10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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284 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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293 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
295 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
299 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
300 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
301 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
302 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
303 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
304 License'' in the Emacs manual.
306 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
307 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
308 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
310 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
311 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
312 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
313 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
321 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
323 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
324 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
326 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
327 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
328 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
329 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
330 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
331 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
332 License'' in the Emacs manual.
334 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
335 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
336 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
338 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
339 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
340 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
341 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
349 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
352 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
353 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
355 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
357 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
358 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
359 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
360 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
361 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
362 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
363 License'' in the Emacs manual.
365 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
366 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
367 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
369 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
370 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
371 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
372 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
381 @top The Gnus Newsreader
385 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
386 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
387 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
390 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v0.15.
401 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
402 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
404 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
405 being accused of plagiarism:
407 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
408 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
409 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
410 can even read news with it!
412 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
413 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
414 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
415 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
416 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
422 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
423 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
424 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
425 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
426 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
427 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
428 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
429 * Various:: General purpose settings.
430 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
431 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
432 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
433 * Key Index:: Key Index.
435 Other related manuals
437 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
438 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; MIME-specific parts.
439 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
440 * PGG:(pgg). PGP/MIME with Gnus.
443 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
447 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
448 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
449 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
450 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
451 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
452 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
453 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
454 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
455 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
456 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
457 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
461 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
462 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
463 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
467 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
468 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
469 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
470 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
471 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
472 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
473 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
474 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
475 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
476 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
477 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
478 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
479 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
480 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
481 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
482 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
483 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
487 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
488 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
489 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
493 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
494 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
495 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
496 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
497 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
501 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
502 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
503 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
504 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
505 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
509 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
510 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
511 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
512 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
513 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
514 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
515 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
516 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
517 * Threading:: How threads are made.
518 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
519 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
520 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
521 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
522 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
523 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
524 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
525 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
526 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
527 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
528 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
529 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
530 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
531 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
532 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
533 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
534 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
535 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
536 or reselecting the current group.
537 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
538 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
539 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
540 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
542 Summary Buffer Format
544 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
545 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
546 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
547 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
551 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
552 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
554 Reply, Followup and Post
556 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
557 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
558 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
559 * Canceling and Superseding::
563 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
564 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
565 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
567 * Generic Marking Commands::
568 * Setting Process Marks::
572 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
573 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
574 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
578 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
579 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
581 Customizing Threading
583 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
584 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
585 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
586 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
590 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
591 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
592 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
593 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
594 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
595 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
599 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
600 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
601 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
605 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
606 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
607 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
608 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
609 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
610 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
611 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
612 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
613 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
614 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
616 Alternative Approaches
618 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
619 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
621 Various Summary Stuff
623 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
624 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
625 * Summary Generation Commands::
626 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
630 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
631 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
632 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
633 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
634 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
638 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
639 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
640 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
641 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
642 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
643 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
644 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
645 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
649 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
650 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
651 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
652 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
653 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
654 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
655 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
656 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
660 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
661 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
662 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
663 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
664 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
665 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
666 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
670 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
671 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
675 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
676 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
677 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
681 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
682 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
683 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
684 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
685 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
686 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
687 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
688 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
689 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
690 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
691 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
692 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
693 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
697 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
698 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
699 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
701 Choosing a Mail Back End
703 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
704 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
705 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
706 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
707 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
708 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
713 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
714 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
715 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
716 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
717 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
718 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
722 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
723 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
724 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
725 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
726 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
730 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
731 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
732 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
733 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
734 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
738 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
742 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
743 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
744 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
748 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
749 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
753 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
754 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
755 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
756 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
757 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
758 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
759 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
760 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
761 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
762 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
763 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
764 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
768 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
769 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
770 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
774 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
775 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
776 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
780 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
781 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
782 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
783 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
784 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
785 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
786 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
787 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
788 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
789 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
790 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
791 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
792 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
793 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
794 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
795 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
796 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
800 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
801 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
802 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
803 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
807 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
808 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
809 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
813 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
814 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
815 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
816 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
817 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
818 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
819 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
820 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
821 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
822 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
823 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
824 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
825 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
826 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
827 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
828 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
829 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
830 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
831 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
835 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
836 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
837 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
838 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
839 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
840 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
841 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
842 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
846 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
847 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
848 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
849 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
853 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
854 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
855 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
856 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
857 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
858 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
862 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
863 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
864 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
865 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
866 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
867 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
868 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
869 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
870 * Frequently Asked Questions::
874 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
875 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
876 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
877 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
878 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
879 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
880 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
881 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
882 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
886 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
887 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
888 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
889 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
890 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
894 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
895 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
896 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
897 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
901 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
902 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
903 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
904 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
905 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
906 * Group Info:: The group info format.
907 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
908 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
909 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
913 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
914 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
915 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
916 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
917 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
918 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
922 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
923 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
927 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
928 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
934 @chapter Starting Gnus
939 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
940 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
943 @findex gnus-other-frame
944 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
945 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
946 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
948 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
949 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
950 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
952 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
953 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
956 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
957 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
958 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
959 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
960 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
961 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
962 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
963 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
964 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
965 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
966 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
970 @node Finding the News
971 @section Finding the News
974 @vindex gnus-select-method
976 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
977 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
978 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
979 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
982 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
983 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
986 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
989 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
992 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
995 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
996 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
997 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
999 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1001 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
1002 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1003 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1004 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1005 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
1006 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
1008 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1009 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1010 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1011 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1013 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1014 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1015 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1016 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1017 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1018 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1019 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1020 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1021 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1024 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1026 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1027 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1028 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1029 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1030 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1031 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1033 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1035 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1036 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1037 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1038 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1039 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1040 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1043 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1044 you would typically set this variable to
1047 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1051 @node The First Time
1052 @section The First Time
1053 @cindex first time usage
1055 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1056 be subscribed by default.
1058 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1059 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1060 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1061 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1064 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1065 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1066 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1068 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1069 help you with most common problems.
1071 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1072 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1076 @node The Server is Down
1077 @section The Server is Down
1078 @cindex server errors
1080 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1081 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1082 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1084 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1085 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1086 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1087 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1088 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1089 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1090 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1092 @findex gnus-no-server
1093 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1095 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1096 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1097 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1098 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1099 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1100 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1101 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1105 @section Slave Gnusae
1108 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1109 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1110 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1111 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1113 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1114 @file{.newsrc} file.
1116 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1117 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1118 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1119 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1120 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1121 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1122 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1125 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1126 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1127 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1128 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1129 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1130 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1131 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1132 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1134 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1135 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1137 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1138 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1139 file. If you answer "yes", the unsaved changes to the master will be
1140 incorporated into the slave. If you answer "no", the slave may see some
1141 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1143 @node Fetching a Group
1144 @section Fetching a Group
1145 @cindex fetching a group
1147 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1148 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1149 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1150 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1151 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1152 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1158 @cindex subscription
1160 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1161 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1162 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1163 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1164 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1165 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1166 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1167 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1168 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1171 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1172 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1173 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1177 @node Checking New Groups
1178 @subsection Checking New Groups
1180 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1181 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1182 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1183 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1184 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1185 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1186 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1187 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1188 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1189 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1191 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1192 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1193 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1194 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1195 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1196 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1197 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1198 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1199 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1200 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1201 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1203 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1204 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1205 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1206 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1207 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1208 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1211 @node Subscription Methods
1212 @subsection Subscription Methods
1214 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1215 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1216 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1218 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1219 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1221 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1225 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1226 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1227 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1228 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1229 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1231 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1232 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1233 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1234 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1236 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1237 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1238 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1240 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1241 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1242 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1243 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1244 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1245 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1246 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1247 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1248 up. Or something like that.
1250 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1251 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1252 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1253 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1254 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1256 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1257 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1258 Kill all new groups.
1260 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1261 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1262 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1263 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1264 topic parameter that looks like
1270 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1273 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1278 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1279 A closely related variable is
1280 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1281 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1282 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1283 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1286 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1287 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1288 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1289 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1292 @node Filtering New Groups
1293 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1295 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1296 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1297 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1300 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1303 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1304 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1305 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1306 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1307 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1308 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1309 subscribing these groups.
1310 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1311 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1313 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1314 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1315 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1316 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1317 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1318 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1319 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1320 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1322 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1323 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1324 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1325 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1326 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1327 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1328 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1329 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1330 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1331 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1334 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1335 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1338 @node Changing Servers
1339 @section Changing Servers
1340 @cindex changing servers
1342 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1343 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1344 very flaky and you want to use another.
1346 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1347 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1351 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1352 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1353 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1354 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1357 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1358 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1359 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1360 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1362 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1363 @findex gnus-change-server
1364 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1365 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1366 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1367 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1368 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1370 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1371 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1372 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1373 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1374 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1376 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1377 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1378 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1379 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1380 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1381 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1383 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1384 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1385 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1386 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1388 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1389 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1390 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1391 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1392 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1393 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1394 cache for all groups).
1398 @section Startup Files
1399 @cindex startup files
1404 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1405 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1407 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1408 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1409 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1410 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1411 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1412 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1413 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1415 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1416 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1417 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1418 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1419 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1420 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1422 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1423 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1424 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1425 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1426 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1427 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1428 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1429 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1430 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1431 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1433 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1434 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1435 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1436 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1437 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1438 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1439 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1440 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1441 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1442 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1443 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1444 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1446 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1447 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1448 @vindex version-control
1449 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1450 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1451 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1452 If you want version control for this file, set
1453 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1454 @code{version-control} variable.
1456 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1457 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1458 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1459 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1460 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1461 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1462 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1463 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1464 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1465 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1468 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1469 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1471 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1472 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1475 @vindex gnus-init-file
1476 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1477 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1478 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1479 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1480 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1481 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1482 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1483 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1484 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1485 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1491 @cindex dribble file
1494 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1495 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1496 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1497 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1498 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1501 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1502 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1505 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1506 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1507 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1509 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1510 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1511 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1512 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1513 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1514 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1516 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1517 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1518 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1521 @node The Active File
1522 @section The Active File
1524 @cindex ignored groups
1526 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1527 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1528 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1530 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1531 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1532 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1533 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1534 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1535 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1536 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1539 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1540 @c if you set it to anything else.
