.el} and
11158 @sc{Mailcrypt}, you need to install at least one of them. The
11159 @sc{s/mime} support in Gnus requires the external program OpenSSL.
11161 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11162 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11163 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11168 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11169 @findex mml-secure-sign-smime
11171 Digitally sign current @sc{mime} part using @sc{s/mime}.
11174 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11175 @findex mml-secure-sign-pgp
11177 Digitally sign current @sc{mime} part using PGP.
11180 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11181 @findex mml-secure-sign-pgp
11183 Digitally sign current @sc{mime} part using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11186 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11187 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-smime
11189 Digitally encrypt current @sc{mime} part using @sc{s/mime}.
11192 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11193 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-pgp
11195 Digitally encrypt current @sc{mime} part using PGP.
11198 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11199 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-pgpmime
11201 Digitally encrypt current @sc{mime} part using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11205 Also @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}.
11207 @node Select Methods
11208 @chapter Select Methods
11209 @cindex foreign groups
11210 @cindex select methods
11212 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11213 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11214 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11215 personal mail group.
11217 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11218 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11219 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11220 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11221 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11222 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11224 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11225 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11227 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11230 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11231 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11232 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11233 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11234 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11236 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11239 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11240 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11241 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11242 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11243 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11244 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11245 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11246 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11250 @node Server Buffer
11251 @section Server Buffer
11253 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11254 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11255 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11256 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11257 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11258 back end represents a virtual server.
11260 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11261 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11262 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11263 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11265 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11266 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11267 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11268 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11269 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11270 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11271 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11273 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11274 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11277 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11278 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11279 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11280 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11281 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11282 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11283 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11286 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11287 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11290 @node Server Buffer Format
11291 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11292 @cindex server buffer format
11294 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11295 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11296 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11297 variable, with some simple extensions:
11302 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11305 The name of this server.
11308 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11311 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11314 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11315 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11316 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11317 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11327 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11330 @node Server Commands
11331 @subsection Server Commands
11332 @cindex server commands
11338 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11339 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11343 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11344 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11347 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11348 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11349 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11353 @findex gnus-server-exit
11354 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11358 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11359 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11363 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11364 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11368 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11369 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11373 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11374 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11378 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11379 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11380 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11385 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11386 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11387 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11388 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11393 @node Example Methods
11394 @subsection Example Methods
11396 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11399 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11402 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11408 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11409 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11412 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11413 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11415 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11416 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11420 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11423 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11424 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11426 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11427 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11428 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11432 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11435 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11438 Here's the method for a public spool:
11442 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11443 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11449 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11450 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11451 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11452 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11453 should probably look something like this:
11457 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11458 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11459 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11460 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11463 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11464 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11465 configuration to the example above:
11468 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11471 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11472 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11473 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11477 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11478 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11479 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11480 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11483 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11484 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11485 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11486 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11489 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11490 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11492 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11493 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11495 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11496 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11497 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11499 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11501 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11502 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11503 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11504 will contain the following:
11514 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11515 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11516 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11519 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11520 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11521 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11524 @node Server Variables
11525 @subsection Server Variables
11527 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11528 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11529 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11530 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11531 won't change the "derived" variables.
11533 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11534 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11535 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11536 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11537 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11538 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11539 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11540 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11541 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11545 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11546 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11547 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11551 @node Servers and Methods
11552 @subsection Servers and Methods
11554 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11555 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11556 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11557 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11561 @node Unavailable Servers
11562 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11564 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11565 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11566 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11567 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11568 actually the case or not.
11570 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11571 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11572 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11573 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11574 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11575 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11576 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11577 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11579 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11580 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11582 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11583 with the following commands:
11589 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11590 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11591 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11595 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11596 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11597 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11601 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11602 Mark the current server as unreachable
11603 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11606 @kindex M-o (Server)
11607 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11608 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11609 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11612 @kindex M-c (Server)
11613 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11614 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11615 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11619 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11620 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11621 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11627 @section Getting News
11628 @cindex reading news
11629 @cindex news back ends
11631 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11632 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11633 or it can read from a local spool.
11636 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11637 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11642 @subsection @sc{nntp}
11645 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11646 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11647 server as the, uhm, address.
11649 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11650 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11651 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11652 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11654 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11655 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11656 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11658 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11663 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11664 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11665 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11667 @cindex authentification
11668 @cindex nntp authentification
11669 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11670 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11671 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11672 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11673 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11674 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11675 present in this hook.
11677 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11678 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11679 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11680 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11681 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11682 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11683 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11684 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11685 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11686 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11687 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11688 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11692 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11695 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11697 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11698 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11699 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11700 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11701 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11702 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11703 @samp{force} is explained below.
11707 Here's an example file:
11710 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11711 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11714 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11715 have to be first, for instance.
11717 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11718 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11719 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11720 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11721 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11722 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11723 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11725 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11726 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11732 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11733 previously mentioned.
11735 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11737 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11738 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11739 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11740 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11741 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11744 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11745 '(("innd" (ding))))
11748 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11750 The default value is
11753 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11754 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11755 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11758 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11759 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11761 @item nntp-maximum-request
11762 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11763 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
11764 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11765 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
11766 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11767 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11768 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11770 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11771 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11772 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11773 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11774 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11775 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11776 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11777 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
11778 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11779 no timeouts are done.
11781 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11782 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11783 @c @cindex PPP connections
11784 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11785 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11786 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11787 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11788 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11789 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11790 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11791 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11792 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11793 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11795 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11796 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11797 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11798 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11799 @c described above.
11801 @item nntp-server-hook
11802 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11803 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11806 @item nntp-buggy-select
11807 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11808 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11810 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11811 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11812 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11813 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11816 @item nntp-xover-commands
11817 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11820 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11821 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11825 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11826 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11827 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11828 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11829 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11830 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11831 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11832 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11833 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11834 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11835 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11837 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11838 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11839 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11841 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11842 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11843 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11844 server closes connection.
11846 @item nntp-record-commands
11847 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11848 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11849 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11850 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11851 that doesn't seem to work.
11853 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11854 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11855 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11856 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11857 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11858 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11859 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11860 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11862 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
11863 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
11864 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
11865 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
11866 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
11867 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
11868 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
11871 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
11874 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
11875 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
11879 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11880 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11881 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11885 @node Direct Functions
11886 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11887 @cindex direct connection functions
11889 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11890 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11891 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11892 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11895 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11896 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11897 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11900 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11901 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11902 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
11903 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
11904 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
11905 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11906 define a server as follows:
11909 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11911 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11913 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11914 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11915 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11916 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11919 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11920 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11921 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11922 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11923 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11924 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11925 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11926 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11930 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11931 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11932 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
11935 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
11936 session, which is not a good idea.
11940 @node Indirect Functions
11941 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
11942 @cindex indirect connection functions
11944 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
11945 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
11946 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
11947 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
11948 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
11949 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11952 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11953 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11954 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
11955 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
11956 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
11958 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11961 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
11962 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
11963 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
11964 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
11967 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11968 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11969 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
11970 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
11972 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11975 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
11976 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
11977 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
11980 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
11981 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
11982 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
11983 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
11985 @item nntp-via-user-password
11986 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
11987 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
11989 @item nntp-via-envuser
11990 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
11991 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
11992 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
11993 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
11995 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
11996 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
11997 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
11998 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12005 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12010 @item nntp-via-user-name
12011 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12012 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12014 @item nntp-via-address
12015 @vindex nntp-via-address
12016 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12021 @node Common Variables
12022 @subsubsection Common Variables
12024 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12025 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12030 @item nntp-pre-command
12031 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12032 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
12033 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
12034 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
12035 wrapper for instance.
12038 @vindex nntp-address
12039 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12041 @item nntp-port-number
12042 @vindex nntp-port-number
12043 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
12045 @item nntp-end-of-line
12046 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12047 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12048 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12049 using a non native connection function.
12051 @item nntp-telnet-command
12052 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12053 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12054 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12055 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12057 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12058 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12059 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12066 @subsection News Spool
12070 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12071 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12072 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12075 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12076 anything else) as the address.
12078 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12079 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12080 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12081 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12085 @item nnspool-inews-program
12086 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12087 Program used to post an article.
12089 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12090 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12091 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12093 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12094 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12095 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12096 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12098 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12099 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12100 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12101 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12103 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12104 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12105 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12107 @item nnspool-active-file
12108 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12109 The path to the active file.
12111 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12112 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12113 The path to the group descriptions file.
12115 @item nnspool-history-file
12116 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12117 The path to the news history file.
12119 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12120 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12121 The path to the active date file.
12123 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12124 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12125 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12128 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12129 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12131 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12132 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12133 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12139 @section Getting Mail
12140 @cindex reading mail
12143 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12147 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12148 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12149 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12150 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12151 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12152 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12153 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12154 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12155 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12156 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12157 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12158 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12159 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12163 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12164 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12166 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12167 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12168 of a culture shock.
12170 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12171 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12173 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12174 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12175 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12176 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12178 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12180 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12181 deleted? How awful!
12183 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12184 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12185 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12186 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12189 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12190 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12191 they want to treat a message.
12193 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12194 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12195 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12196 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12197 archived somewhere else.
12199 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12200 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12201 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12202 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12203 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12205 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12206 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12207 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12209 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12210 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12213 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12214 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12215 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12216 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12217 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12219 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12220 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12221 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12222 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12223 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12224 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12228 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12229 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12231 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12232 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12233 and things will happen automatically.
12235 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12236 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
12239 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12242 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12243 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12244 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12245 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12246 like any other group.
12248 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12251 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12252 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12253 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12257 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12258 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12259 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12262 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12263 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12264 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12267 @node Splitting Mail
12268 @subsection Splitting Mail
12269 @cindex splitting mail
12270 @cindex mail splitting
12272 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12273 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12274 to be split into groups.
12277 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12278 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12279 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12280 ("mail.other" "")))
12283 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12284 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12285 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12286 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12287 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12288 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12289 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12292 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12295 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12296 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12297 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12298 mail belongs in that group.
12300 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12301 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12302 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12303 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12304 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12305 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12307 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12308 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12309 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12310 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12311 thinks should carry this mail message.
12313 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12314 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12315 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12316 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12318 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12319 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12320 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12321 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12322 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12324 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12327 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12328 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12329 links. If that's the case for you, set
12330 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12331 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12333 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12334 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12335 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12336 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12337 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12338 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12341 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12342 Header lines longer than the value of
12343 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12346 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12347 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12348 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12349 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12350 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12351 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12352 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12353 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12354 month's rent money.
12358 @subsection Mail Sources
12360 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12361 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12365 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12366 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12367 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12371 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12372 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12374 @cindex mail server
12377 @cindex mail source
12379 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12380 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12385 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12388 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12389 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12390 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12393 The following mail source types are available:
12397 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12403 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12404 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
12407 An example file mail source:
12410 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12413 Or using the default path:
12419 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12420 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12421 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12424 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12428 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12431 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12435 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12438 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12440 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12443 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12447 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
12448 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
12449 That is, mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in the
12450 group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12451 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12452 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus
12453 to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you
12454 want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12460 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12464 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12468 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12469 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12470 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12471 predicate are considered.
12475 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12479 An example directory mail source:
12482 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12487 Get mail from a POP server.
12493 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12494 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12497 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12498 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12499 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12500 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12501 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12504 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12508 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12512 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12513 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12516 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12519 The valid format specifier characters are:
12523 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12524 included in this string.
12527 The name of the server.
12530 The port number of the server.
12533 The user name to use.
12536 The password to use.
12539 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12540 corresponding keywords.
12543 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12544 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12547 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12548 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12551 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12552 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12555 @item :authentication
12556 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12557 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12562 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12563 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12565 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12566 default user name, and default fetcher:
12572 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12575 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12576 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12579 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12582 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12586 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12587 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12588 contains exactly one mail.
12594 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12595 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12598 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12599 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12601 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12602 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12603 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12606 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12607 from locking problems).
12611 Two example maildir mail sources:
12614 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12615 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12619 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12624 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12625 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12626 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12627 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12630 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12631 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12637 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12638 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12641 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12642 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12645 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12649 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12653 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12654 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12655 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12656 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12658 @item :authentication
12659 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12660 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12661 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12662 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12665 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12666 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12667 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12673 The valid format specifier characters are:
12677 The name of the server.
12680 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12683 The port number of the server.
12686 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12687 corresponding keywords.
12690 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12691 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12694 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12695 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12696 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12697 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
12698 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12699 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
12702 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12703 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
12704 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
12705 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
12708 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
12709 after finishing the fetch.
12713 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
12716 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12718 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12722 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
12723 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
12724 @uref{www.my-deja.com}.
12726 NOTE: Now @uref{mail.yahoo.com} provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
12729 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12730 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12732 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
12738 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12739 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12742 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12746 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12750 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12751 folder after finishing the fetch.
12755 An example webmail source:
12758 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12760 :password "secret")
12765 @item Common Keywords
12766 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12772 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12773 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12777 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12782 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12783 useful when you use local mail and news.
12788 @subsubsection Function Interface
12790 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12791 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12792 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12793 consider the following mail-source setting:
12796 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12797 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12800 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12801 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12802 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12803 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12804 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12806 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12809 @node Mail Source Customization
12810 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12812 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12813 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12817 @item mail-source-crash-box
12818 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12819 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12820 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12822 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12823 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12824 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12826 @item mail-source-directory
12827 @vindex mail-source-directory
12828 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12829 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12830 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12833 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12834 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12835 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12836 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12837 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12838 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12840 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12841 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12842 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12844 @item mail-source-movemail-program
12845 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
12846 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
12847 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
12852 @node Fetching Mail
12853 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12855 @vindex mail-sources
12856 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12857 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12858 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12859 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12861 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12862 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12865 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12866 mail server, you'd say something like:
12871 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12872 :password "secret")))
12875 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12879 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12880 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12883 :password "secret")))
12887 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
12888 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
12889 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
12890 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
12891 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
12892 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
12896 @node Mail Back End Variables
12897 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
12899 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12903 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12904 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12905 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12906 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12908 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12909 @item nnmail-split-hook
12910 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12911 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12912 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12913 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12914 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12915 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12916 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12917 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12918 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12921 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12922 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12923 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12924 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12925 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12926 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12927 starting to handle the new mail) and
12928 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12929 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12930 default file modes the new mail files get:
12933 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12934 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
12936 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12937 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
12940 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
12941 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
12942 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
12943 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
12944 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
12945 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
12946 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
12948 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
12949 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
12950 @findex delete-file
12951 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
12953 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12954 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12955 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
12956 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
12957 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
12962 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
12963 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
12964 @cindex mail splitting
12965 @cindex fancy mail splitting
12967 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
12968 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
12969 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
12970 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
12971 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
12972 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
12974 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
12977 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
12978 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
12979 ;; from real errors.