1542 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1544 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1545 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1546 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1548 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1549 you actually subscribe to.
1551 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1552 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1553 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1554 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1556 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1557 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1558 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1559 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1560 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1561 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1563 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1564 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1565 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1568 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1569 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1570 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1571 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1572 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1573 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1575 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1576 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1578 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1579 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1581 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1582 secondary select methods.
1585 @node Startup Variables
1586 @section Startup Variables
1590 @item gnus-load-hook
1591 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1592 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1593 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1594 times you start Gnus.
1596 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1597 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1598 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1600 @item gnus-startup-hook
1601 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1602 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1604 @item gnus-started-hook
1605 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1606 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1609 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1610 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1611 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1612 generating the group buffer.
1614 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1615 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1616 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1617 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1618 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1619 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1620 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1621 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1623 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1624 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1625 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1626 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1627 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1628 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1630 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1631 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1632 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1634 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1635 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1636 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1638 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1639 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1640 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1641 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1647 @chapter Group Buffer
1648 @cindex group buffer
1650 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1652 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1653 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1654 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1655 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1656 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1657 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1658 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1659 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1660 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1661 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1662 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1663 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1664 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1665 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1666 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1667 @c human rights at 9...
1670 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1671 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1672 long as Gnus is active.
1676 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1677 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1678 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1679 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1680 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1681 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1682 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1683 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1689 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1690 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1691 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1692 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1693 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1694 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1695 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1696 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1697 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1698 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1699 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1700 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1701 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1702 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1703 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1704 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1705 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1709 @node Group Buffer Format
1710 @section Group Buffer Format
1713 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1714 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1715 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1719 @node Group Line Specification
1720 @subsection Group Line Specification
1721 @cindex group buffer format
1723 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1724 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1726 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1729 25: news.announce.newusers
1730 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1735 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1736 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1737 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1738 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1740 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1741 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1742 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1743 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1744 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1745 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1747 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1749 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1750 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1751 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1752 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1753 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1755 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1756 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1757 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1759 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1764 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1767 Whether the group is subscribed.
1770 Level of subscribedness.
1773 Number of unread articles.
1776 Number of dormant articles.
1779 Number of ticked articles.
1782 Number of read articles.
1785 Number of unseen articles.
1788 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1789 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1791 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1792 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1793 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1794 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1795 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1796 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1797 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1798 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1801 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1804 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1813 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1814 comment element in the group parameters.
1817 Newsgroup description.
1820 @samp{m} if moderated.
1823 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1829 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1835 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1839 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1842 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1843 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1844 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1845 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1846 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1849 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1851 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1855 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1858 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1862 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1863 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1864 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1865 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1866 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1867 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1872 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1873 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1874 group, or a bogus native group.
1877 @node Group Modeline Specification
1878 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1879 @cindex group modeline
1881 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1882 The mode line can be changed by setting
1883 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1884 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1888 The native news server.
1890 The native select method.
1894 @node Group Highlighting
1895 @subsection Group Highlighting
1896 @cindex highlighting
1897 @cindex group highlighting
1899 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1900 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1901 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1902 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1903 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1905 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1909 (cond (window-system
1910 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1911 (defface my-group-face-1
1912 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1913 (defface my-group-face-2
1914 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1915 (defface my-group-face-3
1916 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1917 (defface my-group-face-4
1918 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1919 (defface my-group-face-5
1920 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1922 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1923 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1924 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1925 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1926 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1927 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1930 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1932 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1939 The number of unread articles in the group.
1943 Whether the group is a mail group.
1945 The level of the group.
1947 The score of the group.
1949 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1951 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1952 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1954 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1955 topic being inserted.
1958 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1959 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1960 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1962 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1963 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1964 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1965 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1966 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1969 @node Group Maneuvering
1970 @section Group Maneuvering
1971 @cindex group movement
1973 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1974 expected, hopefully.
1980 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1981 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1982 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1988 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1989 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1990 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1994 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1995 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1999 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2000 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2004 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2005 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2006 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2010 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2011 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2012 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2015 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2021 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2022 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2023 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2028 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2029 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2030 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2034 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2035 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2036 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2039 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2040 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2041 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2042 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2046 @node Selecting a Group
2047 @section Selecting a Group
2048 @cindex group selection
2053 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2054 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2055 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2056 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2057 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2058 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2059 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2060 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2061 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2062 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2064 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2065 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2066 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2068 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2069 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2074 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2075 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2076 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2077 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2078 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2082 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2083 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2084 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2085 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2086 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2087 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2088 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2089 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2090 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2091 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2094 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2095 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2096 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2097 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2098 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2101 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2102 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2103 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2104 doing any processing of its contents
2105 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2106 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2107 manner will have no permanent effects.
2111 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2112 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2113 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2114 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2115 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2116 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2117 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2118 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2121 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2122 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2123 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2124 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2125 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2126 Which article this is is controlled by the
2127 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2133 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2136 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2139 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2141 @item unseen-or-unread
2142 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2143 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2147 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2151 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2152 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2154 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2155 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2156 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2157 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2161 @node Subscription Commands
2162 @section Subscription Commands
2163 @cindex subscription
2171 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2172 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2173 Toggle subscription to the current group
2174 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2180 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2181 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2182 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2183 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2189 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2190 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2191 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2197 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2198 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2201 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2202 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2203 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2204 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2205 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2211 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2212 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2216 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2217 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2220 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2221 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2222 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2223 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2224 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2225 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2226 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2227 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2228 @file{.newsrc} file.
2232 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2242 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2243 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2244 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2245 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2246 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2247 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2252 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2253 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2254 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2258 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2259 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2260 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2262 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2263 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2264 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2265 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2266 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2267 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2274 @section Group Levels
2278 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2279 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2280 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2281 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2282 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2284 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2290 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2291 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2292 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2293 prompted for a level.
2296 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2297 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2298 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2299 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2300 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2301 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2302 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2303 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2304 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2305 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2306 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2307 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2308 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2309 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2310 reasons of efficiency.
2312 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2313 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2315 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2316 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2317 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2318 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2319 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2320 groups are hidden, in a way.
2322 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2323 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2324 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2325 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2326 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2327 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2329 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2330 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2331 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2332 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2333 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2334 list of killed groups.)
2336 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2337 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2338 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2340 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2341 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2342 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2343 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2344 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2345 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2346 relevant valid ranges.
2348 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2349 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2350 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2351 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2352 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2353 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2356 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2357 one with the best level.
2359 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2360 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2361 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2364 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2365 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2366 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2367 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2370 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2371 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2372 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2373 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2375 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2376 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2377 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2378 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2379 to 5. The default is 6.
2383 @section Group Score
2388 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2389 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2390 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2393 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2394 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2395 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2396 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2397 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2398 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2399 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2400 least significant part.))
2402 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2403 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2404 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2405 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2406 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2407 action after each summary exit, you can add
2408 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2409 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2410 slow things down somewhat.
2413 @node Marking Groups
2414 @section Marking Groups
2415 @cindex marking groups
2417 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2418 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2419 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2420 bidding on those groups.
2422 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2423 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2424 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2432 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2433 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2439 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2440 Remove the mark from the current group
2441 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2445 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2446 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2450 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2451 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2455 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2456 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2460 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2461 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2462 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2465 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2467 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2468 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2469 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2470 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2471 the command to be executed.
2474 @node Foreign Groups
2475 @section Foreign Groups
2476 @cindex foreign groups
2478 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2479 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2480 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2481 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2488 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2489 @cindex making groups
2490 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2491 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2492 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2496 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2497 @cindex renaming groups
2498 Rename the current group to something else
2499 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2500 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2506 @findex gnus-group-customize
2507 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2511 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2512 @cindex renaming groups
2513 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2514 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2518 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2519 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2520 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2524 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2525 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2526 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2530 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2532 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2533 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2538 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2539 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2543 @cindex (ding) archive
2544 @cindex archive group
2545 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2546 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2547 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2548 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2549 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2550 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2551 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2555 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2557 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2558 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2559 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2560 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2564 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2566 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2567 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2568 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2572 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2573 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2575 Make a group based on some file or other
2576 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2577 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2578 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2579 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2580 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2581 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2582 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2583 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2584 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2588 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2589 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2590 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2591 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2595 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2599 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2600 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2601 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2602 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2603 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2604 @xref{Web Searches}.
2606 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2607 to a particular group by using a match string like
2608 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2611 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2612 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2613 This function will delete the current group
2614 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2615 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2616 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2617 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2618 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2622 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2623 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2624 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2628 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2629 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2630 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2633 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2636 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2637 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2638 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2639 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2640 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2641 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2645 @node Group Parameters
2646 @section Group Parameters
2647 @cindex group parameters
2649 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2650 Here's an example group parameter list:
2653 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2657 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2658 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2659 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2660 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2662 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2663 is an alist of regexps and values.
2665 The following group parameters can be used:
2670 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2673 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2676 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2677 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2678 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2679 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2680 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2682 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2683 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2684 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2685 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2686 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2687 list address instead.
2689 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2693 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2696 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2699 It is totally ignored
2700 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2701 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2703 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2704 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2705 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2706 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2707 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2709 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2710 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2711 sending the message.
2713 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2714 @cindex Mail List Groups
2715 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2716 entering summary buffer.
2718 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2723 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2724 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2725 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2726 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2727 headers for your posts to these lists. Look here @pxref{(message)Mailing
2728 Lists} for a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2730 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2731 directly uses this group parameter.
2735 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2736 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2737 of whether it has any unread articles.
2739 @item broken-reply-to
2740 @cindex broken-reply-to
2741 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2742 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2743 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2744 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2745 broken behavior. So there!
2749 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2750 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2754 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2755 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2756 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2761 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2762 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2763 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2764 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2765 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2766 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2767 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2768 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2769 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept articles.
2773 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2774 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2775 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2777 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2780 @cindex total-expire
2781 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2782 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2783 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2784 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2787 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2791 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2792 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2793 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2794 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2795 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2796 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2797 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2800 @cindex score file group parameter
2801 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2802 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2803 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2806 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2807 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2808 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2809 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2812 @cindex admin-address
2813 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2814 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2815 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2816 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2820 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2821 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2825 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2828 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2829 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2832 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2836 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2838 Here are some examples:
2842 Display only unread articles.
2845 Display everything except expirable articles.
2847 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2848 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2852 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2853 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2854 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2855 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2856 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2860 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2861 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2862 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2866 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2867 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2868 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2872 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2873 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2874 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2876 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2878 @item ignored-charsets
2879 @cindex ignored-charset
2880 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2881 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2882 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2884 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2887 @cindex posting-style
2888 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2889 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2890 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2891 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2892 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2894 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2895 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2896 like this in the group parameters:
2901 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2902 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2907 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2908 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2912 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2913 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2914 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2915 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2916 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2920 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2921 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2922 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2923 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2925 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2926 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2927 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2928 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2931 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2932 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2936 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2939 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2940 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2941 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2942 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2943 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2944 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2945 @code{eval}ed there.
2947 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2948 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2949 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2950 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2951 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2952 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2953 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2954 parameters for the group.
2957 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2958 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2959 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2960 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2961 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2965 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2966 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2967 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2968 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2969 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2971 @vindex gnus-parameters
2972 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2973 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2977 (setq gnus-parameters
2979 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2980 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2981 (gnus-summary-line-format
2982 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2986 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2990 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2994 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2997 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2998 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3001 @node Listing Groups
3002 @section Listing Groups
3003 @cindex group listing
3005 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3013 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3014 List all groups that have unread articles
3015 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3016 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3017 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
3018 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3025 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3026 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3027 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3028 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3029 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3030 unsubscribed groups).
3034 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3035 List all unread groups on a specific level
3036 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3037 with no unread articles.
3041 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3042 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3043 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3044 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3049 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3050 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3054 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3055 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3056 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3060 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3061 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3065 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3066 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3067 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3068 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3069 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3070 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3071 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3072 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3076 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3077 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3078 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3082 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3083 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3084 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3088 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3089 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3093 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3094 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3098 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3099 List groups limited within the current selection
3100 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3104 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3105 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3109 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3110 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3114 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3115 @cindex visible group parameter
3116 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3117 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3118 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3119 get the same effect.
3121 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3122 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3123 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3124 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3125 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3128 @node Sorting Groups
3129 @section Sorting Groups
3130 @cindex sorting groups
3132 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3133 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3134 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3135 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3136 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3137 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3142 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3143 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3144 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3146 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3147 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3148 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3150 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3151 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3152 Sort by group level.
3154 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3155 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3156 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3158 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3159 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3160 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3161 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3163 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3164 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3165 Sort by number of unread articles.
3167 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3168 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3169 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3171 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3172 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3173 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3178 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3179 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3183 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3184 some sorting criteria:
3188 @kindex G S a (Group)
3189 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3190 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3191 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3194 @kindex G S u (Group)
3195 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3196 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3197 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3200 @kindex G S l (Group)
3201 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3202 Sort the group buffer by group level
3203 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3206 @kindex G S v (Group)
3207 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3208 Sort the group buffer by group score
3209 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3212 @kindex G S r (Group)
3213 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3214 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3215 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3218 @kindex G S m (Group)
3219 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3220 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3221 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3224 @kindex G S n (Group)
3225 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3226 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3227 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3231 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3232 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3234 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3235 commands will sort in reverse order.
3237 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3241 @kindex G P a (Group)
3242 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3243 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3244 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3247 @kindex G P u (Group)
3248 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3249 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3250 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3253 @kindex G P l (Group)
3254 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3255 Sort the groups by group level
3256 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3259 @kindex G P v (Group)
3260 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3261 Sort the groups by group score
3262 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3265 @kindex G P r (Group)
3266 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3267 Sort the groups by group rank
3268 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3271 @kindex G P m (Group)
3272 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3273 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3274 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3277 @kindex G P n (Group)
3278 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3279 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3280 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3283 @kindex G P s (Group)
3284 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3285 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3289 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3293 @node Group Maintenance
3294 @section Group Maintenance
3295 @cindex bogus groups
3300 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3301 Find bogus groups and delete them
3302 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3306 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3307 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3308 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3309 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3310 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3314 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3315 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3316 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3317 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3318 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3319 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3322 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3323 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3324 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3325 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3330 @node Browse Foreign Server
3331 @section Browse Foreign Server
3332 @cindex foreign servers
3333 @cindex browsing servers
3338 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3339 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3340 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3341 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3344 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3345 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3346 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3347 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3349 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3354 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3355 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3359 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3360 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3363 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3364 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3365 Enter the current group and display the first article
3366 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3369 @kindex RET (Browse)
3370 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3371 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3375 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3376 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3377 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3383 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3384 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3388 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3389 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3393 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3394 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3395 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3400 @section Exiting Gnus
3401 @cindex exiting Gnus
3403 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3408 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3409 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3410 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3411 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3415 @findex gnus-group-exit
3416 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3417 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3421 @findex gnus-group-quit
3422 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3423 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3426 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3427 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3428 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3429 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3430 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3431 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3436 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3437 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3438 trying to customize meta-variables.
3443 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3444 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3445 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3451 @section Group Topics
3454 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3455 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3456 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3457 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3458 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3459 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3463 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3464 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3475 2: alt.religion.emacs
3478 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3480 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3481 13: comp.sources.unix
3484 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3486 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3487 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3488 is a toggling command.)
3490 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3491 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3492 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3493 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3496 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3497 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3498 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3501 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3505 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3506 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3507 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3508 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3509 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3513 @node Topic Commands
3514 @subsection Topic Commands
3515 @cindex topic commands
3517 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3518 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3519 definitions slightly.
3521 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3522 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3523 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3524 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3525 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3526 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3528 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3535 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3536 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3537 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3541 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3543 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3544 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3545 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3546 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3549 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3550 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3551 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3552 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3556 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3557 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3558 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3559 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3565 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3566 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3567 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3571 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3572 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3573 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3576 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3577 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3578 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3579 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3580 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3582 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3583 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3587 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3588 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3595 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3597 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3598 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3599 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3600 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3601 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3602 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3606 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3612 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3613 Move the current group to some other topic
3614 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3615 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3619 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3620 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3624 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3625 Copy the current group to some other topic
3626 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3627 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3631 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3632 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3633 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3637 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3638 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3639 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3643 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3644 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3645 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3646 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3647 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3648 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3649 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3652 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3653 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3657 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3658 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3659 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3663 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3664 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3665 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3669 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3670 Toggle hiding empty topics
3671 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3675 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3676 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3677 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3678 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3681 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3682 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3683 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3684 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3685 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3688 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3689 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3690 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3691 expiry process (if any)
3692 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3696 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3697 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3700 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3701 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3702 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3706 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3707 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3708 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3711 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3712 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3713 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3716 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3717 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3718 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3722 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3723 @cindex group parameters
3724 @cindex topic parameters
3726 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3727 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3732 @node Topic Variables
3733 @subsection Topic Variables
3734 @cindex topic variables
3736 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3737 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3739 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3740 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3741 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3754 Number of groups in the topic.
3756 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3758 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3761 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3762 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3763 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3766 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3767 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3769 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3770 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3771 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3775 @subsection Topic Sorting
3776 @cindex topic sorting
3778 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3784 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3785 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3786 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3787 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3790 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3791 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3792 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3793 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3796 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3797 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3798 Sort the current topic by group level
3799 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3802 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3803 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3804 Sort the current topic by group score
3805 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3808 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3809 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3810 Sort the current topic by group rank
3811 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3814 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3815 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3816 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3817 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3820 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3821 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3822 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3823 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3827 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3828 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3829 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3830 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3834 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3835 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3839 @node Topic Topology
3840 @subsection Topic Topology
3841 @cindex topic topology
3844 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3850 2: alt.religion.emacs
3853 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3855 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3856 13: comp.sources.unix
3859 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3860 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3861 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3866 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3867 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3871 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3872 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3873 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3874 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3875 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3876 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3878 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3879 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3880 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3883 @node Topic Parameters
3884 @subsection Topic Parameters
3885 @cindex topic parameters
3887 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3888 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3889 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3891 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3896 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3897 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3898 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3901 @item subscribe-level
3902 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3903 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3904 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3908 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3909 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3910 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3911 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3917 2: alt.religion.emacs
3921 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3923 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3924 13: comp.sources.unix
3928 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3929 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3930 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3931 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3932 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3933 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3935 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3936 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3937 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3938 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3939 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3941 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3942 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3943 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3944 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3945 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3946 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3947 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3948 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3951 @node Misc Group Stuff
3952 @section Misc Group Stuff
3955 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3956 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3957 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3958 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3959 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3966 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3967 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3968 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3972 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3973 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3974 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3975 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3976 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3977 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3978 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3982 @findex gnus-group-mail
3983 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3984 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3985 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3986 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3990 @findex gnus-group-news
3991 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3992 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3993 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3995 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3996 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3997 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3998 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3999 for this to work though.
4003 Variables for the group buffer:
4007 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4008 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4009 is called after the group buffer has been
4012 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4013 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4014 is called after the group buffer is
4015 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4018 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4019 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4020 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4021 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4023 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4024 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4025 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4026 whether they are empty or not.
4028 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4029 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4030 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4031 non-ASCII group names.
4035 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4036 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4039 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4040 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4041 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4042 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4043 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
4044 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is
4049 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4050 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4055 @node Scanning New Messages
4056 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4057 @cindex new messages
4058 @cindex scanning new news
4064 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4065 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4066 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4067 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4068 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4069 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4074 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4075 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4076 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4077 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4078 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4079 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4080 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4082 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4083 @cindex activating groups
4085 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4086 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4091 @findex gnus-group-restart
4092 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4093 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4094 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4098 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4099 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4101 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4102 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4106 @node Group Information
4107 @subsection Group Information
4108 @cindex group information
4109 @cindex information on groups
4116 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4117 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4120 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4121 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4122 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4123 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4124 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4125 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4126 for fetching the file.
4128 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4129 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4133 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4134 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4136 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4137 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4140 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4141 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4142 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4146 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4147 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4148 @cindex control message
4149 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4150 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4151 group if given a prefix argument.