12980 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
12982 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
12983 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
12984 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
12985 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
12986 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
12987 ;; Other mailing lists...
12988 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
12989 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
12990 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
12991 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
12992 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
12993 ;; message was really cross-posted.
12994 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
12995 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
12997 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
12998 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13002 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13003 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13004 the five possible split syntaxes:
13009 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13010 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13014 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13015 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13016 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13017 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13018 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13019 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13020 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13021 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13024 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13025 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13026 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13027 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13030 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13031 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13034 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13035 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13038 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13039 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13040 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13041 function should return a @var{split}.
13044 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13045 body of the messages:
13048 (defun split-on-body ()
13050 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13051 (goto-char (point-min))
13052 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13056 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13057 when the @code{:} function is run.
13060 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13061 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
13062 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
13066 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13070 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13071 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13072 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13073 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13074 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13076 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13077 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13078 are expanded as specified by the variable
13079 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13080 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13083 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13084 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13085 when all this splitting is performed.
13087 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13088 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13089 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13092 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13095 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13096 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13098 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13099 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13100 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13101 groupings 1 through 9.
13103 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13104 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13105 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13106 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13107 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13108 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13109 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13110 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13111 it once per thread.
13113 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13114 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13115 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13118 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13119 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13120 ;; other splits go here
13124 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13125 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13126 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13127 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13128 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13129 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13130 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13131 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13132 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13133 unless the group name matches the regexp
13134 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13135 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13136 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13137 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13138 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13139 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13140 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13141 messages goes into the new group.
13144 @node Group Mail Splitting
13145 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13146 @cindex mail splitting
13147 @cindex group mail splitting
13149 @findex gnus-group-split
13150 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13151 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13152 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13153 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13154 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13155 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13156 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13157 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13159 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13160 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13161 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13162 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13164 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13165 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13166 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13167 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13168 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13169 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13170 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13172 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13173 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13174 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13175 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13176 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13177 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13178 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13180 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13181 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13182 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13183 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13184 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13185 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13186 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13187 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13188 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13189 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13190 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13191 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13192 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13194 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13199 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13200 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13202 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13203 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13204 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13205 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13207 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13210 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13211 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13212 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13215 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13216 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13217 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13221 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13222 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13223 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13227 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13230 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13231 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13232 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13233 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13234 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13235 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13236 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13237 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13238 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13240 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13241 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13242 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13243 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13244 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13245 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13246 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13247 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13248 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13250 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13251 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13252 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13253 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13254 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13255 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
13258 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13261 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13262 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13263 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13264 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13265 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13268 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13269 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13270 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13271 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13273 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13274 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13275 @cindex incorporating old mail
13276 @cindex import old mail
13278 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13279 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13280 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13283 Doing so can be quite easy.
13285 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13286 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13287 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13288 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13289 your @code{nnml} groups.
13295 Go to the group buffer.
13298 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13299 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13302 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
13305 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13306 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13309 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13310 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13313 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13314 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13315 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13316 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13317 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13319 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13320 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13321 using the new mail back end.
13324 @node Expiring Mail
13325 @subsection Expiring Mail
13326 @cindex article expiry
13328 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13329 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13330 different approach to mail reading.
13332 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13333 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13334 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13335 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13336 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13337 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13340 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13341 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
13342 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13343 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13344 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13345 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13346 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13347 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13349 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13350 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
13351 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
13352 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
13353 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
13354 column in the summary buffer.
13356 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13357 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13358 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13359 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13362 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13364 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13365 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13366 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13369 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13370 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13371 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13372 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13373 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13375 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13376 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13379 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13380 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13383 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13384 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13386 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13387 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13388 don't really mix very well.
13390 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13391 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13392 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13393 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13396 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13397 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13398 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13399 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13402 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13404 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13406 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13408 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13410 ((string= group "important")
13416 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13417 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13419 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13420 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13421 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13424 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13425 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13427 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13428 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13429 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13430 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13431 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13432 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13433 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13434 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13435 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13436 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13437 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13438 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13439 name or @code{delete}.
13441 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13443 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13446 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13447 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13448 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13449 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13450 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13453 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13454 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13455 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13456 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13457 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13460 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13461 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13462 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13463 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13464 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13465 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13467 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13468 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13469 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13470 easier for procmail users.
13472 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13473 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13474 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13475 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13476 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13477 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13478 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13479 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13480 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13481 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13482 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13483 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13484 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13487 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13489 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13490 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13491 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13492 auto-expire turned on.
13496 @subsection Washing Mail
13497 @cindex mail washing
13498 @cindex list server brain damage
13499 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13501 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13502 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13503 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13504 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13505 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13506 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13508 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13509 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13510 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13513 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13514 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13515 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13516 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13519 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13520 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13521 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13522 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13523 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13526 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13527 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13528 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13529 Emacs running on MS machines.
13533 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13534 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13535 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13536 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13539 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13540 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13541 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13542 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13544 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13545 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13546 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13547 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13548 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13549 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13550 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13553 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13554 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13557 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13558 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13561 This can also be done non-destructively with
13562 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13564 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13565 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13566 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13568 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13569 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13571 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13572 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13573 @code{References} headers.
13577 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13578 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13579 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13583 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13584 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13585 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13592 @subsection Duplicates
13594 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13595 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13596 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13597 @cindex duplicate mails
13598 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13599 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13600 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13601 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13602 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13603 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13604 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13605 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13606 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13607 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13608 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13609 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13610 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13612 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13613 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13614 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13615 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13617 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13620 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13621 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13625 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13626 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13627 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13628 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13629 (any mail "mail.misc")
13636 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13637 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13642 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13643 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13644 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13645 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13646 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13649 @node Not Reading Mail
13650 @subsection Not Reading Mail
13652 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
13653 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
13654 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
13656 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
13657 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
13658 mail, which should help.
13660 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13661 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13662 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13663 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13664 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13665 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
13666 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
13667 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
13668 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
13669 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
13670 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
13672 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
13673 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
13677 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
13678 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
13680 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
13681 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
13682 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
13684 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
13685 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
13686 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
13687 Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
13688 @code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
13689 incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
13690 @uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
13693 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
13694 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
13695 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
13696 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
13697 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
13698 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
13702 @node Unix Mail Box
13703 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
13705 @cindex unix mail box
13707 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13708 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13709 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
13710 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
13711 which group it belongs in.
13713 Virtual server settings:
13716 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
13717 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13718 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
13721 @item nnmbox-active-file
13722 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13723 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
13724 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
13726 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
13727 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13728 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
13729 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
13734 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
13738 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13739 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13740 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
13741 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
13742 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
13744 Virtual server settings:
13747 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13748 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13749 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13751 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13752 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13753 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13754 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13756 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13757 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13758 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13764 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13766 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13768 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13769 format. It should be used with some caution.
13771 @vindex nnml-directory
13772 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13773 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13774 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13775 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13777 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13780 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13781 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
13782 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13783 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13784 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13785 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13786 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13787 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13789 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
13790 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13791 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
13792 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
13794 @cindex self contained nnml servers
13795 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
13796 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13797 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13798 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
13799 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
13800 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
13801 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
13802 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
13805 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
13806 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
13807 them next time it starts.
13809 Virtual server settings:
13812 @item nnml-directory
13813 @vindex nnml-directory
13814 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13815 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13818 @item nnml-active-file
13819 @vindex nnml-active-file
13820 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13821 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13823 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13824 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13825 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13826 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13828 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13829 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13830 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13833 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13834 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13835 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13836 default is @code{nil}.
13838 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13839 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13840 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13842 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13843 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13844 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13846 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
13847 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
13848 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13849 default is @code{nil}.
13851 @item nnml-marks-file-name
13852 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
13853 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
13855 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
13856 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
13857 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
13862 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
13863 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
13864 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
13865 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
13866 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
13867 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
13868 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
13873 @subsubsection MH Spool
13875 @cindex mh-e mail spool
13877 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
13878 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
13879 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
13880 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
13882 Virtual server settings:
13885 @item nnmh-directory
13886 @vindex nnmh-directory
13887 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
13888 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13891 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
13892 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13893 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
13897 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
13898 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
13899 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
13900 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
13901 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
13902 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
13903 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
13908 @subsubsection Mail Folders
13910 @cindex mbox folders
13911 @cindex mail folders
13913 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
13914 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
13915 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
13918 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
13919 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
13920 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13921 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13922 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
13923 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
13924 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
13925 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
13926 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
13927 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
13928 @code{nnfolder} directory).
13930 Virtual server settings:
13933 @item nnfolder-directory
13934 @vindex nnfolder-directory
13935 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
13936 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13939 @item nnfolder-active-file
13940 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
13941 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
13943 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13944 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13945 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13946 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
13948 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
13949 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13950 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
13953 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13954 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13955 @cindex backup files
13956 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
13957 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
13958 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
13959 your @file{.emacs} file:
13962 (defun turn-off-backup ()
13963 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
13965 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
13968 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13969 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13970 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
13971 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
13972 extract some information from it before removing it.
13974 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13975 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13976 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13977 default is @code{nil}.
13979 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13980 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13981 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
13983 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
13984 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
13985 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
13986 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13988 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13989 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13990 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13991 default is @code{nil}.
13993 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13994 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13995 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
13997 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
13998 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
13999 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14000 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14005 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14006 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14007 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14008 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14009 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14010 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14013 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14014 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14016 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14017 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14018 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14019 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14020 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14022 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14023 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14024 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14025 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14026 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14027 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14028 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14029 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14032 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14033 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14034 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14035 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14040 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14041 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14042 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14043 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14044 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14045 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14046 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14047 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14048 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14049 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14050 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14051 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14052 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14057 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14058 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14059 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14060 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14061 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14062 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14063 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14064 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14065 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14066 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14067 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14068 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14069 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14070 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14072 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14073 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14078 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14079 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14080 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14081 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14082 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14083 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14084 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14085 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14086 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14087 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14088 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14089 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14090 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14091 provided by the active file and overviews.
14093 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14094 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
14095 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14096 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14097 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14100 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14101 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14106 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14107 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14108 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14109 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14110 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14111 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14112 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14116 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14117 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14118 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14119 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14120 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14121 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14122 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14123 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14124 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14126 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14127 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14128 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14129 friendly mail back end all over.
14133 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14134 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14135 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14136 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14137 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14138 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14139 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14140 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14143 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14144 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14145 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14146 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14147 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14148 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14149 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14150 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14151 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14152 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
14153 treatment such as duplicate checking.
14155 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
14156 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14157 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14158 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14159 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14160 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14161 This will probably be changed in the future.
14163 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14164 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14165 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14166 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14167 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14170 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14171 parameters slightly different from those of other mail backends.
14173 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14174 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14175 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
14176 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
14177 parameter to somthing small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
14178 would) to make it use less memory.
14180 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
14181 with other backends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
14182 depending in part on your filesystem.
14184 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
14185 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived backend.
14190 @node Browsing the Web
14191 @section Browsing the Web
14193 @cindex browsing the web
14197 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
14198 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
14199 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
14200 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
14201 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
14202 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
14203 even know what a news group is.
14205 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
14206 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
14207 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
14208 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
14209 you mad in the end.
14211 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
14214 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
14215 interfaces to these sources.
14219 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
14220 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
14221 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
14222 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
14223 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
14224 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
14227 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
14229 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
14230 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
14231 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
14232 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
14233 though, you should be ok.
14235 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
14236 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
14237 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
14238 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
14239 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
14241 @node Archiving Mail
14242 @subsection Archiving Mail
14243 @cindex archiving mail
14244 @cindex backup of mail
14246 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
14247 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
14248 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
14249 marks is fairly simple.
14251 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
14252 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
14255 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
14256 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
14257 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
14258 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
14259 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
14260 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
14261 might interfer with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
14262 before you restore the data.
14264 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
14265 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
14266 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
14267 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
14268 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
14269 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
14270 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
14271 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
14272 is unnecessary in that case.
14275 @subsection Web Searches
14279 @cindex InReference
14280 @cindex Usenet searches
14281 @cindex searching the Usenet
14283 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14284 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14285 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14286 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14287 searches without having to use a browser.
14289 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14290 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14291 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14292 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14293 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14295 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14296 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14297 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14298 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14299 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14300 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14301 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14302 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14303 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14304 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14307 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14308 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14309 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14310 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14311 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14312 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14314 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14315 to use @code{nnweb}.
14317 Virtual server variables:
14322 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14323 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
14327 @vindex nnweb-search
14328 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14330 @item nnweb-max-hits
14331 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14332 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14335 @item nnweb-type-definition
14336 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14337 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14338 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14343 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14347 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14350 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14353 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14357 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14364 @subsection Slashdot
14368 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14369 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14370 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14372 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14373 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14376 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14377 '((nnslashdot "")))
14380 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14381 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14382 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14383 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14384 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14387 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14388 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14390 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14391 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14392 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14393 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14394 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14395 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14398 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14401 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14402 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14403 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14404 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14405 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14406 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14407 but much, much slower than untreaded.
14409 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14410 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14411 The login name to use when posting.
14413 @item nnslashdot-password
14414 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14415 The password to use when posting.
14417 @item nnslashdot-directory
14418 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14419 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14420 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14422 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14423 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14424 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14425 news articles and comments. The default is
14426 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14428 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14429 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14430 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14432 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14434 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14435 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14436 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14438 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14440 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14441 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14442 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14444 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14445 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14446 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14447 updated. The default is 0.
14454 @subsection Ultimate
14456 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14458 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14459 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14460 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14461 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14463 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14464 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14465 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14466 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14467 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14468 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14469 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14471 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14474 @item nnultimate-directory
14475 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14476 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14477 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14482 @subsection Web Archive
14484 @cindex Web Archive
14486 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14487 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14488 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14489 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14492 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14493 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14494 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14495 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14496 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14497 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14498 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14500 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14503 @item nnwarchive-directory
14504 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14505 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14506 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14508 @item nnwarchive-login
14509 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14510 The account name on the web server.
14512 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14513 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14514 The password for your account on the web server.
14522 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14523 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14524 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14527 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14528 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14531 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14534 @item nnrss-directory
14535 @vindex nnrss-directory
14536 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14537 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14541 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14542 the summary buffer.
14545 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14546 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14548 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14550 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14551 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14554 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14557 (require 'browse-url)
14559 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14561 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14564 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14565 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14567 (browse-url (cdr url))
14568 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14570 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14571 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14572 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14573 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14576 @node Customizing w3
14577 @subsection Customizing w3
14583 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14584 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14585 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14587 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14588 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14589 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14592 (eval-after-load "w3"
14594 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14595 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
14596 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
14597 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
14599 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
14602 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
14603 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
14612 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14613 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14614 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14615 specify the network address of the server.