4153 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4154 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4155 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4156 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4158 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4159 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode}
4160 (@pxref{(emacs)Compressed Files}).
4164 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4166 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4167 @cindex describing groups
4168 @cindex group description
4169 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4170 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4171 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4175 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4176 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4177 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4184 @findex gnus-version
4185 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4189 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4190 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4193 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4196 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4197 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4201 @node Group Timestamp
4202 @subsection Group Timestamp
4204 @cindex group timestamps
4206 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4207 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4208 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4211 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4214 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4216 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4217 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4220 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4221 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4224 This will result in lines looking like:
4227 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4228 0: custom 19961002T012713
4231 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4232 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4236 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4237 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4240 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4241 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4245 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4246 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4247 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4248 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4250 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4256 @subsection File Commands
4257 @cindex file commands
4263 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4264 @vindex gnus-init-file
4265 @cindex reading init file
4266 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4267 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4271 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4272 @cindex saving .newsrc
4273 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4274 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4275 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4278 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4279 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4280 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4285 @node Sieve Commands
4286 @subsection Sieve Commands
4287 @cindex group sieve commands
4289 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4290 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4291 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4292 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4293 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4295 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4296 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4297 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4298 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4299 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4300 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4301 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4302 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4303 regenerate the Sieve script.
4305 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4306 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4307 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4308 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4309 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4310 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4311 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4312 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4313 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4314 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4317 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4318 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4323 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4329 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4330 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4331 @cindex generating sieve script
4332 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4333 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4337 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4338 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4339 @cindex updating sieve script
4340 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4341 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4342 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4347 @node Summary Buffer
4348 @chapter Summary Buffer
4349 @cindex summary buffer
4351 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4352 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4354 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4355 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4357 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4360 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4361 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4362 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4363 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4364 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4365 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4366 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4367 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4368 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4369 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4370 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4371 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4372 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4373 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4374 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4375 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4376 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4377 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4378 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4379 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4380 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4381 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4382 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4383 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4384 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4385 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4386 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4387 or reselecting the current group.
4388 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4389 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4390 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4391 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4395 @node Summary Buffer Format
4396 @section Summary Buffer Format
4397 @cindex summary buffer format
4401 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4402 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4403 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4409 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4410 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4411 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4412 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4415 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4416 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4417 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4418 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4419 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4420 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4421 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4422 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4423 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4424 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4425 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4428 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4429 'mail-extract-address-components)
4432 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4433 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4434 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4435 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4438 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4439 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4441 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4442 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4443 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4444 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4445 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4447 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4448 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4449 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4450 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4451 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4452 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4454 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4456 The following format specification characters and extended format
4457 specification(s) are understood:
4463 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4464 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4466 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4467 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4468 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4470 Full @code{From} header.
4472 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4474 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4477 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4478 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4479 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4480 may be more thorough.
4482 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4485 Number of lines in the article.
4487 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4488 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4490 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4491 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4493 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4495 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4496 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4509 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4510 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4511 replacing the default ASCII characters with graphic line-drawing
4514 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4515 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4516 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4517 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4519 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4520 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4521 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4522 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4524 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4525 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4526 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4528 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4529 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4530 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4532 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4533 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4534 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4536 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4537 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4538 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4543 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4544 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4546 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4547 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4549 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4550 for adopted articles.
4552 One space for each thread level.
4554 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4556 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4559 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4560 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4561 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4564 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4566 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4567 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4568 default level. If the difference between
4569 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4570 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4578 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4580 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4586 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4587 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4589 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4590 article has any children.
4596 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4597 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4599 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4600 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4601 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4602 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4603 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4604 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4607 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4608 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4609 There can only be one such area.
4611 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4612 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4613 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4614 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4615 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4616 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4618 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4619 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4621 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4624 @node To From Newsgroups
4625 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4629 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4630 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4631 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4632 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4633 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4637 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4638 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4639 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4643 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4644 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4647 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4648 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4651 @findex gnus-extra-header
4652 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4653 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4654 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4657 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4661 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4662 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4663 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4664 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4665 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4666 headers are used instead.
4670 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4671 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4672 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files.
4673 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4674 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4675 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4678 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4679 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4680 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4681 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4683 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4687 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4689 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4690 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4691 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4692 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4696 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4699 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4700 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4703 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4704 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4705 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4711 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4712 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4715 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4716 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4718 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4719 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4720 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4721 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4723 Here are the elements you can play with:
4729 Unprefixed group name.
4731 Current article number.
4733 Current article score.
4737 Number of unread articles in this group.
4739 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4742 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4743 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4744 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4745 and no unselected ones.
4747 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4748 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4750 Subject of the current article.
4752 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4754 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4756 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4758 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4760 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4762 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4766 @node Summary Highlighting
4767 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4771 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4772 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4773 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4774 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4775 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4777 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4778 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4779 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4780 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4782 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4783 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4784 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4785 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4787 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4788 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4789 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4790 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4791 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4792 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4795 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4796 ((> score default) . bold))
4798 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4799 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4803 @node Summary Maneuvering
4804 @section Summary Maneuvering
4805 @cindex summary movement
4807 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4808 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4810 None of these commands select articles.
4815 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4816 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4817 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4818 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4819 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4823 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4824 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4825 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4826 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4827 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4830 @kindex G g (Summary)
4831 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4832 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4833 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4836 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4837 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4838 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4839 to the group buffer.
4841 Variables related to summary movement:
4845 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4846 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4847 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4848 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4849 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4850 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4851 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4852 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4853 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4854 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4855 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4856 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4857 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4858 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4860 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4861 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4862 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4863 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4864 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4865 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4866 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4868 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4870 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4871 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4872 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4873 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4874 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4876 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4877 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4878 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4879 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4880 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4881 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4882 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4883 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4886 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4887 the given number of lines from the top.
4892 @node Choosing Articles
4893 @section Choosing Articles
4894 @cindex selecting articles
4897 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4898 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4902 @node Choosing Commands
4903 @subsection Choosing Commands
4905 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4906 and they all select and display an article.
4908 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4909 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4913 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4914 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4915 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4916 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4918 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
4919 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
4920 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @pxref{Paging the Article}.
4925 @kindex G n (Summary)
4926 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4927 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4928 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4933 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4934 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4935 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4940 @kindex G N (Summary)
4941 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4942 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4947 @kindex G P (Summary)
4948 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4949 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4952 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4953 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4954 Go to the next article with the same subject
4955 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4958 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4959 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4960 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4961 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4965 @kindex G f (Summary)
4967 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4968 Go to the first unread article
4969 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4973 @kindex G b (Summary)
4975 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4976 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4977 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4978 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4983 @kindex G l (Summary)
4984 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4985 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4988 @kindex G o (Summary)
4989 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4991 @cindex article history
4992 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4993 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4994 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4995 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4996 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4997 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5002 @kindex G j (Summary)
5003 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5004 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5005 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5010 @node Choosing Variables
5011 @subsection Choosing Variables
5013 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5016 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5017 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5018 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5019 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5020 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5021 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5023 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5024 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5025 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
5026 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you would
5027 like each article to be saved in the Agent as you read it, putting
5028 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook will do so.
5030 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5031 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5032 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5033 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5034 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5035 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5036 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5037 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5038 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
5039 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5040 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5041 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5042 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5043 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5048 @node Paging the Article
5049 @section Scrolling the Article
5050 @cindex article scrolling
5055 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5056 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5057 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5058 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5059 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5061 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5062 If the rest of the article consists only of citations and signature,
5063 then it will be skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You
5064 can customize what is considered uninteresting with
5065 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}, or set it to @code{nil} to disable
5066 this feature. You can manually view the article's pages, no matter how
5067 boring, using @kbd{C-v} in the article buffer.
5070 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5071 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5072 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5075 @kindex RET (Summary)
5076 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5077 Scroll the current article one line forward
5078 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5081 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5082 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5083 Scroll the current article one line backward
5084 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5088 @kindex A g (Summary)
5090 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5091 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5092 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5093 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5094 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5095 the way it came from the server.
5097 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5098 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5099 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5102 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5107 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5112 @kindex A < (Summary)
5113 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5114 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5115 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5120 @kindex A > (Summary)
5121 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5122 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5126 @kindex A s (Summary)
5128 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5129 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5130 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5134 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5135 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5140 @node Reply Followup and Post
5141 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5144 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5145 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5146 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5147 * Canceling and Superseding::
5151 @node Summary Mail Commands
5152 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5154 @cindex composing mail
5156 Commands for composing a mail message:
5162 @kindex S r (Summary)
5164 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5165 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5166 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5167 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5168 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5173 @kindex S R (Summary)
5174 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5175 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5176 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5177 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5178 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5181 @kindex S w (Summary)
5182 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5183 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5184 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5185 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5186 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5189 @kindex S W (Summary)
5190 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5191 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5192 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5193 the process/prefix convention.
5196 @kindex S v (Summary)
5197 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5198 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5199 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5200 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5201 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5202 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5205 @kindex S V (Summary)
5206 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5207 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5208 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5209 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5212 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5213 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5214 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5215 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5218 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5219 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5220 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5221 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5222 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5226 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5227 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5228 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5229 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5230 Forward the current article to some other person
5231 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5232 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5233 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5234 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5235 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5236 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5237 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5238 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5239 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime}
5245 @kindex S m (Summary)
5246 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5247 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5248 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5249 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5250 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5255 @kindex S i (Summary)
5256 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5257 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5258 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5259 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5261 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5262 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5263 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5264 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5265 for this to work though.
5268 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5269 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5270 @cindex bouncing mail
5271 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5272 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5273 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5274 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5275 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5276 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5277 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5278 very well fail, though.
5281 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5282 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5283 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5284 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5285 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5286 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5287 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5288 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5289 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5290 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5292 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5293 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5294 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5295 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5296 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5298 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5299 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5302 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5303 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5304 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5305 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5306 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5309 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5310 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5311 @cindex crossposting
5312 @cindex excessive crossposting
5313 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5314 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5316 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5317 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5318 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5319 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5320 command understands the process/prefix convention
5321 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5325 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5326 Manual}, for more information.