14617 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14618 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14619 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14620 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
14621 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
14623 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
14624 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
14625 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
14626 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
14628 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14629 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
14630 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14631 usage explained in this section.
14633 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14634 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
14635 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
14638 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14639 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14640 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14642 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14643 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14644 ; a UW server running on localhost
14646 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14647 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14648 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14649 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14650 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14651 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14652 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14653 (nnimap-stream network))
14654 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14656 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14657 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14658 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14661 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14666 @item nnimap-address
14667 @vindex nnimap-address
14669 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14670 server name if not specified.
14672 @item nnimap-server-port
14673 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14674 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14676 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
14679 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14680 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14683 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14684 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14685 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14686 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14687 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14688 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14689 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14691 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14692 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14693 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14696 Example server specification:
14699 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14700 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14701 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14704 @item nnimap-stream
14705 @vindex nnimap-stream
14706 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14707 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14708 of SSL/TLS. (@sc{imap} over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
14709 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
14711 Example server specification:
14714 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14715 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14718 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14722 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
14723 @samp{imtest} program.
14725 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14727 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14728 SSL)@. Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14731 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
14732 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
14733 library @samp{ssl.el}.
14735 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14737 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14740 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14741 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14742 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14743 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14744 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14745 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14746 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14747 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14748 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14751 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14752 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14753 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14754 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14755 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14756 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14757 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14758 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
14759 distribution, for instance).
14761 @vindex imap-shell-program
14762 @vindex imap-shell-host
14763 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14764 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14766 @item nnimap-authenticator
14767 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14769 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14770 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14772 Example server specification:
14775 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14776 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14779 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14783 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
14784 external program @code{imtest}.
14786 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
14789 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
14790 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14792 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14794 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14796 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14799 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14801 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14802 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14803 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14804 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14805 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14806 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14809 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14810 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14811 running in circles yet?
14813 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14814 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14817 The possible options are:
14822 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14825 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14826 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14827 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14828 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14830 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14835 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14836 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14838 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other
14839 @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still
14840 (only) be marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand
14841 out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap} clients. (In other
14842 words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap} has only one.)
14844 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14845 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14848 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14849 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14850 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14851 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14854 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14855 as ticked for other users.
14857 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14859 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14861 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
14862 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14863 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14864 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14866 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14867 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14868 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14869 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14871 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14872 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14874 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14875 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14876 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14882 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14883 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14884 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14889 @node Splitting in IMAP
14890 @subsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14891 @cindex splitting imap mail
14893 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14894 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14895 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14896 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14897 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14901 Here are the variables of interest:
14905 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14906 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14908 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14910 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14911 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14913 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14915 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14916 @cindex splitting, inbox
14918 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14920 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14921 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14925 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14926 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14929 No nnmail equivalent.
14931 @item nnimap-split-rule
14932 @cindex Splitting, rules
14933 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14935 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14938 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14939 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14940 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14941 Neither did I, we need examples.
14944 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14946 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14947 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14948 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14951 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14952 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14953 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14955 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14956 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14960 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14963 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14964 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14965 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14966 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14968 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14969 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14970 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14971 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
14972 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14973 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14975 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14976 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14977 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14979 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14980 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14981 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14983 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
14985 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14986 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14987 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14990 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14991 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14992 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14993 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14994 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14995 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14998 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14999 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15000 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15001 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15002 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15003 group/function elements.
15005 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15007 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15009 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15011 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15012 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15014 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15015 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15016 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15019 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15020 @cindex splitting, fancy
15021 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15022 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15024 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15025 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15026 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15028 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15029 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15030 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15031 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15036 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15037 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15040 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15044 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15045 @subsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15046 @cindex editing imap acls
15047 @cindex Access Control Lists
15048 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15050 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
15052 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
15053 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
15054 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
15057 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
15058 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
15059 editing window with detailed instructions.
15061 Some possible uses:
15065 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15066 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15067 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15069 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15070 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
15071 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15075 @node Expunging mailboxes
15076 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
15080 @cindex Manual expunging
15082 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15084 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15085 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15086 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15088 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15093 @node Other Sources
15094 @section Other Sources
15096 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
15097 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
15101 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
15102 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
15103 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
15104 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
15105 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
15109 @node Directory Groups
15110 @subsection Directory Groups
15112 @cindex directory groups
15114 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
15115 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
15118 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
15119 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
15120 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
15121 back end to read directories. Big deal.
15123 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
15124 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
15125 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
15126 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
15127 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
15129 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
15131 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
15132 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
15133 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
15134 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
15137 @node Anything Groups
15138 @subsection Anything Groups
15141 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
15142 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
15143 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
15146 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
15147 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
15148 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
15149 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
15150 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
15151 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
15152 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
15153 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
15154 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
15155 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
15158 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
15159 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
15160 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
15161 in the article buffer, just as usual.
15163 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
15164 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
15165 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
15166 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
15168 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
15169 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
15170 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
15171 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
15172 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
15173 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
15174 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
15175 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
15180 @item nneething-map-file-directory
15181 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
15182 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
15183 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
15185 @item nneething-exclude-files
15186 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
15187 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
15188 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
15190 @item nneething-include-files
15191 @vindex nneething-include-files
15192 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
15193 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
15195 @item nneething-map-file
15196 @vindex nneething-map-file
15197 Name of the map files.
15201 @node Document Groups
15202 @subsection Document Groups
15204 @cindex documentation group
15207 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
15208 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
15215 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
15220 The standard Unix mbox file.
15222 @cindex MMDF mail box
15224 The MMDF mail box format.
15227 Several news articles appended into a file.
15230 @cindex rnews batch files
15231 The rnews batch transport format.
15232 @cindex forwarded messages
15235 Forwarded articles.
15238 Netscape mail boxes.
15241 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
15243 @item standard-digest
15244 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
15247 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
15249 @item lanl-gov-announce
15250 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
15252 @item rfc822-forward
15253 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
15256 The Outlook mail box.
15259 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
15262 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
15265 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
15268 An RFC934-forwarded message.
15274 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
15277 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
15283 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
15284 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
15285 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
15288 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
15289 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
15290 group. And that's it.
15292 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
15293 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
15294 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
15295 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
15296 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
15297 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
15298 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
15299 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
15300 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15301 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15303 Virtual server variables:
15306 @item nndoc-article-type
15307 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15308 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15309 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15310 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15311 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
15312 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
15314 @item nndoc-post-type
15315 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15316 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15317 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15322 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
15326 @node Document Server Internals
15327 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
15329 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
15330 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
15331 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
15332 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
15334 First, here's an example document type definition:
15338 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
15339 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
15342 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
15343 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
15344 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
15345 types can be defined with very few settings:
15348 @item first-article
15349 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
15350 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
15353 @item article-begin
15354 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
15355 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
15357 @item head-begin-function
15358 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
15361 @item nndoc-head-begin
15362 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
15365 @item nndoc-head-end
15366 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
15367 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
15369 @item body-begin-function
15370 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
15374 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
15377 @item body-end-function
15378 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
15382 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
15385 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
15386 regexp will be totally ignored.
15390 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
15391 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
15392 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
15393 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
15394 something that's palatable for Gnus:
15397 @item prepare-body-function
15398 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
15399 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
15400 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
15402 @item article-transform-function
15403 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
15404 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
15405 body of the article.
15407 @item generate-head-function
15408 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
15409 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
15410 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
15411 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
15415 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
15420 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15421 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15422 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
15423 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
15424 (head-end . "^ ?$")
15425 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
15426 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
15427 (subtype digest guess))
15430 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
15431 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
15432 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
15433 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
15434 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
15436 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
15437 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
15438 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
15439 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
15440 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
15441 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
15442 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
15443 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
15444 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15445 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15453 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15454 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15455 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15457 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15458 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15459 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15462 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15463 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15464 that interested in doing things properly.
15466 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15467 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15470 First some terminology:
15475 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15476 get news and/or mail from.
15479 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15480 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15483 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15487 @item message packets
15488 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15489 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15490 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15492 @item response packets
15493 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15494 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15495 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15505 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15506 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15507 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15508 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15511 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
15514 You put the packet in your home directory.
15517 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
15518 the native or secondary server.
15521 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
15522 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
15525 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
15529 You transfer this packet to the server.
15532 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
15535 You then repeat until you die.
15539 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
15540 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
15543 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
15544 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
15545 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
15549 @node SOUP Commands
15550 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
15552 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
15556 @kindex G s b (Group)
15557 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
15558 Pack all unread articles in the current group
15559 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
15560 process/prefix convention.
15563 @kindex G s w (Group)
15564 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
15565 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
15568 @kindex G s s (Group)
15569 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
15570 Send all replies from the replies packet
15571 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
15574 @kindex G s p (Group)
15575 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
15576 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
15579 @kindex G s r (Group)
15580 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
15581 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
15584 @kindex O s (Summary)
15585 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
15586 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
15587 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
15588 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15593 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
15598 @item gnus-soup-directory
15599 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
15600 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
15601 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
15603 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
15604 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
15605 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
15606 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
15608 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
15609 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
15610 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
15611 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
15613 @item gnus-soup-packer
15614 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
15615 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15616 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
15618 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
15619 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
15620 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15621 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15623 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
15624 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
15625 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
15627 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15628 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15629 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
15630 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
15636 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
15639 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
15640 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
15641 you can read them at leisure.
15643 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
15647 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
15648 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
15649 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
15650 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
15652 @item nnsoup-directory
15653 @vindex nnsoup-directory
15654 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
15655 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
15657 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
15658 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
15659 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
15660 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
15662 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
15663 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
15664 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
15665 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
15666 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
15668 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
15669 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
15670 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
15671 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
15673 @item nnsoup-active-file
15674 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
15675 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
15676 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
15677 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
15678 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
15680 @item nnsoup-packer
15681 @vindex nnsoup-packer
15682 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
15683 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
15685 @item nnsoup-unpacker
15686 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
15687 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
15688 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15690 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
15691 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
15692 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
15695 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
15696 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
15697 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
15700 @item nnsoup-always-save
15701 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
15702 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
15708 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
15710 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
15711 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
15712 more for that to happen.
15714 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
15715 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
15716 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
15719 In specific, this is what it does:
15722 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
15723 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
15726 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
15727 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
15728 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
15731 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
15732 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
15733 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
15736 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
15737 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
15738 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
15740 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
15746 @item nngateway-address
15747 @vindex nngateway-address
15748 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
15750 @item nngateway-header-transformation
15751 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
15752 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
15753 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
15754 transformation should be called, and defaults to
15755 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
15756 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
15759 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
15760 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
15761 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
15764 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
15767 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
15770 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
15773 The following pre-defined functions exist:
15775 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15778 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15779 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15780 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
15782 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15784 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15785 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15786 @code{nngateway-address}.
15791 (setq gnus-post-method
15793 "mail2news@@replay.com"
15794 (nngateway-header-transformation
15795 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
15803 So, to use this, simply say something like:
15806 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
15811 @node Combined Groups
15812 @section Combined Groups
15814 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
15818 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
15819 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
15823 @node Virtual Groups
15824 @subsection Virtual Groups
15826 @cindex virtual groups
15827 @cindex merging groups
15829 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
15832 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
15833 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
15834 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
15836 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
15837 regexp to match component groups.
15839 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
15840 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
15841 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
15842 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
15843 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
15844 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
15845 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
15846 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
15848 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
15849 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
15852 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
15855 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
15856 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
15858 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
15859 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
15860 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
15861 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
15864 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
15867 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
15868 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
15869 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
15871 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
15872 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
15873 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
15874 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
15875 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
15877 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
15878 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
15879 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
15881 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
15882 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
15883 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
15884 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15885 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
15886 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
15887 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
15888 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
15889 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
15890 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
15891 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
15893 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
15894 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
15895 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
15896 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
15897 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
15898 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
15899 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
15901 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
15902 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
15904 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
15905 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
15909 @node Kibozed Groups
15910 @subsection Kibozed Groups
15914 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
15915 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
15916 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
15917 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
15919 @kindex G k (Group)
15920 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
15923 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
15924 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
15925 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
15926 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
15928 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
15929 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
15930 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
15932 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
15933 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
15934 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
15935 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
15936 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
15937 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
15938 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
15939 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
15941 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
15942 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
15943 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
15944 Stranger things have happened.
15946 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
15947 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
15949 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
15950 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
15951 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
15952 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
15953 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
15954 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
15956 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
15957 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
15960 @node Gnus Unplugged
15961 @section Gnus Unplugged
15966 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
15968 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
15969 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
15970 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
15971 read news. Believe it or not.
15973 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
15974 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
15975 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
15976 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
15977 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
15979 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
15980 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
15981 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
15982 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
15983 reading news on a machine.
15985 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
15989 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
15990 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
15994 Then, put the following magical incantation in your @file{.gnus.el}
15998 (setq gnus-agent t)
16002 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
16004 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16007 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16008 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16009 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16010 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16011 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16012 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16013 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16014 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16015 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16016 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
16021 @subsection Agent Basics
16023 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
16025 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
16026 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
16027 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
16028 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
16030 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
16031 connected to the net continuously.
16033 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
16034 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
16036 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
16041 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
16042 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
16043 already fetched while in this mode.
16046 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
16047 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
16048 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
16049 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
16050 Source Specifiers}).
16053 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
16054 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
16055 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
16056 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
16057 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
16060 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
16061 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
16062 then you read the news offline.
16065 And then you go to step 2.
16068 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
16074 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
16075 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
16076 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
16077 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
16078 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
16079 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
16082 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
16089 @node Agent Categories
16090 @subsection Agent Categories
16092 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
16093 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
16094 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
16095 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
16096 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
16097 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
16098 you're interested in the articles anyway.
16100 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
16101 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
16102 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
16103 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
16104 managing categories.
16107 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
16108 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
16109 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
16113 @node Category Syntax
16114 @subsubsection Category Syntax
16116 A category consists of two things.
16120 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
16121 are eligible for downloading; and
16124 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
16125 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
16126 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
16129 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
16130 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
16131 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
16132 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
16134 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
16135 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
16136 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
16138 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
16139 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
16140 operators sprinkled in between.
16142 Perhaps some examples are in order.
16144 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
16145 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
16151 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
16152 short (for some value of ``short'').
16154 Here's a more complex predicate:
16163 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
16164 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
16167 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
16168 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
16169 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
16171 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
16172 you want to do, you can write your own.
16176 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
16177 lines; default 100.
16180 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
16181 lines; default 200.
16184 True iff the article has a download score less than
16185 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
16188 True iff the article has a download score greater than
16189 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
16192 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
16193 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
16194 checksum and sees whether articles match.
16203 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
16204 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
16205 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
16208 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
16209 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
16210 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
16211 something along the lines of the following:
16214 (defun my-article-old-p ()
16215 "Say whether an article is old."
16216 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
16217 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
16220 with the predicate then defined as:
16223 (not my-article-old-p)
16226 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
16227 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
16231 (require 'gnus-agent)
16232 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
16233 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
16234 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
16237 and simply specify your predicate as:
16243 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
16244 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
16245 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
16246 just don't give a damn.
16248 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
16249 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
16250 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
16251 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
16252 parameters like so:
16255 (agent-predicate . short)
16258 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
16259 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
16260 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
16262 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
16265 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
16268 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
16269 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
16270 predicate is assumed to be a list.
16273 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
16274 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
16275 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
16276 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
16277 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
16278 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
16280 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
16281 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
16282 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
16283 if it's to be specific to that group.
16285 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
16292 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
16293 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
16299 Category specification
16303 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16309 Group Parameter specification
16312 (agent-score ("from"
16313 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16318 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16324 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
16331 Category specification
16334 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
16340 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
16344 Group Parameter specification
16347 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
16350 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
16355 Use @code{normal} score files
16357 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
16358 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
16359 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
16360 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
16362 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
16363 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
16364 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
16365 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
16369 Category Specification
16376 Group Parameter specification
16379 (agent-score . file)
16384 @node Category Buffer
16385 @subsubsection Category Buffer
16387 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
16388 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
16389 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
16391 The following commands are available in this buffer:
16395 @kindex q (Category)
16396 @findex gnus-category-exit
16397 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
16400 @kindex k (Category)
16401 @findex gnus-category-kill
16402 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
16405 @kindex c (Category)
16406 @findex gnus-category-copy
16407 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
16410 @kindex a (Category)
16411 @findex gnus-category-add
16412 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
16415 @kindex p (Category)
16416 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
16417 Edit the predicate of the current category
16418 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
16421 @kindex g (Category)
16422 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
16423 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
16424 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
16427 @kindex s (Category)
16428 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
16429 Edit the download score rule of the current category
16430 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
16433 @kindex l (Category)
16434 @findex gnus-category-list
16435 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
16439 @node Category Variables
16440 @subsubsection Category Variables
16443 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
16444 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
16445 Hook run in category buffers.
16447 @item gnus-category-line-format
16448 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
16449 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
16450 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16454 The name of the category.
16457 The number of groups in the category.
16460 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16461 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16462 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16464 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16465 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16466 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16468 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16469 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16470 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16472 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16473 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16474 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16477 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16478 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16479 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16485 @node Agent Commands
16486 @subsection Agent Commands
16488 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16489 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16490 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16494 * Group Agent Commands::
16495 * Summary Agent Commands::
16496 * Server Agent Commands::
16499 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
16500 following incantation:
16502 @cindex gnus-agent-batch
16504 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch
16509 @node Group Agent Commands
16510 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16514 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16515 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16516 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16517 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16520 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16521 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16522 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
16525 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
16526 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
16527 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
16528 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
16531 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
16532 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
16533 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
16534 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
16537 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
16538 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
16539 Add the current group to an Agent category
16540 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
16541 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16544 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
16545 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
16546 Remove the current group from its category, if any
16547 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
16548 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16551 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
16552 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16553 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
16559 @node Summary Agent Commands
16560 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
16564 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
16565 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
16566 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
16569 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
16570 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
16571 Remove the downloading mark from the article
16572 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
16575 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
16576 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
16577 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
16580 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
16581 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
16582 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
16585 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
16586 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
16587 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
16588 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
16593 @node Server Agent Commands
16594 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
16598 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
16599 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
16600 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
16601 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
16604 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
16605 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
16606 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
16607 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
16613 @subsection Agent Expiry
16615 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
16616 @findex gnus-agent-expire
16617 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
16618 @cindex Agent expiry
16619 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
16622 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
16623 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
16624 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
16625 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
16626 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
16627 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
16629 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
16630 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
16631 expiry in different groups.
16634 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
16640 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
16641 method---it must always match all groups.
16643 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
16644 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
16645 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
16646 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
16647 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
16649 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
16650 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
16651 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's a special
16652 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} command to fix possible problems.
16654 @node Agent and IMAP
16655 @subsection Agent and IMAP
16657 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
16658 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
16659 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
16660 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
16662 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
16663 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
16664 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
16665 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
16667 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
16668 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
16669 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
16670 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
16671 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
16673 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16674 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
16675 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
16676 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
16677 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
16678 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
16680 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
16681 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
16682 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
16683 in the group buffer by default.
16685 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
16686 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
16691 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
16694 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
16698 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
16699 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
16700 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
16701 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
16702 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
16703 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
16704 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
16705 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
16708 @node Outgoing Messages
16709 @subsection Outgoing Messages
16711 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
16712 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
16713 after posting, and edit them at will.
16715 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
16716 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
16717 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
16718 messages in the draft group.
16722 @node Agent Variables
16723 @subsection Agent Variables
16726 @item gnus-agent-directory
16727 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
16728 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
16729 @file{~/News/agent/}.
16731 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
16732 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
16733 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
16734 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
16735 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
16738 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16739 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16740 Hook run when connecting to the network.
16742 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16743 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16744 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
16746 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
16747 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
16748 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
16750 @item gnus-agent-cache
16751 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
16752 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and articles when
16755 @item gnus-agent-go-online
16756 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
16757 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
16758 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
16759 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
16760 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
16761 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
16767 @node Example Setup
16768 @subsection Example Setup
16770 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
16771 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
16772 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
16775 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
16776 ;;; from your ISP's server.
16777 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
16779 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
16780 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
16781 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
16783 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
16784 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
16786 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
16787 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
16788 (setq gnus-agent t)
16791 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
16792 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
16795 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
16796 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
16797 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
16798 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
16799 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
16802 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
16803 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
16804 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
16805 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
16806 back all the killed groups.)
16808 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
16809 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
16810 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
16813 @node Batching Agents
16814 @subsection Batching Agents
16816 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
16817 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
16818 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
16822 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
16826 @node Agent Caveats
16827 @subsection Agent Caveats
16829 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
16830 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
16834 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
16838 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
16840 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is `nil'.
16844 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
16845 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP and also uses the
16846 locally stored articles.
16853 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
16854 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
16855 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
16858 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
16859 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
16860 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
16861 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
16862 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
16864 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
16865 before generating the summary buffer.
16867 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
16868 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
16869 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
16871 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
16872 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
16873 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
16874 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
16877 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
16878 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
16879 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
16880 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
16881 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
16882 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
16883 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
16884 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
16885 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
16886 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
16887 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
16888 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
16889 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
16890 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
16891 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
16892 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
16893 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
16897 @node Summary Score Commands
16898 @section Summary Score Commands
16899 @cindex score commands
16901 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
16902 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
16903 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
16904 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
16905 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
16907 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
16908 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
16909 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
16910 score file the current one.
16912 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
16917 @kindex V s (Summary)
16918 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
16919 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
16922 @kindex V S (Summary)
16923 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
16924 Display the score of the current article
16925 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
16928 @kindex V t (Summary)
16929 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
16930 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
16931 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
16934 @kindex V R (Summary)
16935 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
16936 Run the current summary through the scoring process
16937 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
16938 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
16939 effect you're having.
16942 @kindex V c (Summary)
16943 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
16944 Make a different score file the current
16945 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
16948 @kindex V e (Summary)
16949 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
16950 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
16951 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
16955 @kindex V f (Summary)
16956 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
16957 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
16958 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
16961 @kindex V F (Summary)
16962 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16963 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
16964 after editing score files.
16967 @kindex V C (Summary)
16968 @findex gnus-score-customize
16969 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
16970 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
16974 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
16979 @kindex V m (Summary)
16980 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
16981 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
16982 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
16985 @kindex V x (Summary)
16986 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
16987 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
16988 expunge all articles below this score
16989 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
16992 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
16993 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
16996 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
16997 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
17001 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
17002 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
17004 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
17005 keys are available:
17009 Score on the author name.
17012 Score on the subject line.
17015 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
17018 Score on the @code{References} line.
17024 Score on the number of lines.
17027 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
17030 Score on an "extra" header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
17031 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
17034 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
17035 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
17036 @file{ADAPT} files.)
17045 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
17051 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
17052 what headers you are scoring on.
17064 Substring matching.
17067 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
17096 Greater than number.
17101 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
17102 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
17103 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
17108 Temporary score entry.
17111 Permanent score entry.
17114 Immediately scoring.
17118 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
17119 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
17120 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
17124 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
17125 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
17126 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
17127 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
17129 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
17130 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
17131 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
17132 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
17133 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
17135 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
17136 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
17137 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
17138 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
17139 current score file.
17141 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
17142 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
17143 pretend they are keymaps or not.
17146 @node Group Score Commands
17147 @section Group Score Commands
17148 @cindex group score commands
17150 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
17155 @kindex W f (Group)
17156 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17157 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
17158 all the time. This command will flush the cache
17159 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
17163 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
17165 @findex gnus-batch-score
17166 @cindex batch scoring
17168 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
17172 @node Score Variables
17173 @section Score Variables
17174 @cindex score variables
17178 @item gnus-use-scoring
17179 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
17180 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
17181 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
17183 @item gnus-kill-killed
17184 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
17185 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
17186 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
17187 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
17188 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
17189 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
17190 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
17192 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
17193 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
17194 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
17195 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
17196 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
17198 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
17199 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
17200 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
17201 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
17203 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17204 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17205 @cindex score cache
17206 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
17207 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
17208 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
17209 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
17210 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
17211 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
17214 @item gnus-save-score
17215 @vindex gnus-save-score
17216 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
17217 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
17218 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17220 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
17221 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
17222 across group visits.
17224 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17225 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17226 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
17227 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
17228 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
17229 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
17230 manually entered data.
17232 @item gnus-summary-default-score
17233 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
17234 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
17236 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
17237 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
17238 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
17239 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
17240 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
17241 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
17243 @item gnus-score-over-mark
17244 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
17245 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
17246 default. Default is @samp{+}.
17248 @item gnus-score-below-mark
17249 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
17250 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
17251 default. Default is @samp{-}.
17253 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17254 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17255 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
17256 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
17258 Predefined functions available are:
17261 @item gnus-score-find-single
17262 @findex gnus-score-find-single
17263 Only apply the group's own score file.
17265 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
17266 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
17267 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
17268 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
17269 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
17270 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
17271 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
17272 then a regexp match is done.
17274 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
17275 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
17277 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
17278 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
17279 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
17280 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
17282 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17283 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17284 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
17285 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
17286 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
17290 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
17291 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
17292 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
17293 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
17294 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
17295 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
17296 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
17299 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
17300 overall score file, you could use the value
17302 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
17303 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
17306 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
17307 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
17308 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
17309 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
17310 are expired. It's 7 by default.
17312 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17313 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17314 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
17315 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
17316 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
17317 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
17318 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
17319 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
17321 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17322 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17323 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
17325 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
17326 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
17327 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
17328 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
17329 threading---according to the current value of
17330 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
17331 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
17332 simplified in this manner.
17337 @node Score File Format
17338 @section Score File Format
17339 @cindex score file format
17341 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
17342 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
17343 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
17345 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
17349 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
17351 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
17353 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
17355 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
17360 (mark-and-expunge -10)
17364 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
17365 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
17366 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
17367 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
17371 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
17372 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
17374 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
17375 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
17376 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
17378 Six keys are supported by this alist:
17383 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
17384 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
17385 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
17386 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
17387 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
17388 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
17389 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
17390 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
17391 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
17392 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
17393 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
17394 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
17395 to articles that matches these score entries.
17397 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
17398 score entry has one to four elements.
17402 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
17403 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
17407 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
17408 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
17409 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
17410 is successful. If this element is not present, the
17411 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
17412 instead. This is 1000 by default.
17415 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
17416 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
17417 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
17418 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
17419 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
17422 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
17423 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
17424 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
17425 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
17428 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
17429 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
17430 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
17431 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
17432 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
17433 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
17434 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
17435 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
17436 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
17437 instead, if you feel like.
17440 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
17441 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
17442 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
17443 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
17444 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
17445 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
17448 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
17452 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
17453 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
17455 These predicates are true if
17458 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
17461 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
17462 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
17469 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
17470 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
17471 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
17472 it's not. I think.)
17474 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
17475 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
17476 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
17477 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
17480 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
17481 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
17482 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
17483 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
17484 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
17485 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
17486 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
17490 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
17491 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
17492 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
17493 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
17494 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
17495 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
17496 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
17497 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
17500 @item Head, Body, All
17501 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
17505 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
17506 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
17507 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
17508 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
17509 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
17510 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
17511 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
17515 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
17516 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
17517 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
17518 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
17519 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
17520 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
17521 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
17522 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
17523 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
17524 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
17525 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
17529 @cindex Score File Atoms
17531 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17532 lower than this number will be marked as read.
17535 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17536 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
17538 @item mark-and-expunge
17539 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17540 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
17543 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
17544 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
17545 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
17546 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
17547 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
17550 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
17551 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
17554 @item exclude-files
17555 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
17556 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
17560 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
17561 ignored when handling global score files.
17564 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
17565 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
17566 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
17567 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
17570 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
17571 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
17572 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
17573 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
17575 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
17579 (mark-and-expunge -100)
17582 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
17583 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
17584 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
17585 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
17586 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
17588 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
17589 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
17590 scoring rules exist.
17593 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
17594 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
17595 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
17596 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
17597 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
17598 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
17599 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17600 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
17601 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
17602 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
17603 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
17607 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
17608 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
17609 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
17610 file for a number of groups.
17613 @cindex local variables
17614 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
17615 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
17616 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
17617 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
17618 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
17622 @node Score File Editing
17623 @section Score File Editing
17625 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
17626 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
17627 with a mode for that.
17629 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
17630 additional commands:
17635 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
17636 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
17637 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
17638 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
17641 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
17642 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
17643 Insert the current date in numerical format
17644 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
17645 you were wondering.
17648 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
17649 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
17650 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
17651 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
17652 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
17657 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
17659 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
17660 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
17662 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
17663 e} to begin editing score files.
17666 @node Adaptive Scoring
17667 @section Adaptive Scoring
17668 @cindex adaptive scoring
17670 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
17671 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
17672 stupidity, to be precise.
17674 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
17675 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
17676 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
17677 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
17678 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17679 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
17680 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
17681 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
17682 variable to @code{(word line)}.
17684 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17685 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
17686 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
17687 might look something like this:
17690 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17691 '((gnus-unread-mark)
17692 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
17693 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
17694 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
17695 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
17696 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
17697 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
17698 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
17699 (gnus-ancient-mark)
17700 (gnus-low-score-mark)
17701 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
17704 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
17705 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
17706 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
17707 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
17708 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
17709 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
17712 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
17713 will be applied to each article.