5329 @node Summary Post Commands
5330 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5332 @cindex composing news
5334 Commands for posting a news article:
5340 @kindex S p (Summary)
5341 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5342 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5343 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5344 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5345 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5350 @kindex S f (Summary)
5351 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5352 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5353 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5357 @kindex S F (Summary)
5359 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5360 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5361 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5362 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5363 process/prefix convention.
5366 @kindex S n (Summary)
5367 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5368 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5369 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5372 @kindex S N (Summary)
5373 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5374 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5375 message through mail and include the original message
5376 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5377 the process/prefix convention.
5380 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5381 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5382 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5383 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5384 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5385 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5386 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5387 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5388 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5389 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5390 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5391 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5392 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section.
5395 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5396 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5398 @cindex making digests
5399 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5400 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5401 process/prefix convention.
5404 @kindex S u (Summary)
5405 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5406 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5407 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5408 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5411 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5412 Manual}, for more information.
5415 @node Summary Message Commands
5416 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5420 @kindex S y (Summary)
5421 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5422 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5423 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5424 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5425 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5430 @node Canceling and Superseding
5431 @subsection Canceling Articles
5432 @cindex canceling articles
5433 @cindex superseding articles
5435 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5436 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5438 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5440 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5442 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5443 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5444 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5445 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5446 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5447 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5449 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5450 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5453 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5454 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5455 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5457 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5458 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5459 your original article.
5461 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5463 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5464 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5465 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5468 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5469 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5470 have posted almost the same article twice.
5472 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5473 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5474 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5475 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5476 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5477 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5478 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5479 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5480 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5481 canceled/superseded.
5483 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5485 @node Delayed Articles
5486 @section Delayed Articles
5487 @cindex delayed sending
5488 @cindex send delayed
5490 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5491 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5492 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5493 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5496 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5499 @findex gnus-delay-article
5500 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5501 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5502 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5503 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5507 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5508 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5509 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5510 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5513 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5514 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5515 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5518 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5519 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5520 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5521 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5522 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5523 that means a time tomorrow.
5526 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5527 couple of variables:
5530 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5531 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5532 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5533 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5535 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5536 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5537 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5538 formats described above.
5540 @item gnus-delay-group
5541 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5542 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5543 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5544 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5546 @item gnus-delay-header
5547 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5548 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5549 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5550 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5553 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5554 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5555 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5556 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5557 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5559 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5560 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5561 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5562 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5563 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5564 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5565 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5568 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5569 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5570 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5571 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5572 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5573 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5574 argument is ignored.
5576 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5577 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5578 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5582 @node Marking Articles
5583 @section Marking Articles
5584 @cindex article marking
5585 @cindex article ticking
5588 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5590 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5591 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5592 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5594 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5597 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5598 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5599 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5603 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5607 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5608 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5609 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5613 @node Unread Articles
5614 @subsection Unread Articles
5616 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5621 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5622 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5624 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5625 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5626 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5627 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5628 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5629 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5630 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5633 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5634 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5636 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5637 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5638 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5639 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5643 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5644 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5646 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5651 @subsection Read Articles
5652 @cindex expirable mark
5654 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5659 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5660 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5661 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5664 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5665 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5668 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5669 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5670 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5673 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5674 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5677 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5678 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5681 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5682 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5685 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5686 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5689 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5690 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5693 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5694 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5697 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5698 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5702 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5703 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5704 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5708 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5709 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5711 One more special mark, though:
5715 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5716 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5718 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5719 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5720 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5721 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5727 @subsection Other Marks
5728 @cindex process mark
5731 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5737 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5738 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5739 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5740 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5741 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5744 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5745 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5746 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5747 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5750 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5751 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5752 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5755 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5756 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5757 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5760 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5761 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5762 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5763 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5766 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5767 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5768 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5769 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5770 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5771 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5774 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5775 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5776 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5777 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5780 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5781 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, articles may be
5782 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5783 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5784 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5788 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5789 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, some articles might
5790 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5791 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5792 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5793 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5796 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5797 The Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics} downloads some articles
5798 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5799 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5800 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5801 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5805 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5806 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5807 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5808 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5809 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5812 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5813 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5814 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5815 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5816 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5817 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5821 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5822 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5823 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5825 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5826 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5827 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5831 @subsection Setting Marks
5832 @cindex setting marks
5834 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5839 @kindex M c (Summary)
5840 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5841 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5842 @cindex mark as unread
5843 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5844 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5850 @kindex M t (Summary)
5851 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5852 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5853 @xref{Article Caching}.
5858 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5859 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5860 Mark the current article as dormant
5861 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5865 @kindex M d (Summary)
5867 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5868 Mark the current article as read
5869 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5873 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5874 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5875 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5880 @kindex M k (Summary)
5881 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5882 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5883 and then select the next unread article
5884 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5888 @kindex M K (Summary)
5889 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5890 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5891 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5892 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5895 @kindex M C (Summary)
5896 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5897 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5898 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5901 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5902 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5903 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5904 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5907 @kindex M H (Summary)
5908 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5909 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5910 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5913 @kindex M h (Summary)
5914 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5915 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5916 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5919 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5920 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5921 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5922 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5925 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5926 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5927 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5928 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5932 @kindex M e (Summary)
5934 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5935 Mark the current article as expirable
5936 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5939 @kindex M b (Summary)
5940 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5941 Set a bookmark in the current article
5942 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5945 @kindex M B (Summary)
5946 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5947 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5948 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5951 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5952 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5953 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5954 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5957 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5958 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5959 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5960 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5963 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5964 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5965 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5966 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5967 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5970 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5971 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5972 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5973 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5974 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5975 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5976 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5977 The default is @code{t}.
5980 @node Generic Marking Commands
5981 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5983 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5984 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5985 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5986 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5987 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5990 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5991 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5994 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5995 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5996 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5997 to list in this manual.
5999 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6000 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6001 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6002 article, you could say something like:
6005 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6006 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6007 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6013 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6014 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6018 @node Setting Process Marks
6019 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6020 @cindex setting process marks
6022 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6023 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6024 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6025 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6026 commands into the cache. For more information,
6027 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6034 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6035 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6036 Mark the current article with the process mark
6037 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6038 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6042 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6043 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6044 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6045 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6048 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6049 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6050 Remove the process mark from all articles
6051 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6054 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6055 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6056 Invert the list of process marked articles
6057 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6060 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6061 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6062 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6063 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6066 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6067 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6068 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6069 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6072 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6073 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6074 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6078 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6079 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6082 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6083 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6084 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6085 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6088 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6089 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6090 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6091 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6094 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6095 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6096 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6097 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6100 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6101 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6102 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6105 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6106 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6107 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6108 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6111 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6112 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6113 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6116 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6117 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6118 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6119 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6122 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6123 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6124 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6125 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6128 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6129 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6130 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6131 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6134 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6135 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6136 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6137 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6141 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
6142 set process marks based on article body contents.
6149 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6150 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6151 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6154 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6155 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6156 additional articles.
6162 @kindex / / (Summary)
6163 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6164 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6165 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6169 @kindex / a (Summary)
6170 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6171 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6172 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6176 @kindex / x (Summary)
6177 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6178 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6179 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6180 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6185 @kindex / u (Summary)
6187 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6188 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6189 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6190 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6191 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6194 @kindex / m (Summary)
6195 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6196 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6197 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6200 @kindex / t (Summary)
6201 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6202 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6203 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6204 articles younger than that number of days.
6207 @kindex / n (Summary)
6208 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6209 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6210 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6211 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6214 @kindex / w (Summary)
6215 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6216 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6217 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6221 @kindex / . (Summary)
6222 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6223 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6224 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6227 @kindex / v (Summary)
6228 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6229 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6230 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6233 @kindex / p (Summary)
6234 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6235 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6236 group parameter predicate
6237 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6238 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6242 @kindex M S (Summary)
6243 @kindex / E (Summary)
6244 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6245 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6246 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6249 @kindex / D (Summary)
6250 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6251 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6252 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6255 @kindex / * (Summary)
6256 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6257 Include all cached articles in the limit
6258 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6261 @kindex / d (Summary)
6262 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6263 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6264 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6267 @kindex / M (Summary)
6268 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6269 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6272 @kindex / T (Summary)
6273 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6274 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6277 @kindex / c (Summary)
6278 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6279 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6280 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6283 @kindex / C (Summary)
6284 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6285 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6286 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6287 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6290 @kindex / N (Summary)
6291 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6292 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6293 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6296 @kindex / o (Summary)
6297 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6298 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6299 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6307 @cindex article threading
6309 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6310 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6311 hierarchical fashion.
6313 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6314 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6315 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6316 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6317 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6318 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6319 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6321 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6325 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6328 A tree-like article structure.
6331 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6334 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6335 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6336 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6337 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6338 called loose threads.
6340 @item thread gathering
6341 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6343 @item sparse threads
6344 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6345 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6351 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6352 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6356 @node Customizing Threading
6357 @subsection Customizing Threading
6358 @cindex customizing threading
6361 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6362 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6363 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6364 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6369 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6372 @cindex loose threads
6375 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6376 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6377 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6378 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6379 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6380 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6382 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6383 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6384 There are four possible values:
6388 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6389 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6390 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6391 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6392 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6397 @cindex adopting articles
6402 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6403 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6404 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6405 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6408 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6409 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6410 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6411 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6412 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6413 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6414 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6415 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6416 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6417 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6420 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6421 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6422 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6426 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6427 display them after one another.
6430 Don't gather loose threads.
6433 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6434 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6435 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6436 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6437 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6438 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6439 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6440 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6441 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6442 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6443 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6445 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6446 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6447 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6450 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6451 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6452 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6453 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6454 simplification is used.
6456 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6457 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6458 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6459 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6461 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6463 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6469 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6470 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6471 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6472 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6477 (mapconcat 'identity
6478 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6480 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6483 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6486 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6487 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6488 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6489 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6490 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6491 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6493 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6496 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6497 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6498 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6500 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6501 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6504 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6505 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6506 Remove excessive whitespace.
6508 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6509 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6510 Remove all whitespace.
6513 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6516 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6517 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6518 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6519 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6520 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6521 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6522 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6523 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6525 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6526 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6527 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6528 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6529 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6530 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6531 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6532 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6533 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6537 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6538 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6539 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6540 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6542 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6543 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6544 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6547 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6551 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6552 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6558 @node Filling In Threads
6559 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6562 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6563 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6564 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6565 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6566 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6567 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6568 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6569 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6570 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6571 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6572 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6573 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6576 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6577 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6578 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6580 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6581 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6582 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6583 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6584 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6585 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6586 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6587 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6588 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6589 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6590 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6591 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6592 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6593 @code{nil} by default.
6595 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6596 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6597 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6598 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6599 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6600 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6601 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6603 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6604 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6605 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6610 @node More Threading
6611 @subsubsection More Threading
6614 @item gnus-show-threads
6615 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6616 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6617 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6618 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6619 slower and more awkward.
6621 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6622 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6623 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6626 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6627 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6628 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6633 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6634 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6635 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6638 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6639 unread, but you get my drift.)
6642 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6643 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6644 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6645 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6646 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6647 threads are expunged.
6649 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6650 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6651 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6654 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6655 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6656 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6657 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6658 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6659 result in a new thread.
6661 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6662 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6663 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6666 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6667 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6668 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6669 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6670 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6671 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6672 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6673 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6674 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6675 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6676 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6681 @node Low-Level Threading
6682 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6686 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6687 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6688 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6690 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6691 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6692 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6693 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6694 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6695 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6696 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6697 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6698 meaningful. Here's one example:
6701 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6703 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6704 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6706 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6708 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6715 @node Thread Commands
6716 @subsection Thread Commands
6717 @cindex thread commands
6723 @kindex T k (Summary)
6724 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6725 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6726 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6727 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6728 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6733 @kindex T l (Summary)
6734 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6735 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6736 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6737 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6740 @kindex T i (Summary)
6741 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6742 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6743 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6746 @kindex T # (Summary)
6747 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6748 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6749 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6752 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6753 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6754 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6755 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6758 @kindex T T (Summary)
6759 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6760 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6763 @kindex T s (Summary)
6764 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6765 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6766 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6769 @kindex T h (Summary)
6770 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6771 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6774 @kindex T S (Summary)
6775 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6776 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6779 @kindex T H (Summary)
6780 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6781 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6784 @kindex T t (Summary)
6785 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6786 Re-thread the current article's thread
6787 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6788 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6791 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6792 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6793 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6794 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6798 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6799 understand the numeric prefix.
6804 @kindex T n (Summary)
6806 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6808 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6809 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6810 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6813 @kindex T p (Summary)
6815 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6817 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6818 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6819 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6822 @kindex T d (Summary)
6823 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6824 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6827 @kindex T u (Summary)
6828 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6829 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6832 @kindex T o (Summary)
6833 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6834 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6837 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6838 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6839 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6840 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6841 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6842 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6843 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6844 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6845 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6846 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6847 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6848 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6852 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6853 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6855 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6856 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6857 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6858 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6859 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6860 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6861 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6862 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6863 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6864 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6865 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6866 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6867 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6869 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6870 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6871 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6872 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6873 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6874 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6875 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6876 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6878 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6879 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6880 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6882 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6883 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6884 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6885 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6886 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6887 ascending article order.
6889 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6890 by number, you could do something like:
6893 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6894 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6895 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6896 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6899 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6900 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6901 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6902 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6903 which the articles arrived.
6905 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6909 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6911 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6912 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6915 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6916 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6917 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6918 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6921 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6922 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6923 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6924 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6925 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6926 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
6927 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6928 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
6929 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
6930 variable. It is very similar to the
6931 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
6932 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
6933 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6934 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
6935 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
6936 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
6937 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6939 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6943 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6944 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6945 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6950 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6951 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6952 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6953 @cindex article pre-fetch
6956 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6957 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6958 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6959 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6960 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6962 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6963 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6965 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6966 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6967 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6968 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6969 connection is blocked.
6971 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6972 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6973 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6974 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6976 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6977 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6978 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6979 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6982 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6985 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6986 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6987 happen automatically.
6989 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6990 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6991 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6992 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6993 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6994 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6995 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6997 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6998 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6999 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7000 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
7001 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
7002 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
7003 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
7004 data structure as the only parameter.
7006 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7009 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7010 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7011 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7012 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7015 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7018 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7019 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
7020 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7022 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7023 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7024 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7025 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7029 Remove articles when they are read.
7032 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7035 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7037 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7038 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7039 @c from the next group.
7042 @node Article Caching
7043 @section Article Caching
7044 @cindex article caching
7047 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
7048 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7049 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7050 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7051 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7053 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7055 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7056 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7057 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7058 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7059 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7060 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7061 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7062 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7064 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7065 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7066 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7067 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7068 as dormant, and don't worry.
7070 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7072 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7073 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7074 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7075 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7076 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7077 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7078 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7079 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7080 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7081 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7083 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7084 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7085 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7086 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7087 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7088 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
7089 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7090 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7091 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7092 not then be downloaded by this command.
7094 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7095 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7096 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7097 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7098 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7099 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7101 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7102 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7103 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7104 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7105 variables, the group is not cached.
7107 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7108 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7109 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7110 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7111 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7112 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
7113 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7114 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
7115 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7118 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7119 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7120 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7121 where, isn't that cool?
7123 @node Persistent Articles
7124 @section Persistent Articles
7125 @cindex persistent articles
7127 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7128 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7129 useful in my opinion.
7131 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7132 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7133 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7134 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7135 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7136 the expiry going on at the news server.
7138 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7139 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7140 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7146 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7147 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7150 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7151 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7152 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7153 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7157 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7159 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7160 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7161 interested in persistent articles:
7164 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7168 @node Article Backlog
7169 @section Article Backlog
7171 @cindex article backlog
7173 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7174 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7175 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7176 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7177 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7178 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7179 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7180 increase memory usage some.
7182 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7183 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7184 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7185 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7186 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7187 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7188 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7190 The default value is 20.
7193 @node Saving Articles
7194 @section Saving Articles
7195 @cindex saving articles
7197 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7198 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7199 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7200 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7201 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7203 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7204 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7205 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7207 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7208 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7209 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7211 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7212 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7213 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7214 deleted before saving.
7220 @kindex O o (Summary)
7222 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7223 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7224 Save the current article using the default article saver
7225 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7228 @kindex O m (Summary)
7229 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7230 Save the current article in mail format
7231 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7234 @kindex O r (Summary)
7235 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7236 Save the current article in rmail format
7237 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7240 @kindex O f (Summary)
7241 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7242 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7243 Save the current article in plain file format
7244 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7247 @kindex O F (Summary)
7248 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7249 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7250 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7253 @kindex O b (Summary)
7254 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7255 Save the current article body in plain file format
7256 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7259 @kindex O h (Summary)
7260 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7261 Save the current article in mh folder format
7262 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7265 @kindex O v (Summary)
7266 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7267 Save the current article in a VM folder
7268 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7272 @kindex O p (Summary)
7274 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7275 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7276 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7277 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7278 complete headers in the piped output.
7281 @kindex O P (Summary)
7282 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7283 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7284 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7285 external program Muttprint (see
7286 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7287 options to use is controlled by the variable
7288 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7292 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7293 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7294 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7295 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7296 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7297 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7298 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7299 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7300 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7301 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7302 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7303 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7307 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7308 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7309 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7310 functions below, or you can create your own.
7314 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7315 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7316 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7317 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7318 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7319 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7320 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7322 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7323 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7324 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7325 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7326 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7327 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7329 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7330 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7331 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7332 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7333 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7334 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7335 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7337 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7338 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7339 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7340 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7341 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7342 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7344 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7345 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7346 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7347 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7348 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7350 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7351 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7352 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7353 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7354 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7357 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7358 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7359 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7360 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7361 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7363 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7364 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7365 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7366 reader to use this setting.
7369 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7370 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7371 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7372 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7375 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7376 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7377 available functions that generate names:
7381 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7382 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7383 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7385 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7386 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7387 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7389 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7390 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7391 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7393 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7394 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7395 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7397 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7398 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7399 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7402 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7403 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7404 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7405 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7406 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7410 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7411 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7412 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7413 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7416 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7417 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7418 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7419 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7420 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7421 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7422 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7423 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7424 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7426 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7427 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7428 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7429 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7431 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7432 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7433 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7436 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7437 lots of mail groups called things like
7438 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7439 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7440 following will do just that:
7443 (defun my-save-name (group)
7444 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7445 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7447 (setq gnus-split-methods
7448 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7453 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7454 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7455 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7456 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7457 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7458 all the files in the top level directory
7459 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7460 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7461 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7462 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7464 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7465 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7466 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7467 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7468 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7471 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7475 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7476 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7477 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7480 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7481 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7482 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7483 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7486 @node Decoding Articles
7487 @section Decoding Articles
7488 @cindex decoding articles
7490 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7491 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7494 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7495 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7496 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7497 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7498 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7499 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7503 @cindex article series
7504 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7505 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7506 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7507 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7508 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7510 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7511 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7512 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7514 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7515 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7516 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7518 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7519 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7520 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7523 @node Uuencoded Articles
7524 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7526 @cindex uuencoded articles
7531 @kindex X u (Summary)
7532 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7533 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7534 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7537 @kindex X U (Summary)
7538 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7539 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7540 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7543 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7544 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7545 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7548 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7549 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7550 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7551 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7555 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7556 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7557 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7558 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7559 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7561 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7562 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7563 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7564 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7567 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7568 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7569 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7570 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7571 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7572 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7576 @node Shell Archives
7577 @subsection Shell Archives
7579 @cindex shell archives
7580 @cindex shared articles
7582 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7583 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7584 some commands to deal with these:
7589 @kindex X s (Summary)
7590 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7591 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7594 @kindex X S (Summary)
7595 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7596 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7599 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7600 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7601 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7604 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7605 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7606 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7607 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7611 @node PostScript Files
7612 @subsection PostScript Files
7618 @kindex X p (Summary)
7619 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7620 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7623 @kindex X P (Summary)
7624 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7625 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7626 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7629 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7630 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7631 View the current PostScript series
7632 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7635 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7636 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7637 View and save the current PostScript series
7638 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7643 @subsection Other Files
7647 @kindex X o (Summary)
7648 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7649 Save the current series
7650 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7653 @kindex X b (Summary)
7654 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7655 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7656 doesn't really work yet.