17715 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
17716 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
17717 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
17718 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
17720 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
17721 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
17722 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
17723 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
17725 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
17726 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
17727 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
17728 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
17730 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
17731 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
17732 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
17733 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
17734 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
17735 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
17737 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
17738 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
17739 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
17740 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
17741 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
17742 aspirins afterwards.)
17744 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
17745 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
17746 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
17748 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
17749 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
17750 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
17752 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
17753 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
17754 let you use different rules in different groups.
17756 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
17757 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
17758 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
17761 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
17762 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
17763 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
17764 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
17765 the length of the match is less than
17766 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
17767 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
17770 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17771 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
17772 headers. If you adapt on words, the
17773 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
17774 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
17777 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17778 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
17779 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
17780 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
17781 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
17784 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
17785 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
17786 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
17787 score with 30 points.
17789 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
17790 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
17791 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
17792 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
17793 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
17795 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
17796 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
17797 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
17798 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
17799 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
17801 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
17802 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
17803 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
17804 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
17806 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
17807 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
17808 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
17809 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
17811 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
17812 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
17813 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
17814 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
17815 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
17817 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
17818 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
17819 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
17821 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
17822 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
17823 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
17824 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
17827 @node Home Score File
17828 @section Home Score File
17830 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
17831 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
17832 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
17833 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
17835 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
17836 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
17837 could perhaps use the same home score file.
17839 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
17840 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
17845 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
17849 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
17850 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
17854 A list. The elements in this list can be:
17858 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
17859 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
17862 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
17863 the home score file.
17866 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
17869 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
17874 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
17877 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17878 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
17881 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
17882 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
17884 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
17886 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17887 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
17890 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
17891 Other functions include
17894 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
17895 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
17896 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
17897 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
17901 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
17902 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
17903 their own home score files:
17906 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17907 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
17908 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
17909 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
17910 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
17913 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
17914 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
17915 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
17916 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
17917 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
17919 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
17920 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
17921 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
17922 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
17923 precedence over this variable.
17926 @node Followups To Yourself
17927 @section Followups To Yourself
17929 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
17930 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
17931 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
17932 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
17933 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
17934 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
17938 @item gnus-score-followup-article
17939 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
17940 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
17943 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
17944 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
17945 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
17949 @vindex message-sent-hook
17950 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
17951 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
17953 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
17957 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
17958 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
17962 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17963 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17966 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
17967 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
17972 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
17976 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
17977 is system-dependent.
17980 @node Scoring On Other Headers
17981 @section Scoring On Other Headers
17982 @cindex scoring on other headers
17984 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
17985 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
17986 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
17987 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
17988 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
17990 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
17991 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
17992 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
17993 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
17994 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
17996 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17999 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
18000 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
18003 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
18004 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
18005 time if you have much mail.
18007 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
18008 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
18014 @section Scoring Tips
18015 @cindex scoring tips
18021 @cindex scoring crossposts
18022 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
18023 the @code{Xref} header.
18025 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
18028 @item Multiple crossposts
18029 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
18030 more than, say, 3 groups:
18033 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
18037 @item Matching on the body
18038 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
18039 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
18040 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
18041 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
18042 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
18043 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
18044 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
18047 @item Marking as read
18048 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
18049 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
18050 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
18054 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
18056 @item Negated character classes
18057 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
18058 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
18059 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
18063 @node Reverse Scoring
18064 @section Reverse Scoring
18065 @cindex reverse scoring
18067 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
18068 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
18069 like this in your score file:
18073 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
18078 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
18079 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
18082 @node Global Score Files
18083 @section Global Score Files
18084 @cindex global score files
18086 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
18087 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
18088 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
18090 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
18091 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
18092 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
18094 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
18095 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
18096 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
18097 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
18098 files are applicable to which group.
18100 To use the score file
18101 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
18102 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
18106 (setq gnus-global-score-files
18107 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
18108 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
18111 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
18113 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
18114 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
18115 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
18116 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
18118 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
18119 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
18121 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
18122 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
18123 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
18124 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
18125 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
18126 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
18128 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
18134 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
18136 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
18138 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
18140 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
18141 lowered out of existence.
18143 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
18144 articles completely.
18147 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
18148 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
18149 old articles for a long time.
18152 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
18153 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
18154 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
18155 holding our breath yet?
18159 @section Kill Files
18162 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
18163 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
18164 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
18166 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
18167 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
18168 files into score files.
18170 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
18171 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
18172 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
18173 that isn't a very good idea.
18175 Normal kill files look like this:
18178 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18179 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
18183 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
18184 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
18186 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
18187 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
18190 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
18195 @kindex M-k (Summary)
18196 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
18197 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
18200 @kindex M-K (Summary)
18201 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
18202 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
18205 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
18210 @kindex M-k (Group)
18211 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
18212 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
18215 @kindex M-K (Group)
18216 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
18217 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
18220 Kill file variables:
18223 @item gnus-kill-file-name
18224 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
18225 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
18226 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
18227 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
18228 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
18229 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
18231 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18232 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18233 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
18234 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
18237 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
18238 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
18239 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
18240 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
18241 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
18242 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
18243 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
18244 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
18245 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
18247 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18248 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18249 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
18254 @node Converting Kill Files
18255 @section Converting Kill Files
18257 @cindex converting kill files
18259 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
18260 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
18261 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
18264 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
18265 You can fetch it from
18266 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
18268 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
18269 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
18270 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
18278 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
18279 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
18280 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
18281 news articles generated every day.
18283 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
18284 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
18285 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
18286 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
18287 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
18288 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
18289 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
18290 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
18293 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
18294 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
18297 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
18298 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
18299 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
18300 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
18304 @node Using GroupLens
18305 @subsection Using GroupLens
18307 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
18309 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
18310 better bit in town at the moment.
18312 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
18316 @item gnus-use-grouplens
18317 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
18318 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
18319 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
18321 @item grouplens-pseudonym
18322 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
18323 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
18324 with the Better Bit Bureau.
18326 @item grouplens-newsgroups
18327 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
18328 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
18332 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
18333 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
18334 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
18335 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
18336 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
18337 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
18340 @node Rating Articles
18341 @subsection Rating Articles
18343 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
18344 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
18345 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
18346 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
18349 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
18354 @kindex r (GroupLens)
18355 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
18356 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
18359 @kindex k (GroupLens)
18360 @findex grouplens-score-thread
18361 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
18362 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
18363 threads in rec.humor.
18367 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
18368 the score of the article you're reading.
18373 @kindex n (GroupLens)
18374 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
18375 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
18378 @kindex , (GroupLens)
18379 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
18380 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
18384 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
18385 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
18388 @node Displaying Predictions
18389 @subsection Displaying Predictions
18391 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
18392 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
18393 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
18394 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
18395 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
18397 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
18398 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
18399 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
18400 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
18401 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
18402 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
18403 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
18404 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
18405 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
18406 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
18407 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
18408 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
18409 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
18411 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
18412 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
18413 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
18414 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
18416 The following are valid values for that variable.
18419 @item prediction-spot
18420 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
18423 @item confidence-interval
18424 A numeric confidence interval.
18426 @item prediction-bar
18427 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
18429 @item confidence-bar
18430 Numerical confidence.
18432 @item confidence-spot
18433 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
18435 @item prediction-num
18436 Plain-old numeric value.
18438 @item confidence-plus-minus
18439 Prediction +/- confidence.
18444 @node GroupLens Variables
18445 @subsection GroupLens Variables
18449 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
18450 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
18451 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
18452 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
18455 @item grouplens-bbb-host
18456 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
18459 @item grouplens-bbb-port
18460 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
18462 @item grouplens-score-offset
18463 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
18464 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
18467 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
18468 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
18469 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
18474 @node Advanced Scoring
18475 @section Advanced Scoring
18477 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
18478 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
18479 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
18480 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
18481 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
18483 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
18487 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
18488 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
18489 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
18493 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
18494 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
18496 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
18497 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
18498 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
18499 non-@code{nil} value.
18501 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
18502 operator, and various match operators.
18509 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18510 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
18511 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
18516 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18517 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
18518 then this operator will return @code{false}.
18523 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
18524 logical negation of the value of its argument.
18528 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
18529 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
18530 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
18531 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
18532 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
18533 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
18534 the ancestry you want to go.
18536 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
18537 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
18538 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
18539 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
18540 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
18543 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
18544 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
18546 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
18547 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
18550 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
18551 when he's talking about Gnus:
18555 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18556 ("subject" "Gnus"))
18562 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
18566 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18573 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
18574 really don't want to read what he's written:
18578 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18579 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
18583 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
18584 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
18585 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
18592 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
18593 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
18594 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
18595 ("body" "white.*socks"))
18599 The possibilities are endless.
18602 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
18603 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
18605 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
18606 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
18607 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
18608 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
18609 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
18610 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
18611 @samp{subject}) first.
18613 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
18614 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
18625 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
18626 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
18632 ("subject" "Gnus")))
18639 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
18640 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
18645 @section Score Decays
18646 @cindex score decays
18649 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
18650 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
18651 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
18652 use them in any sensible way.
18654 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
18655 @findex gnus-decay-score
18656 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
18657 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
18658 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
18659 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
18660 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
18661 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
18662 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
18663 definition of that function:
18666 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
18668 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
18669 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
18672 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
18674 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
18676 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
18679 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
18680 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
18681 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
18682 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
18686 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
18689 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
18692 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
18696 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
18697 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
18698 the new score, which should be an integer.
18700 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
18701 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
18706 @include message.texi
18707 @chapter Emacs MIME
18708 @include emacs-mime.texi
18710 @include sieve.texi
18718 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
18719 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
18720 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
18721 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
18722 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
18723 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
18724 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
18725 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
18726 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
18727 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
18728 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
18729 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
18730 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
18731 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
18732 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
18733 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
18734 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
18735 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
18736 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
18740 @node Process/Prefix
18741 @section Process/Prefix
18742 @cindex process/prefix convention
18744 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
18745 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
18747 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
18748 command to be performed on.
18752 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
18753 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
18754 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
18755 with the current one.
18757 @vindex transient-mark-mode
18758 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
18759 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
18761 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
18762 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
18765 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
18766 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
18768 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
18771 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
18772 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
18773 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
18774 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
18776 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
18777 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
18778 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
18779 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
18780 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
18781 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
18782 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
18783 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
18785 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
18786 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
18787 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
18788 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
18789 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
18793 @section Interactive
18794 @cindex interaction
18798 @item gnus-novice-user
18799 @vindex gnus-novice-user
18800 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
18801 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
18802 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
18803 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
18806 @item gnus-expert-user
18807 @vindex gnus-expert-user
18808 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
18809 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
18810 matter how strange.
18812 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
18813 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
18814 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
18815 is @code{t} by default.
18817 @item gnus-interactive-exit
18818 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
18819 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18824 @node Symbolic Prefixes
18825 @section Symbolic Prefixes
18826 @cindex symbolic prefixes
18828 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
18829 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
18830 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
18831 rule of 900 to the current article.
18833 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
18834 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
18835 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
18836 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
18837 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
18838 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
18839 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
18841 @kindex M-i (Summary)
18842 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
18843 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
18844 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
18845 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
18846 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
18847 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
18848 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
18849 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
18851 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
18852 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
18853 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
18855 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
18859 @node Formatting Variables
18860 @section Formatting Variables
18861 @cindex formatting variables
18863 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
18864 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
18865 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
18866 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
18867 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
18870 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
18871 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
18872 lots of percentages everywhere.
18875 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
18876 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
18877 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
18878 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
18879 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
18880 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
18881 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
18882 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
18885 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
18886 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
18887 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
18888 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
18889 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
18890 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
18891 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
18892 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
18894 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
18895 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
18897 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
18898 @findex gnus-update-format
18899 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
18900 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
18901 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
18902 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
18906 @node Formatting Basics
18907 @subsection Formatting Basics
18909 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
18910 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
18911 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
18913 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
18914 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
18915 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
18916 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
18917 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
18920 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
18921 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
18922 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
18923 less than 4 characters wide.
18925 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
18926 @samp{%&user-date;}.
18929 @node Mode Line Formatting
18930 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
18932 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
18933 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
18934 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
18935 with the following two differences:
18940 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
18943 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
18944 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
18945 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
18946 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
18947 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
18948 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
18949 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
18954 @node Advanced Formatting
18955 @subsection Advanced Formatting
18957 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
18958 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
18959 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
18960 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
18962 These are the valid modifiers:
18967 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
18971 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
18976 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
18979 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
18984 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
18987 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
18990 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
18993 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
18999 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
19004 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
19005 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
19006 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
19007 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
19008 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
19009 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
19010 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
19012 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
19013 last operation, padding.
19015 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
19016 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
19017 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
19018 @xref{Compilation}.
19021 @node User-Defined Specs
19022 @subsection User-Defined Specs
19024 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
19025 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
19026 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
19027 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
19028 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
19029 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
19030 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
19031 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
19032 should protect against that.
19034 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
19035 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
19037 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
19038 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
19039 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
19040 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
19044 @node Formatting Fonts
19045 @subsection Formatting Fonts
19047 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
19048 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
19049 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
19050 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
19053 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
19054 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
19055 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
19056 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
19057 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
19058 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
19060 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
19061 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
19062 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
19063 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
19064 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
19065 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
19066 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
19067 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
19069 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
19072 ;; Create three face types.
19073 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
19074 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
19076 ;; We want the article count to be in
19077 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
19078 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
19079 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
19081 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
19082 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
19084 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
19085 (setq gnus-group-line-format
19086 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
19089 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
19090 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
19092 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
19093 mode-line variables.
19095 @node Positioning Point
19096 @subsection Positioning Point
19098 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
19099 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
19100 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
19102 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
19104 @findex gnus-goto-colon
19105 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
19106 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
19108 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
19109 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
19110 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
19115 @subsection Tabulation
19117 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
19118 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
19119 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
19120 about lining up the following text afterwards.
19122 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
19123 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
19125 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19126 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
19127 This is the soft tabulator.
19129 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19130 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
19131 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
19134 @node Wide Characters
19135 @subsection Wide Characters
19137 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
19138 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
19139 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
19141 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
19142 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
19143 these coutries, that's not true.
19145 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
19146 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
19147 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
19148 prettieer. The default value is @code{t}.
19152 @node Window Layout
19153 @section Window Layout
19154 @cindex window layout
19156 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
19158 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
19159 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
19160 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
19161 @code{t} by default.
19163 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
19164 glitches. Use at your own peril.
19166 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
19167 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
19168 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
19171 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
19172 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
19173 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19177 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
19178 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
19179 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
19180 possible names is listed below.
19182 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
19183 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
19186 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19190 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
19191 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
19192 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
19193 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
19194 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
19195 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
19196 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
19197 size spec per split.
19199 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
19200 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
19201 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
19202 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
19203 present) gets focus.