7660 @node Decoding Variables
7661 @subsection Decoding Variables
7663 Adjective, not verb.
7666 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7667 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7668 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7672 @node Rule Variables
7673 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7674 @cindex rule variables
7676 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7677 variables are of the form
7680 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7687 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7688 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7690 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7691 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7694 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7695 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7698 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7699 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7700 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7701 user and default view rules.
7703 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7704 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7705 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7710 @node Other Decode Variables
7711 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7714 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7716 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7717 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7718 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7719 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7720 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7724 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7725 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7728 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7729 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7730 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7733 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7734 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7735 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7736 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7737 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7740 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7741 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7742 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7744 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7745 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7746 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7747 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7748 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7751 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7752 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7753 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7755 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7756 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7757 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7758 looking for files to display.
7760 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7761 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7762 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7765 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7766 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7767 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7770 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7771 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7772 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7775 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7776 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7777 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7780 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7781 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7782 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7783 decoded articles as unread.
7785 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7786 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7787 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7788 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7790 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7791 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7792 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7794 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7795 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7797 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7798 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7799 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7800 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7802 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7803 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7804 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7805 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7806 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7807 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7808 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7809 simply dropped them.
7814 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7815 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7819 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7820 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7821 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7822 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7823 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7824 for you when you post the article.
7826 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7827 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7828 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7829 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7831 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7832 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7833 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7834 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7835 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7836 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7837 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7839 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7840 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7841 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7842 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7843 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7844 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7845 Default is @code{t}.
7851 @subsection Viewing Files
7852 @cindex viewing files
7853 @cindex pseudo-articles
7855 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7856 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7857 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7858 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7859 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7860 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7861 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7863 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7864 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7865 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7866 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7868 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7869 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7870 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7872 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7873 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7874 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7875 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7876 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7878 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7879 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7880 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7881 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7882 a list of parameters to that command.
7884 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7885 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7886 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7888 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7889 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7890 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7893 @node Article Treatment
7894 @section Article Treatment
7896 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7897 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7898 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7899 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7900 these articles easier.
7903 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7904 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7905 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7906 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7907 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7908 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7909 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7910 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7911 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7912 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7916 @node Article Highlighting
7917 @subsection Article Highlighting
7918 @cindex highlighting
7920 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7921 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7926 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7927 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7928 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7929 Do much highlighting of the current article
7930 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7931 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7934 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7935 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7936 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7937 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7938 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7939 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7940 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7941 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7942 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7943 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7944 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7945 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7948 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7949 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7950 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7952 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7955 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7957 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7958 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7959 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7961 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7962 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7963 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7965 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7966 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7967 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7968 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7969 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7970 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7972 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7973 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7974 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7976 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7977 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7978 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7980 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7981 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7982 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7983 that it's a citation.
7985 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7986 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7987 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7989 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7990 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7991 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7993 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7994 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7995 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7996 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8002 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8003 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8004 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8005 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8006 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8007 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8008 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8009 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8014 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8017 @node Article Fontisizing
8018 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8020 @cindex article emphasis
8022 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8023 @kindex W e (Summary)
8024 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8025 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8026 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8027 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8029 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8030 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8031 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8032 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8033 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8034 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8035 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8036 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8040 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8041 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8042 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8051 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8052 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8053 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8054 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8055 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8056 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8057 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8058 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8059 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8060 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8061 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8062 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8063 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8065 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8066 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8067 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8071 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8074 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8076 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8077 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8078 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8079 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8081 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8084 @node Article Hiding
8085 @subsection Article Hiding
8086 @cindex article hiding
8088 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8089 too much cruft in most articles.
8094 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8095 @findex gnus-article-hide
8096 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8097 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8098 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
8101 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8102 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8103 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8107 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8108 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8109 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8110 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8113 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8114 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8115 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8119 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8120 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8121 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8122 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8123 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8124 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8125 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8126 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8130 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8131 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8132 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8133 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8138 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8139 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8140 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8141 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8144 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8145 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8146 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8147 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8150 @cindex stripping advertisements
8151 @cindex advertisements
8152 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8153 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8154 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8155 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8156 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8157 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8158 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8159 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8160 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8161 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8164 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8165 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8166 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8170 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8171 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8172 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8173 @code{(ADDRESS . BANNER)}, where ADDRESS is a regexp matching a mail
8174 address in the From header, BANNER is one of a symbol @code{signature},
8175 an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}, a regexp and @code{nil}.
8176 If ADDRESS matches author's mail address, it will remove things like
8177 advertisements. For example, if a sender has the mail address
8178 @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a banner something like
8179 @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he sends, you can use the
8180 following element to remove them:
8183 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" . "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8189 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8190 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8191 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8192 customizing the hiding:
8196 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8197 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8198 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8199 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8200 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8201 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8202 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8207 Starting point of the hidden text.
8209 Ending point of the hidden text.
8211 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8213 Number of lines of hidden text.
8216 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8217 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8218 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8219 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8220 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8225 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8226 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8228 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8229 following two variables:
8232 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8233 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8234 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8235 50), hide the cited text.
8237 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8238 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8239 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8244 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8245 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8246 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8247 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8248 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8249 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8253 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8254 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8255 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8257 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8258 citation customization.
8260 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8264 @node Article Washing
8265 @subsection Article Washing
8267 @cindex article washing
8269 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8270 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8272 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8273 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8276 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8277 articles by default.
8282 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8283 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8287 Force redisplaying of the current article
8288 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8289 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8290 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8291 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8294 @kindex W l (Summary)
8295 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8296 Remove page breaks from the current article
8297 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8301 @kindex W r (Summary)
8302 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8303 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8304 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8305 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8306 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8307 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8309 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8310 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8311 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8312 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8315 @kindex W m (Summary)
8316 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8317 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8321 @kindex W t (Summary)
8323 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8324 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8325 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8328 @kindex W v (Summary)
8329 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8330 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8331 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8334 @kindex W o (Summary)
8335 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8336 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8339 @kindex W d (Summary)
8340 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8341 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8343 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8345 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8346 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8347 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8348 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8351 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8352 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8353 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8354 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8357 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8358 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8359 @cindex Outlook Express
8360 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8361 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8362 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8365 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8366 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8367 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8368 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8369 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8370 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8371 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8372 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the miminum and
8373 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8374 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8377 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8378 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8379 Repair a broken attribution line.
8380 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8383 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8384 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8385 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8386 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8389 @kindex W w (Summary)
8390 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8391 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8393 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8397 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8398 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8399 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8402 @kindex W C (Summary)
8403 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8404 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8405 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8408 @kindex W c (Summary)
8409 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8410 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8411 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8412 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8413 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8416 @kindex W q (Summary)
8417 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8418 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8419 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
8420 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
8421 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
8422 readable to me. Note that this is usually done automatically by
8423 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
8424 header that says that this encoding has been done.
8425 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8428 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8429 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8430 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8431 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8432 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is usually done
8433 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8434 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8436 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8439 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8440 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8441 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8442 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8443 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8446 @kindex W u (Summary)
8447 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8448 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8449 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8450 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8451 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8454 @kindex W h (Summary)
8455 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8456 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8457 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8458 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8460 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8462 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8463 The default is to use the function specified by
8464 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{(emacs-mime)Display
8465 Customization}) to convert the @sc{html}, but this is controlled by
8466 the @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions
8467 you can use include:
8474 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8478 Use Links (see @uref{http://artax.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~mikulas/links/}).
8481 Use Lynx (see @uref{http://lynx.browser.org/}).
8484 Use html2text -- a simple @sc{html} converter included with Gnus.
8489 @kindex W b (Summary)
8490 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8491 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8492 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8495 @kindex W B (Summary)
8496 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8497 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8498 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8501 @kindex W p (Summary)
8502 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8503 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8504 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8505 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8506 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8507 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8508 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8511 @kindex W s (Summary)
8512 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8513 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8514 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8517 @kindex W a (Summary)
8518 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8519 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8520 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8523 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8524 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8525 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8526 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8529 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8530 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8531 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8532 lines with a single empty line.
8533 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8536 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8537 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8538 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8539 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8542 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8543 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8544 Do all the three commands above
8545 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8548 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8549 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8550 Remove all blank lines
8551 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8554 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8555 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8556 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8557 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8560 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8561 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8562 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8563 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8567 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8570 @node Article Header
8571 @subsection Article Header
8573 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8578 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8579 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8580 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8583 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8584 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8585 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8586 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8589 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8590 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8591 Fold all the message headers
8592 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8596 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8597 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8598 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8603 @node Article Buttons
8604 @subsection Article Buttons
8607 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8608 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8609 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8610 button on these references.
8612 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8613 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8614 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links and man pages.
8615 This is controlled by two variables, one that handles article bodies and
8616 one that handles article heads:
8620 @item gnus-button-alist
8621 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8622 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8625 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8631 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8632 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8633 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8634 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8635 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}.
8638 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8639 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8640 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8643 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8644 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8645 avoid false matches.
8648 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8651 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8652 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8656 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8659 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8662 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8663 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8664 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8665 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8666 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8669 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8672 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8674 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8675 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8676 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8677 default values of the variables above.
8679 @item gnus-article-button-face
8680 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8681 Face used on buttons.
8683 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8684 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8685 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8689 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8693 @subsection Article Date
8695 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8696 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8697 when the article was sent.
8702 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8703 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8704 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8705 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8708 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8709 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8711 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8712 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8715 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8716 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8717 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8720 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8721 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8722 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8723 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8726 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8727 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8728 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8729 @findex format-time-string
8730 Display the date using a user-defined format
8731 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8732 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8733 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8734 for a list of possible format specs.
8737 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8738 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8739 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8740 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8741 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8742 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8745 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8748 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
8749 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8750 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8753 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8754 into wonderful absurdities.
8756 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8759 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8762 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8763 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8767 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8768 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8769 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8770 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8771 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8772 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8773 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8777 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8778 preferred format automatically.
8781 @node Article Display
8782 @subsection Article Display
8787 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
8788 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8790 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8791 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8793 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8794 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8796 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8797 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8799 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8804 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8805 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8806 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8807 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8810 @kindex W D d (Summary)
8811 @findex gnus-article-display-face
8812 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
8813 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
8816 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8817 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8818 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8821 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8822 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8823 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8826 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8827 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8828 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8829 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8832 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8833 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8834 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8835 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
8838 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8839 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8840 Remove all images from the article buffer
8841 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8847 @node Article Signature
8848 @subsection Article Signature
8850 @cindex article signature
8852 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8853 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8854 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8855 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8856 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8857 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8858 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8859 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8860 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8863 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8864 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8865 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8866 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8867 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8868 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8869 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8870 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8873 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8876 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8877 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8878 signature when displaying articles.
8882 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8885 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8888 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8889 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8891 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8892 in question is not a signature.
8895 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8896 listed above. Here's an example:
8899 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8900 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8903 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8904 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8905 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8906 signature after all.
8909 @node Article Miscellania
8910 @subsection Article Miscellania
8914 @kindex A t (Summary)
8915 @findex gnus-article-babel
8916 Translate the article from one language to another
8917 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8923 @section MIME Commands
8924 @cindex MIME decoding
8926 @cindex viewing attachments
8928 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8929 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8935 @kindex K v (Summary)
8936 View the @sc{mime} part.
8939 @kindex K o (Summary)
8940 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8943 @kindex K c (Summary)
8944 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8947 @kindex K e (Summary)
8948 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8951 @kindex K i (Summary)
8952 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8955 @kindex K | (Summary)
8956 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8959 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8964 @kindex K b (Summary)
8965 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8966 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8970 @kindex K m (Summary)
8971 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8972 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8973 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8974 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8975 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8978 @kindex X m (Summary)
8979 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8980 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8981 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8982 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8985 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8986 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
8987 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8988 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8991 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8992 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
8993 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8994 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8997 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8998 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
8999 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9000 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9002 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9003 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9004 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9005 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9006 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9007 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9010 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9011 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9012 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
9013 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9020 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9021 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9022 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
9023 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9026 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9029 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9033 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9034 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9035 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't required the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9036 before interpreting the message as a @sc{mime} message. This helps
9037 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9038 default is @code{nil}.
9040 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9041 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9042 There are other, non-@sc{mime} encoding methods used. The most common
9043 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9044 This variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9045 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9046 Gnus @sc{mime} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9048 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9049 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9050 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
9051 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9052 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9053 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9054 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9055 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is nil.
9057 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9058 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9059 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
9060 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9061 displayed. This variable overrides
9062 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9063 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9066 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9067 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9068 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9070 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9071 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9072 If this is non-nil, then all @sc{mime} parts get buttons. The default
9073 value is @code{nil}.
9075 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9076 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9077 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
9078 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9079 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9080 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9081 save all jpegs into some directory).
9083 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9086 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9087 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9089 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9090 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9091 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9092 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9093 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9096 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9097 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9098 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9100 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9101 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9102 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
9103 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9105 Ready-made functions include@*
9106 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9107 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9108 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9109 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9110 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9111 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9112 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9113 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9114 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9115 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9116 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9117 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9119 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9120 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9122 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9123 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9124 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9127 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9128 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9129 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9130 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9134 to your @file{.gnus.el} file.
9143 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
9144 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9145 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
9146 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9147 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9148 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9149 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9151 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9152 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9153 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9154 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9156 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9157 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
9158 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9159 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9160 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9161 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9162 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9163 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9164 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9166 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9167 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9168 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
9169 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9170 quoted-printable header encoding.
9172 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9173 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9174 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9178 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9181 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9182 means encode all charsets),
9184 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9185 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9186 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9193 @cindex coding system aliases
9194 @cindex preferred charset
9196 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9198 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9199 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9202 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9203 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9206 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9207 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
9209 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9212 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9215 This will almost do the right thing.
9217 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9221 (codepage-setup 1251)
9222 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9226 @node Article Commands
9227 @section Article Commands
9234 @kindex A P (Summary)
9235 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9236 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9237 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9238 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9239 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9240 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9245 @node Summary Sorting
9246 @section Summary Sorting
9247 @cindex summary sorting
9249 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9250 can't really see why you'd want that.
9255 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9256 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9257 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9260 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9261 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9262 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9265 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9266 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9267 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9270 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9271 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9272 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9275 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9276 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9277 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9280 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9281 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9282 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9285 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9286 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9287 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9290 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9291 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9292 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9295 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9296 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9297 Sort using the default sorting method
9298 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9301 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9302 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9303 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9304 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9305 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9309 @node Finding the Parent
9310 @section Finding the Parent
9311 @cindex parent articles
9312 @cindex referring articles
9317 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9318 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9319 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9320 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
9321 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9322 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9323 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9324 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9325 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9327 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9328 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9329 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
9330 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9331 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9335 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9336 @kindex A R (Summary)
9337 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9338 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9341 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9342 @kindex A T (Summary)
9343 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9344 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9345 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9346 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9347 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9348 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9349 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9351 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9352 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9353 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9354 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9355 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9356 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9359 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9360 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9362 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9363 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9364 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9365 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9366 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9367 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9368 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9371 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9372 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9373 by giving this command a prefix.
9375 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9376 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9377 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9378 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9379 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9380 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9383 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9384 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9385 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9388 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9389 then ask Google if that fails:
9392 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9394 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9397 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9398 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9399 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9400 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9401 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9402 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9403 support this at all.
9406 @node Alternative Approaches
9407 @section Alternative Approaches
9409 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9410 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9413 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9414 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9419 @subsection Pick and Read
9420 @cindex pick and read
9422 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9423 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9424 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9425 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9427 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9428 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9429 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9430 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9431 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9432 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9434 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9439 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9440 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9441 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9442 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9443 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9444 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9445 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9446 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9449 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9450 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9451 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9452 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9456 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9457 Unpick the thread or article
9458 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9459 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9460 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9461 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9462 the thread or article at that line.
9466 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9467 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9468 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9469 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9470 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9471 will still be visible when you are reading.
9475 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9476 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9477 which is mapped to the same function
9478 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9480 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9483 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9486 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9487 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9489 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9490 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9491 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9493 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9494 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9495 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9496 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9497 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9498 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9499 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9503 @subsection Binary Groups
9504 @cindex binary groups
9506 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9507 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9508 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9509 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9510 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9511 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9512 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9515 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9516 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9517 command, when you have turned on this mode
9518 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9520 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9521 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9525 @section Tree Display
9528 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9529 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9530 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9531 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9534 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9537 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9538 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9539 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9541 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9542 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9543 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9544 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9545 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9547 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9548 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9549 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9550 default is @code{modeline}.
9552 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9553 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9554 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9555 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9556 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9557 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9558 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9564 The name of the poster.
9566 The @code{From} header.
9568 The number of the article.
9570 The opening bracket.
9572 The closing bracket.
9577 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9579 Variables related to the display are:
9582 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9583 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9584 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9585 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9586 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9587 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9589 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9590 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9591 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9592 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9596 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9597 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9598 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9599 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9600 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9601 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9602 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9603 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9604 other windows displayed next to it.
9606 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9610 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9611 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9614 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9615 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9616 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9617 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9618 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9619 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9620 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9624 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9627 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9637 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9641 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9642 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9644 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9646 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9651 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9652 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9653 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9656 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9657 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9658 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9659 (gnus-add-configuration
9663 (summary 0.75 point)
9668 @xref{Window Layout}.
9671 @node Mail Group Commands
9672 @section Mail Group Commands
9673 @cindex mail group commands
9675 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9676 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9678 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9679 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9684 @kindex B e (Summary)
9685 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9686 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9687 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9688 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9689 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9692 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9693 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9694 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9695 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9696 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9697 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9700 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9701 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9702 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9703 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9704 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9705 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9708 @kindex B m (Summary)
9710 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9711 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9712 Move the article from one mail group to another
9713 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9714 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9717 @kindex B c (Summary)
9719 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9720 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9721 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9722 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9723 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9726 @kindex B B (Summary)
9727 @cindex crosspost mail
9728 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9729 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9730 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9731 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9732 be properly updated.
9735 @kindex B i (Summary)
9736 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9737 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9738 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9739 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9742 @kindex B I (Summary)
9743 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9744 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9745 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9746 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9749 @kindex B r (Summary)
9750 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9751 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
9752 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9753 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9754 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9755 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9756 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9757 (which is the default).
9761 @kindex B w (Summary)
9763 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9764 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9765 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9766 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9767 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9768 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9769 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9772 @kindex B q (Summary)
9773 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9774 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9775 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9776 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9779 @kindex B t (Summary)
9780 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9781 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9782 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9785 @kindex B p (Summary)
9786 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9787 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9788 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9789 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9790 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9791 article from your news server (or rather, from
9792 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9793 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9794 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9795 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9796 just not have arrived yet.
9799 @kindex K E (Summary)
9800 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9801 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9802 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9803 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9804 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9808 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9809 @cindex moving articles
9810 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
9811 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9812 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9813 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9814 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9815 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9816 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9819 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9820 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9821 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9822 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9826 @node Various Summary Stuff
9827 @section Various Summary Stuff
9830 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9831 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9832 * Summary Generation Commands::
9833 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9837 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
9838 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
9839 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
9840 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
9841 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
9842 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
9844 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9845 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9846 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9848 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9849 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9850 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9851 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9852 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9853 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9856 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9857 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9858 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9859 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9860 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9862 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9863 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9864 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9867 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9868 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9869 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9870 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9871 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9872 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9873 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
9874 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9875 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9876 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9878 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9879 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9880 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9881 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9882 list of articles to be selected.
9884 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9885 the list in one particular group:
9888 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9889 (if (string= group "some.group")
9890 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9894 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9895 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9896 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9897 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9898 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9899 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9900 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9901 buffers. For example:
9904 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9905 '(message-use-followup-to
9906 (gnus-visible-headers .
9907 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9913 @node Summary Group Information
9914 @subsection Summary Group Information
9919 @kindex H f (Summary)
9920 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9921 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9922 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9923 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9924 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9925 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9926 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9927 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9928 be used for fetching the file.
9931 @kindex H d (Summary)
9932 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9933 Give a