19205 Here's a more complicated example:
19208 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
19209 (summary 0.25 point)
19210 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
19214 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
19215 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
19216 occupy, not a percentage.
19218 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
19219 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
19220 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
19221 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
19222 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
19225 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
19228 (article (horizontal 1.0
19233 (summary 0.25 point)
19238 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
19239 @code{horizontal} thingie?
19241 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
19242 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
19243 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
19244 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
19245 the screen is to be given to this strip.
19247 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
19248 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
19249 lines from the splits.
19251 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
19255 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
19256 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
19257 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
19258 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
19259 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
19260 size = number | frame-params
19261 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
19264 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
19265 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
19266 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
19267 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
19269 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
19270 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
19271 @cindex window height
19272 @cindex window width
19273 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
19274 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
19275 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
19276 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
19277 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
19278 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
19280 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
19281 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
19282 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
19283 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
19285 @findex gnus-configure-frame
19286 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
19287 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
19288 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
19289 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
19290 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
19291 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
19292 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
19293 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
19294 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
19295 configuration list.
19298 (gnus-configure-frame
19302 (article 0.3 point))
19310 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
19311 @code{frame} split:
19314 (gnus-configure-frame
19317 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
19319 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
19320 (user-position . t)
19321 (left . -1) (top . 1))
19326 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
19327 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
19328 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
19329 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
19330 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
19331 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
19332 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
19333 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
19335 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
19336 be found in its default value.
19338 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
19339 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
19340 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
19344 (message (horizontal 1.0
19345 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
19347 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
19352 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
19353 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
19354 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
19359 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
19360 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
19361 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
19362 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
19363 (name . "Message"))
19364 (message 1.0 point))))
19367 @findex gnus-add-configuration
19368 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
19369 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
19370 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
19371 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
19374 (gnus-add-configuration
19375 '(article (vertical 1.0
19377 (summary .25 point)
19381 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
19382 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
19383 Gnus has been loaded.
19385 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
19386 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
19387 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
19388 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
19389 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
19391 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
19392 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
19393 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
19396 @subsection Example Window Configurations
19400 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
19401 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
19416 (gnus-add-configuration
19419 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19421 (summary 0.16 point)
19424 (gnus-add-configuration
19427 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19428 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
19434 @node Faces and Fonts
19435 @section Faces and Fonts
19440 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
19441 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
19442 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
19447 @section Compilation
19448 @cindex compilation
19449 @cindex byte-compilation
19451 @findex gnus-compile
19453 Remember all those line format specification variables?
19454 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
19455 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
19456 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
19457 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
19458 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
19461 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
19462 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
19463 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
19464 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
19465 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
19466 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
19467 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
19471 @section Mode Lines
19474 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
19475 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
19476 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
19477 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
19478 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
19479 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
19480 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
19483 @cindex display-time
19485 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
19486 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
19487 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
19488 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
19489 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
19490 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
19491 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
19492 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
19495 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
19497 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
19498 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
19500 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
19501 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
19502 (length display-time-string)))))
19505 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
19506 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
19507 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
19508 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
19509 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
19512 @node Highlighting and Menus
19513 @section Highlighting and Menus
19515 @cindex highlighting
19518 @vindex gnus-visual
19519 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
19520 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
19521 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
19524 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
19525 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
19528 @item group-highlight
19529 Do highlights in the group buffer.
19530 @item summary-highlight
19531 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
19532 @item article-highlight
19533 Do highlights in the article buffer.
19535 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
19537 Create menus in the group buffer.
19539 Create menus in the summary buffers.
19541 Create menus in the article buffer.
19543 Create menus in the browse buffer.
19545 Create menus in the server buffer.
19547 Create menus in the score buffers.
19549 Create menus in all buffers.
19552 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
19553 buffers, you could say something like:
19556 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
19559 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
19562 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
19565 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
19566 in all Gnus buffers.
19568 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
19571 @item gnus-mouse-face
19572 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
19573 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
19574 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
19578 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
19582 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
19583 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
19584 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
19586 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
19587 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
19588 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
19590 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
19591 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
19592 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
19594 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
19595 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
19596 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
19598 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
19599 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
19600 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
19602 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
19603 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
19604 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
19615 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
19616 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
19617 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
19618 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
19619 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
19623 @vindex gnus-carpal
19624 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
19625 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
19626 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
19631 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19632 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19633 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
19635 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
19636 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
19637 Face used on buttons.
19639 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
19640 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
19641 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
19643 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19644 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19645 Buttons in the group buffer.
19647 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19648 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19649 Buttons in the summary buffer.
19651 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19652 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19653 Buttons in the server buffer.
19655 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19656 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19657 Buttons in the browse buffer.
19660 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
19661 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
19662 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
19670 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
19671 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
19672 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
19673 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
19674 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
19676 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
19677 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
19678 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
19680 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
19681 been idle for thirty minutes:
19684 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
19687 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
19691 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
19694 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
19695 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
19696 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19698 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
19699 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
19700 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
19701 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19703 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
19704 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
19705 @var{idle} minutes.
19707 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
19708 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
19711 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
19712 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
19713 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
19715 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
19716 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
19717 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
19718 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
19720 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
19721 your @file{.gnus} file:
19723 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
19725 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
19728 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
19729 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
19730 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
19731 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
19732 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
19733 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
19734 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
19735 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
19736 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
19737 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
19738 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
19740 @findex gnus-demon-init
19741 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
19742 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
19743 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
19744 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
19745 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
19747 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
19748 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
19749 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
19758 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
19759 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
19761 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
19762 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
19763 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
19764 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
19767 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
19768 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
19769 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
19770 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
19772 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
19773 this will make spam disappear.
19775 There are some variables to customize, of course:
19778 @item gnus-use-nocem
19779 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
19780 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
19783 @item gnus-nocem-groups
19784 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
19785 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
19786 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
19787 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
19789 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
19790 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
19791 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
19792 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
19793 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
19794 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
19796 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
19797 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
19799 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
19800 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
19801 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
19802 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
19803 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
19804 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
19805 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
19806 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
19807 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
19808 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
19810 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
19811 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
19814 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
19817 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
19818 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
19821 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
19824 The specs are applied left-to-right.
19827 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
19828 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
19830 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
19831 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
19832 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
19833 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
19835 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
19836 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
19839 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
19841 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
19849 This might be dangerous, though.
19851 @item gnus-nocem-directory
19852 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
19853 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
19854 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
19856 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19857 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19858 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
19859 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
19860 might then see old spam.
19862 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
19863 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
19864 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
19865 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
19866 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
19869 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19870 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19871 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
19872 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
19876 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
19877 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
19878 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
19879 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
19886 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
19887 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
19888 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
19890 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
19891 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
19892 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
19893 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
19894 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
19895 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
19896 @code{undo} function.
19898 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
19899 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
19900 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
19901 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
19902 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
19903 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
19904 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
19905 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
19906 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
19907 never be totally undoable.
19909 @findex gnus-undo-mode
19910 @vindex gnus-use-undo
19912 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
19913 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
19914 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
19915 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
19919 @node Predicate Specifiers
19920 @section Predicate Specifiers
19921 @cindex predicate specifiers
19923 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
19924 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
19925 to type all that much.
19927 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
19932 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
19933 gnus-article-unread-p)
19936 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
19937 functions all take one parameter.
19939 @findex gnus-make-predicate
19940 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
19941 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
19942 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
19947 @section Moderation
19950 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
19951 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
19952 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
19955 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
19959 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
19962 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
19964 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
19969 You split your incoming mail by matching on
19970 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
19971 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
19974 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
19975 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
19978 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
19979 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
19983 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
19986 (setq gnus-moderated-list
19987 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
19991 @node Image Enhancements
19992 @section Image Enhancements
19994 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
19995 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
19998 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
19999 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
20000 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
20001 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
20002 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
20015 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
20016 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
20017 over your shoulder as you read news.
20020 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
20021 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
20022 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
20023 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
20024 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
20029 @subsubsection Picon Basics
20031 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
20040 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
20041 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
20042 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
20043 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
20044 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
20045 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
20046 @code{GIF} formats.
20049 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20050 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
20051 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
20052 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
20053 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
20055 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20056 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
20057 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
20058 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
20059 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
20060 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20062 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
20063 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
20066 @node Picon Requirements
20067 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
20069 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
20070 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
20071 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
20072 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
20074 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20075 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
20076 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
20077 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
20078 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
20079 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20082 @subsubsection Easy Picons
20084 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
20085 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
20088 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
20089 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
20092 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
20093 containing the Picons databases.
20095 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
20098 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20099 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
20104 @subsubsection Hard Picons
20112 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
20113 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
20114 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
20115 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
20116 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
20121 @item gnus-picons-database
20122 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20123 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
20124 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
20125 subdirectories. This is only useful if
20126 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
20127 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
20129 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20130 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20131 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
20132 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
20133 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
20134 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
20135 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20137 @item gnus-picons-display-where
20138 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20139 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
20140 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
20141 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
20142 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
20143 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
20144 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
20146 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20147 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20148 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
20153 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
20154 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
20156 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
20157 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
20160 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20162 @item gnus-article-display-picons
20163 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
20164 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
20165 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
20167 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20168 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20169 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
20170 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
20176 @node Picon Useless Configuration
20177 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
20185 The following variables offer further control over how things are
20186 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
20187 don't need to worry about.
20191 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
20192 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
20193 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20194 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
20196 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
20197 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
20198 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
20199 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
20201 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
20202 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
20203 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20204 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
20205 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
20207 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20208 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20209 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
20210 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
20211 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
20212 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
20213 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
20214 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20216 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20217 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20218 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
20219 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
20220 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20222 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20223 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20224 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
20225 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
20226 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
20227 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
20228 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
20230 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20231 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20232 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
20233 Defaults to @code{nil}.
20235 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
20236 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
20237 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
20238 Defaults to @code{t}.
20240 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20241 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20242 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
20243 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
20245 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
20246 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
20247 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
20249 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20250 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20251 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
20252 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
20254 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
20255 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
20257 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20258 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20259 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
20260 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
20261 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
20262 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
20263 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
20264 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
20275 @subsection Smileys
20280 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
20285 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
20286 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
20288 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
20289 @file{.gnus.el} file:
20292 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
20295 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
20296 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
20297 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
20298 text and maps that to file names.
20300 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
20301 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
20302 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
20303 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
20304 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
20305 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
20307 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
20308 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
20310 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
20311 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
20312 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
20314 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
20315 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
20319 @item smiley-data-directory
20320 @vindex smiley-data-directory
20321 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
20323 @item smiley-flesh-color
20324 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
20325 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
20327 @item smiley-features-color
20328 @vindex smiley-features-color
20329 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20331 @item smiley-tongue-color
20332 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
20333 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
20335 @item smiley-circle-color
20336 @vindex smiley-circle-color
20337 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20339 @item smiley-mouse-face
20340 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
20341 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
20350 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
20351 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
20352 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
20356 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
20357 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
20358 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
20359 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
20367 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
20368 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
20369 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
20370 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
20372 The variable that controls this is the
20373 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20374 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20375 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20376 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20377 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20379 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20380 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20381 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20382 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20385 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20386 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20387 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20388 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20389 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20390 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20391 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20392 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20394 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20397 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
20398 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
20400 @findex gnus-random-x-face
20401 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files
20402 in @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
20403 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
20404 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
20405 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big.
20407 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a file as the parameter, and then
20408 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
20409 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
20411 Here's how you would typically use the former function. Put something
20412 like the folllowing in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20415 (setq message-required-news-headers
20416 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20417 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
20420 Using the latter function would be something like this:
20423 (setq message-required-news-headers
20424 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20425 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
20426 (gnus-x-face-from-file
20427 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
20432 @subsection Toolbar
20442 @item gnus-use-toolbar
20443 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
20444 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
20445 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
20446 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
20448 @item gnus-group-toolbar
20449 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
20450 The toolbar in the group buffer.
20452 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
20453 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
20454 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
20456 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20457 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20458 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
20464 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
20467 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20468 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20469 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
20470 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
20471 unusual directory structure.
20473 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20474 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20475 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
20476 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
20478 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20479 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20480 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
20481 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
20482 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
20483 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
20485 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20486 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20487 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
20501 @node Fuzzy Matching
20502 @section Fuzzy Matching
20503 @cindex fuzzy matching
20505 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
20506 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
20508 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
20509 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
20510 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
20512 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
20513 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
20514 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
20515 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
20516 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
20519 @node Thwarting Email Spam
20520 @section Thwarting Email Spam
20524 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
20526 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
20527 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
20528 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
20529 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
20530 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
20531 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
20532 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
20533 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
20536 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
20537 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
20538 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
20539 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
20540 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
20541 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
20545 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
20546 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
20548 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
20549 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
20550 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
20551 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
20552 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
20553 part of the mail address.)
20556 (setq message-default-news-headers
20557 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
20560 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
20561 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
20566 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
20567 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
20568 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
20574 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
20575 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
20576 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
20577 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
20579 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
20580 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
20581 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
20582 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
20583 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
20584 your fancy split rule in this way:
20589 (to "larsi" "misc")
20593 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
20594 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
20595 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
20596 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
20597 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
20599 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
20600 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
20601 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
20602 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
20603 cosmic balance somewhat.
20605 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
20606 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
20607 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
20608 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
20611 @node Various Various
20612 @section Various Various
20618 @item gnus-home-directory
20619 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
20620 defaults to @file{~/}.
20622 @item gnus-directory
20623 @vindex gnus-directory
20624 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
20625 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
20626 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
20628 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
20629 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
20630 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
20631 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
20633 @item gnus-default-directory
20634 @vindex gnus-default-directory
20635 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
20636 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
20637 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
20638 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
20639 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
20640 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
20643 @vindex gnus-verbose
20644 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
20645 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
20646 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
20647 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
20648 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
20650 @item gnus-verbose-backends
20651 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
20652 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
20653 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
20655 @item nnheader-max-head-length
20656 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
20657 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
20658 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
20659 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
20660 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
20661 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
20662 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
20663 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
20664 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
20666 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
20667 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
20668 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
20669 read when doing the operation described above.
20671 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20672 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20674 @cindex invalid characters in file names
20675 @cindex characters in file names
20676 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
20677 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
20678 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
20681 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20685 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
20686 Windows (phooey) systems.
20688 @item gnus-hidden-properties
20689 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
20690 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
20691 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
20692 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
20694 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
20695 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
20696 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
20697 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
20698 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
20700 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
20701 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
20702 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
20704 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20705 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20707 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
20708 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
20709 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
20710 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
20713 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
20721 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
20722 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
20724 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
20726 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
20732 Not because of victories @*
20735 but for the common sunshine,@*
20737 the largess of the spring.
20741 but for the day's work done@*
20742 as well as I was able;@*
20743 not for a seat upon the dais@*
20744 but at the common table.@*
20749 @chapter Appendices
20752 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
20753 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
20754 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
20755 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
20756 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
20757 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
20758 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
20759 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
20760 * Frequently Asked Questions::
20767 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
20769 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
20770 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
20771 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
20772 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
20773 @samp{xemacs-base}, and @samp{fsf-compat}.
20780 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
20781 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
20783 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
20784 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
20785 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
20786 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
20787 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
20789 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
20790 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
20791 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
20792 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
20793 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
20794 appropriate name, don't you think?)
20796 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
20797 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
20798 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
20799 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
20802 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
20803 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
20804 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
20805 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
20806 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
20807 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
20808 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
20809 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
20810 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
20814 @node Gnus Versions
20815 @subsection Gnus Versions
20817 @cindex September Gnus
20819 @cindex Quassia Gnus
20820 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
20824 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
20825 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
20826 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
20828 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
20829 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
20831 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
20832 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
20834 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
20835 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
20837 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
20838 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
20841 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
20843 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
20844 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
20845 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
20846 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
20847 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
20848 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
20851 @node Other Gnus Versions
20852 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
20855 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
20856 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
20857 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
20858 @sc{mime} capabilities.
20860 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
20861 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
20862 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
20863 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
20870 What's the point of Gnus?
20872 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
20873 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
20874 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
20875 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
20876 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
20877 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
20878 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
20879 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
20880 keep track of millions of people who post?
20882 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
20883 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
20884 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
20885 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
20886 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
20887 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
20888 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
20889 every one of you to explore and invent.
20891 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
20892 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
20895 @node Compatibility
20896 @subsection Compatibility
20898 @cindex compatibility
20899 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
20900 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
20901 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
20906 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
20910 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
20913 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
20916 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
20917 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
20918 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
20919 important variables have their values copied into their global
20920 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
20921 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
20923 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
20924 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
20925 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
20926 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
20927 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
20931 @cindex highlighting
20932 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
20933 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
20934 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
20935 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
20936 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
20937 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
20940 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
20941 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
20942 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
20943 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
20945 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
20946 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
20947 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
20948 to stop doing it the old way.
20950 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
20952 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
20954 @cindex reporting bugs
20956 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
20957 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
20958 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
20960 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
20961 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
20962 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
20963 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
20968 @subsection Conformity
20970 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
20971 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
20979 There are no known breaches of this standard.
20983 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
20985 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
20986 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
20987 We do have some breaches to this one.
20993 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
20994 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
20995 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
20996 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
20997 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
21002 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
21003 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
21004 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
21005 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
21007 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
21009 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
21011 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
21012 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
21014 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
21017 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
21018 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
21019 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
21020 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
21021 decoding (verification and decryption).
21023 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
21024 RFC 2015 (superceded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
21025 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
21026 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
21028 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
21029 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
21031 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
21032 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
21033 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
21034 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
21035 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
21036 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
21037 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
21041 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
21042 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
21047 @subsection Emacsen
21053 Gnus should work on :
21061 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
21065 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
21066 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
21069 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
21070 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
21071 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
21075 @node Gnus Development
21076 @subsection Gnus Development
21078 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
21079 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
21080 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
21081 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
21082 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
21083 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
21084 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
21085 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
21087 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
21088 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
21089 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
21090 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
21091 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
21094 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
21095 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
21096 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
21097 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
21098 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
21100 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
21101 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
21102 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
21103 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
21104 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
21105 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
21106 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
21107 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
21108 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
21109 can't be assumed to do so.
21114 @subsection Contributors
21115 @cindex contributors
21117 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
21118 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
21119 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
21120 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
21121 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
21122 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
21123 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
21124 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
21125 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
21126 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
21128 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
21134 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
21137 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
21138 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
21139 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
21140 functionality and stuff.
21143 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
21144 well as numerous other things).
21147 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
21150 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
21153 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
21156 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
21159 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
21160 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
21163 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
21166 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
21167 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
21170 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
21173 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
21176 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
21179 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
21182 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
21183 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
21186 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
21189 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
21192 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
21195 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
21199 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
21202 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
21205 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
21208 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
21209 well as autoconf support.
21213 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
21214 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
21216 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
21225 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
21229 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
21239 Alexei V. Barantsev,
21254 Massimo Campostrini,
21259 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
21260 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
21264 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
21267 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
21273 Michael Welsh Duggan,
21278 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
21282 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
21290 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
21292 Michelangelo Grigni,
21296 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
21298 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
21300 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
21307 François Felix Ingrand,
21308 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
21309 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
21311 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
21322 Peter Skov Knudsen,
21323 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
21325 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
21326 Thor Kristoffersen,
21329 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
21347 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
21348 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
21355 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
21360 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
21364 John McClary Prevost,
21370 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
21375 Christian von Roques,
21378 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
21385 Philippe Schnoebelen,
21387 Randal L. Schwartz,
21401 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
21406 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
21422 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
21427 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
21428 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
21429 (550kB and counting).
21431 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
21434 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
21435 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
21439 @subsection New Features
21440 @cindex new features
21443 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
21444 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
21445 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
21446 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
21447 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
21450 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
21451 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
21452 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
21455 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
21457 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
21462 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
21463 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
21466 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
21467 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
21470 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
21473 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
21474 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
21475 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
21478 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
21479 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
21480 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
21481 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21484 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
21485 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21488 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
21489 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
21490 (@pxref{The Active File}).
21493 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
21494 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
21497 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
21498 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
21499 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21502 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
21503 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
21504 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
21507 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
21508 the @file{.emacs} file.
21511 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
21512 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
21515 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
21516 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
21519 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
21520 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21523 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
21524 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
21527 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
21528 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21531 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
21534 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
21535 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
21538 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
21539 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
21542 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
21543 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
21546 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
21549 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
21550 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21553 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
21557 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
21561 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
21562 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
21565 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
21571 @node September Gnus
21572 @subsubsection September Gnus
21576 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
21580 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
21585 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
21586 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
21590 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
21591 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
21595 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
21599 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
21600 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
21603 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
21607 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
21610 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
21613 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
21616 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
21620 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
21621 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
21624 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
21628 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
21632 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
21636 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
21640 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
21643 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
21644 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
21647 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
21651 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
21652 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
21655 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
21658 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
21659 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
21660 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21663 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
21667 The Gnus cache is much faster.
21670 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
21674 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
21675 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
21678 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
21679 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
21682 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
21683 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21686 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
21687 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
21688 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
21691 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
21692 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
21695 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
21698 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21701 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
21704 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
21707 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
21708 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
21711 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
21715 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
21718 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
21723 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
21726 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
21730 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21733 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
21737 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
21740 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
21743 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
21744 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21747 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
21748 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
21752 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
21753 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
21756 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
21760 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
21761 buffer to allow easier treatment.
21764 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
21767 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
21771 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
21775 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
21776 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
21779 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
21783 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
21784 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21787 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
21788 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21791 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
21795 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21798 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
21801 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
21807 @subsubsection Red Gnus
21809 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
21813 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
21820 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
21823 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
21824 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21827 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
21828 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
21832 Article washing status can be displayed in the
21833 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
21836 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
21839 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
21840 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
21843 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
21847 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
21848 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
21852 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
21853 Server Internals}).
21856 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
21860 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
21863 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
21864 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
21867 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
21868 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
21869 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
21872 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
21873 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21876 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
21877 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
21880 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
21884 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
21885 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21888 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
21889 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21892 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
21896 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
21899 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
21903 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
21904 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21907 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
21908 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21911 A new command for reading collections of documents
21912 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
21913 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
21916 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
21920 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
21921 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
21924 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
21925 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
21926 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
21929 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
21930 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
21934 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
21938 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
21942 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
21947 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
21951 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
21955 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
21956 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
21959 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
21965 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
21967 New features in Gnus 5.6:
21972 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
21973 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
21974 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
21977 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
21978 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
21979 group, which is created automatically.
21982 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
21986 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
21989 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
21990 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
21993 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
21997 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
22000 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
22001 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
22004 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
22007 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
22008 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
22011 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
22012 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
22015 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
22016 control over simplification.
22019 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
22022 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
22026 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
22029 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
22032 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
22033 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
22034 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
22037 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
22038 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
22041 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
22045 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
22046 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
22049 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
22050 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
22053 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
22057 A history of where mails have been split is available.
22060 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
22063 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
22064 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
22067 A new function for citing in Message has been
22068 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
22071 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
22074 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
22078 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
22079 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
22082 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
22083 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
22086 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
22089 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
22093 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
22094 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
22096 New features in Gnus 5.8:
22101 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
22102 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
22104 If you used procmail like in
22107 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
22108 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
22109 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
22110 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
22113 this now has changed to
22117 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
22121 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
22122 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
22125 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
22126 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
22129 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
22130 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
22133 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
22134 called to position point.
22137 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
22138 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
22141 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
22142 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
22145 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
22146 subtly different manner.
22149 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
22150 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
22151 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
22154 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
22162 @section The Manual
22166 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
22167 either @code{texi2dvi}
22169 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
22170 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
22172 to get what you hold in your hands now.
22174 The following conventions have been used:
22179 This is a @samp{string}
22182 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
22185 This is a @file{file}
22188 This is a @code{symbol}
22192 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
22196 (setq flargnoze "yes")
22199 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
22202 (setq flumphel 'yes)
22205 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
22206 ever get them confused.
22210 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
22211 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
22212 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
22213 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
22214 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
22215 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
22216 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
22222 @node On Writing Manuals
22223 @section On Writing Manuals
22225 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
22226 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
22227 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
22228 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
22229 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
22230 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
22233 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
22234 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
22235 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
22238 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
22239 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
22244 @section Terminology
22246 @cindex terminology
22251 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
22252 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
22253 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
22254 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
22255 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
22259 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
22260 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
22261 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
22262 not posting, and replying is not following up.
22266 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
22270 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
22275 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of back ends, both news and mail
22276 back ends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
22277 is all done by the back ends.
22281 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
22282 default, way of getting news.
22286 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
22287 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
22292 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
22293 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
22297 A message that has been posted as news.
22300 @cindex mail message
22301 A message that has been mailed.
22305 A mail message or news article
22309 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
22314 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
22319 A line from the head of an article.
22323 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
22324 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
22328 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
22329 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
22330 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
22331 normal @sc{head} format.
22335 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
22336 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
22337 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
22338 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
22339 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
22340 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
22342 @item killed groups
22343 @cindex killed groups
22344 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
22345 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
22347 @item zombie groups
22348 @cindex zombie groups
22349 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
22352 @cindex active file
22353 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
22354 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
22355 is rather large, as you might surmise.
22358 @cindex bogus groups
22359 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
22360 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
22361 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
22364 @cindex activating groups
22365 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
22366 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
22367 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
22371 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
22373 @item select method
22374 @cindex select method
22375 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
22378 @item virtual server
22379 @cindex virtual server
22380 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
22381 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
22382 whole is a virtual server.
22386 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
22387 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
22390 @item ephemeral groups
22391 @cindex ephemeral groups
22392 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
22393 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
22394 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
22397 @cindex solid groups
22398 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
22399 group buffer are solid groups.
22401 @item sparse articles
22402 @cindex sparse articles
22403 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
22404 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
22408 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
22409 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
22413 @cindex thread root
22414 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
22415 articles in the thread.
22419 An article that has responses.
22423 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
22427 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
22428 specified by RFC 1153.
22434 @node Customization
22435 @section Customization
22436 @cindex general customization
22438 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
22439 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
22440 for some quite common situations.
22443 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
22444 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
22445 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
22446 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
22450 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
22451 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
22453 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
22454 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
22455 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
22459 @item gnus-read-active-file
22460 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
22461 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
22462 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22463 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
22464 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
22466 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
22467 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
22468 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
22469 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
22473 @node Slow Terminal Connection
22474 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
22476 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
22477 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
22478 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
22482 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
22483 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
22484 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
22485 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
22486 horizontal and vertical recentering.
22488 @item gnus-visible-headers
22489 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
22490 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
22491 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
22492 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
22494 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
22496 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
22497 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
22498 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
22501 @item gnus-use-full-window
22502 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
22503 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
22504 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
22505 want to read them anyway.
22507 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
22508 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
22512 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
22513 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
22514 lines, which might save some time.
22518 @node Little Disk Space
22519 @subsection Little Disk Space
22522 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
22523 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
22527 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
22528 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
22529 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22530 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22533 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
22534 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
22535 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22536 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22539 @item gnus-save-killed-list
22540 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
22541 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
22542 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
22543 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
22549 @subsection Slow Machine
22550 @cindex slow machine
22552 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
22553 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
22555 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22556 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
22558 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
22559 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
22560 summary buffer faster.
22564 @node Troubleshooting
22565 @section Troubleshooting
22566 @cindex troubleshooting
22568 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
22576 Make sure your computer is switched on.
22579 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
22580 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
22584 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
22585 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
22586 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
22587 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
22590 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
22594 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
22595 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
22596 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
22597 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
22598 something like that.
22601 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
22604 @cindex reporting bugs
22606 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22608 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
22609 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
22610 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
22611 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
22613 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
22614 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
22615 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
22616 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
22619 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
22620 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
22621 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
22622 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
22623 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
22624 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
22626 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
22627 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
22628 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
22632 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
22633 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
22635 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
22636 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
22638 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
22639 @cindex ding mailing list
22640 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
22641 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
22645 @node Gnus Reference Guide
22646 @section Gnus Reference Guide
22648 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
22649 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
22650 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
22651 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
22654 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
22655 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
22656 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
22657 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
22658 and general methods of operation.
22661 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
22662 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
22663 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
22664 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
22665 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
22666 * Group Info:: The group info format.
22667 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
22668 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
22669 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
22673 @node Gnus Utility Functions
22674 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
22675 @cindex Gnus utility functions
22676 @cindex utility functions
22678 @cindex internal variables
22680 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
22681 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
22682 Below is a list of the most common ones.
22686 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
22687 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
22688 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
22690 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
22691 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
22692 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
22694 @item gnus-group-real-name
22695 @findex gnus-group-real-name
22696 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
22699 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
22700 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
22701 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
22702 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
22704 @item gnus-get-info
22705 @findex gnus-get-info
22706 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
22708 @item gnus-group-unread
22709 @findex gnus-group-unread
22710 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
22714 @findex gnus-active
22715 The active entry for @var{group}.
22717 @item gnus-set-active
22718 @findex gnus-set-active
22719 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
22721 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22722 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22723 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
22726 @item gnus-continuum-version
22727 @findex gnus-continuum-version
22728 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
22729 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
22732 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
22733 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
22734 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
22736 @item gnus-news-group-p
22737 @findex gnus-news-group-p
22738 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
22740 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22741 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22742 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
22744 @item gnus-server-to-method
22745 @findex gnus-server-to-method
22746 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
22748 @item gnus-server-equal
22749 @findex gnus-server-equal
22750 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
22752 @item gnus-group-native-p
22753 @findex gnus-group-native-p
22754 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
22756 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
22757 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
22758 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
22760 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
22761 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
22762 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
22764 @item group-group-find-parameter
22765 @findex group-group-find-parameter
22766 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
22767 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
22769 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
22770 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
22771 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
22773 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
22774 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
22775 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
22777 @item gnus-check-backend-function
22778 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
22779 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
22780 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
22783 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
22787 @item gnus-read-method
22788 @findex gnus-read-method
22789 Prompts the user for a select method.
22794 @node Back End Interface
22795 @subsection Back End Interface
22797 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
22798 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
22799 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
22800 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
22801 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
22802 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
22804 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
22805 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
22806 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
22807 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
22808 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
22809 been opened, the function should fail.
22811 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
22812 name. Take this example:
22816 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
22817 (nntp-port-number 4324))
22820 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
22821 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
22823 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
22824 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
22825 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
22827 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
22828 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
22829 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
22831 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
22832 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
22833 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
22834 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
22835 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
22836 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
22839 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
22840 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
22841 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
22842 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
22845 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
22846 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
22847 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
22848 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
22849 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
22850 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
22851 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
22852 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
22853 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
22854 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
22856 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
22857 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
22858 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
22859 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
22860 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
22861 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
22862 of numbers as long as possible.
22864 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
22867 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
22870 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
22871 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
22872 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
22873 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
22874 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
22875 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
22879 @node Required Back End Functions
22880 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
22884 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
22886 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
22887 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
22888 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
22889 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
22891 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
22892 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
22893 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
22894 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
22896 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
22897 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
22898 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
22899 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
22900 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
22901 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
22902 number, do maximum fetches.
22904 Here's an example HEAD:
22907 221 1056 Article retrieved.
22908 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
22909 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
22910 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
22911 Subject: Re: Something very droll
22912 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
22913 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
22915 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
22916 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
22917 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
22921 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
22922 these in the data buffer.
22924 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
22928 head = error / valid-head
22929 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
22930 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
22931 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
22932 header = <text> eol
22935 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
22936 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
22940 nov-buffer = *nov-line
22941 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
22942 field = <text except TAB>
22945 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
22949 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
22951 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
22952 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
22954 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
22955 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
22956 server. In fact, it should do so.
22958 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
22959 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
22962 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
22964 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
22965 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
22968 There should be no data returned.
22971 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
22973 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
22974 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
22975 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
22976 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
22978 There should be no data returned.
22981 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
22983 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
22984 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
22985 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
22986 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
22988 There should be no data returned.
22991 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
22993 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
22995 There should be no data returned.
22998 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
23000 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
23001 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
23002 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
23003 it would be nice if that were possible.
23005 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
23006 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
23007 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
23008 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
23009 into its article buffer.
23011 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
23012 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
23013 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
23014 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
23015 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
23016 on successful article retrieval.
23019 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
23021 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
23022 making @var{group} the current group.
23024 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
23027 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
23030 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
23033 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
23034 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
23035 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
23036 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
23037 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
23038 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
23039 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
23040 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
23041 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
23045 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
23046 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
23047 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
23051 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
23053 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
23054 a no-op on most back ends.
23056 There should be no data returned.
23059 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
23061 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
23064 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
23067 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
23068 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
23071 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
23072 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
23073 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
23074 and the highest as 0.
23077 active-file = *active-line
23078 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
23080 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
23083 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
23084 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
23085 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
23088 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
23090 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
23091 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
23092 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
23093 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
23094 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
23095 clear if the posting could not be completed.
23097 There should be no result data from this function.
23102 @node Optional Back End Functions
23103 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
23107 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
23109 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
23110 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
23111 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
23113 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
23114 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
23115 former is in the same format as the data from
23116 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
23117 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
23120 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
23124 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
23126 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
23127 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
23128 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
23129 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
23130 should return the (altered) group info.
23132 There should be no result data from this function.
23135 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
23137 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
23138 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
23139 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
23140 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
23141 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
23142 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
23143 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
23144 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
23146 There should be no result data from this function.
23149 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
23151 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
23152 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
23153 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
23154 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
23155 propagate the mark information to the server.
23157 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
23160 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
23163 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
23164 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
23165 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
23166 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
23167 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
23168 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
23169 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
23170 possible, not limit itself to these.
23172 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
23173 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
23174 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
23175 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
23177 An example action list:
23180 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
23181 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
23182 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
23185 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
23186 mark on (currently not used for anything).
23188 There should be no result data from this function.
23190 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
23192 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
23193 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
23194 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
23195 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
23196 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
23198 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
23199 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
23200 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
23203 There should be no result data from this function.
23206 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
23208 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
23209 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
23210 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
23211 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
23212 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
23213 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
23214 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
23216 There should be no result data from this function.
23219 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
23221 The result data from this function should be a description of
23225 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
23227 description = <text>
23230 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
23232 The result data from this function should be the description of all
23233 groups available on the server.
23236 description-buffer = *description-line
23240 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
23242 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
23243 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
23244 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
23245 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
23246 in the active buffer format.
23248 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
23249 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
23250 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
23251 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
23252 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
23253 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
23254 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
23257 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
23259 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
23261 There should be no return data.
23264 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
23266 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
23267 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
23268 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
23269 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
23270 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
23273 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
23276 There should be no result data returned.
23279 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
23282 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
23283 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
23285 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
23286 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
23287 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
23288 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
23289 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
23290 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
23292 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
23293 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
23296 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
23297 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
23299 There should be no data returned.
23302 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
23304 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
23305 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
23306 this function in short order.
23308 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
23309 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
23311 There should be no data returned.
23314 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
23316 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
23317 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
23319 There should be no data returned.
23322 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
23324 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
23325 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
23326 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
23328 There should be no data returned.
23331 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
23333 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
23334 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
23336 There should be no data returned.
23341 @node Error Messaging
23342 @subsubsection Error Messaging
23344 @findex nnheader-report
23345 @findex nnheader-get-report
23346 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
23347 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
23348 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
23349 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
23350 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
23351 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
23354 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
23356 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
23359 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
23360 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
23361 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
23362 takes one argument---the server symbol.
23364 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
23365 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
23366 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
23369 @node Writing New Back Ends
23370 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
23372 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
23373 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
23374 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
23375 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
23376 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
23379 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
23380 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
23381 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
23383 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
23384 package called @code{nnoo}.
23386 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
23387 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
23393 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
23394 parameters. For instance:
23397 (nnoo-declare nndir
23401 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
23402 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
23405 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
23406 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
23407 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
23409 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
23410 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
23411 a function in those back ends.
23414 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
23415 "Where nndir will look for groups."
23416 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
23419 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
23420 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
23421 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
23423 @item nnoo-define-basics
23424 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
23428 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23432 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
23433 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
23434 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
23436 @item nnoo-map-functions
23437 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
23438 functions from the parent back ends.
23441 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23442 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23443 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
23446 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
23447 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
23448 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
23449 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
23452 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
23453 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
23454 haven't already been defined.
23460 nnmh-request-newgroups)
23464 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
23465 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
23466 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
23471 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
23474 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
23475 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
23479 (require 'nnheader)
23483 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
23485 (nnoo-declare nndir
23488 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
23489 "Where nndir will look for groups."
23490 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
23492 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
23493 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
23496 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
23498 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
23499 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
23500 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
23502 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
23503 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
23505 ;;; Interface functions.
23507 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23509 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
23510 (setq nndir-directory
23511 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
23513 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
23514 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
23515 (push `(nndir-current-group
23516 ,(file-name-nondirectory
23517 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23519 (push `(nndir-top-directory
23520 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23522 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
23524 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23525 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23526 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23527 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
23528 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
23532 nnmh-status-message
23534 nnmh-request-newgroups))
23540 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23541 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23543 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
23544 @findex gnus-declare-backend
23545 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
23546 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
23547 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
23549 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
23550 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
23555 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
23558 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
23560 The abilities can be:
23564 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
23566 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
23568 This back end supports both mail and news.
23570 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
23573 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
23574 articles and groups.
23576 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
23577 true for almost all back ends.
23578 @item prompt-address
23579 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
23580 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
23581 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
23585 @node Mail-like Back Ends
23586 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
23588 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
23589 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
23590 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
23591 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
23594 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
23595 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
23596 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
23599 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
23600 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
23603 This function takes four parameters.
23607 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
23610 @item exit-function
23611 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
23613 @item temp-directory
23614 Where the temporary files should be stored.
23617 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
23618 performed for one group only.
23621 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
23622 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
23623 find the article number assigned to this article.
23625 The function also uses the following variables:
23626 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
23627 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
23628 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
23629 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
23633 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
23634 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
23638 @node Score File Syntax
23639 @subsection Score File Syntax
23641 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
23642 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
23643 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
23645 Here's a typical score file:
23649 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
23656 BNF definition of a score file:
23659 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
23660 element = rule / atom
23661 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
23662 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
23663 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
23664 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
23666 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
23667 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
23668 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
23669 date-header = "date"
23670 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23671 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23672 score = "nil" / <integer>
23673 date = "nil" / <natural number>
23674 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
23675 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
23676 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
23677 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
23678 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23679 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23680 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
23681 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23682 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
23683 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
23684 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
23685 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
23686 exclude-files / read-only / touched
23687 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
23688 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
23689 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
23690 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
23691 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
23692 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
23693 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
23694 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
23695 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
23696 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
23697 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
23698 eval = "eval" space <form>
23699 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
23702 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
23705 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
23706 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
23707 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
23708 one looong line, then that's ok.
23710 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
23711 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23715 @subsection Headers
23717 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
23718 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
23719 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
23720 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
23722 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
23723 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
23724 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
23725 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
23726 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
23727 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
23728 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
23730 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
23731 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
23732 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
23733 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
23734 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
23736 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
23737 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
23743 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
23744 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
23746 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
23747 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
23748 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
23749 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
23751 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
23755 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
23758 is transformed into
23761 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
23764 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
23765 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
23768 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
23771 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
23772 is slightly tricky:
23775 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
23781 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
23784 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
23790 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
23797 and is equal to the previous range.
23799 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
23800 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
23801 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
23805 range = simple-range / normal-range
23806 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
23807 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
23808 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
23809 number *[ " " contents ]
23812 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
23813 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
23814 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
23815 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
23816 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
23821 @subsection Group Info
23823 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
23824 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
23825 describes the group.
23827 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
23828 second is a more complex one:
23831 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
23833 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
23834 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
23836 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
23839 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
23840 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
23841 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
23842 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
23843 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
23844 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
23845 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
23846 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
23847 this section is about.
23849 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
23850 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
23851 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
23853 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
23856 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
23857 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
23858 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23859 group = quote <string> quote
23860 ralevel = rank / level
23861 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23862 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
23863 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23865 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
23866 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
23867 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
23868 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
23871 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
23872 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
23875 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
23876 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
23879 @item gnus-info-group
23880 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
23881 @findex gnus-info-group
23882 @findex gnus-info-set-group
23883 Get/set the group name.
23885 @item gnus-info-rank
23886 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
23887 @findex gnus-info-rank
23888 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
23889 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
23891 @item gnus-info-level
23892 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
23893 @findex gnus-info-level
23894 @findex gnus-info-set-level
23895 Get/set the group level.
23897 @item gnus-info-score
23898 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
23899 @findex gnus-info-score
23900 @findex gnus-info-set-score
23901 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
23903 @item gnus-info-read
23904 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
23905 @findex gnus-info-read
23906 @findex gnus-info-set-read
23907 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
23909 @item gnus-info-marks
23910 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
23911 @findex gnus-info-marks
23912 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
23913 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
23915 @item gnus-info-method
23916 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
23917 @findex gnus-info-method
23918 @findex gnus-info-set-method
23919 Get/set the group select method.
23921 @item gnus-info-params
23922 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
23923 @findex gnus-info-params
23924 @findex gnus-info-set-params
23925 Get/set the group parameters.
23928 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
23929 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
23931 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
23932 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
23933 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
23934 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
23937 @node Extended Interactive
23938 @subsection Extended Interactive
23939 @cindex interactive
23940 @findex gnus-interactive
23942 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
23943 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
23944 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
23947 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
23948 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
23953 The best thing to do would have been to implement
23954 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
23955 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
23956 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
23957 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
23958 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
23959 @code{interactive}.
23961 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
23966 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
23967 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
23971 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
23972 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
23973 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
23976 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
23980 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
23984 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
23990 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
23991 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
23995 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
23996 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
23997 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
23999 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
24000 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
24001 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
24002 Gnus, that's very useful.
24004 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
24005 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
24006 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
24007 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
24008 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
24009 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
24010 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
24011 following function:
24014 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
24018 (,function ,@@args))
24022 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
24023 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
24024 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
24027 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
24028 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
24029 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
24031 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
24032 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
24033 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
24036 @node Various File Formats
24037 @subsection Various File Formats
24040 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
24041 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
24045 @node Active File Format
24046 @subsubsection Active File Format
24048 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
24049 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
24052 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
24055 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
24056 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
24057 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
24058 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
24059 no.general 1000 900 y
24062 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
24065 active = *group-line
24066 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
24067 group = <non-white-space string>
24069 high-number = <non-negative integer>
24070 low-number = <positive integer>
24071 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
24074 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
24075 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
24078 @node Newsgroups File Format
24079 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
24081 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
24082 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
24083 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
24086 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
24087 Here's the definition:
24091 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
24092 group = <non-white-space string>
24094 description = <string>
24099 @node Emacs for Heathens
24100 @section Emacs for Heathens
24102 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
24103 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
24104 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
24105 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
24106 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
24107 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
24108 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
24112 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
24113 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
24118 @subsection Keystrokes
24122 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
24125 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
24128 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
24129 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
24130 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
24131 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
24132 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
24133 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
24135 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
24136 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
24137 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
24138 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
24139 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
24140 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
24141 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
24143 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
24144 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
24145 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
24146 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
24147 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
24148 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
24149 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
24151 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
24152 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
24153 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
24154 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
24155 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
24161 @subsection Emacs Lisp
24163 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
24164 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
24165 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
24166 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
24168 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
24169 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
24170 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
24171 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
24172 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
24173 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
24174 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
24177 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
24178 write the following:
24181 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
24184 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
24185 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
24186 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
24189 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
24190 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
24191 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
24192 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
24193 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
24195 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
24196 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
24197 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
24201 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
24205 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
24208 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
24209 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
24212 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
24215 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
24216 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
24219 @include gnus-faq.texi
24239 @c Local Variables:
24241 @c coding: iso-8859-1
24243 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
24244 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
24245 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
24246 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
24247 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref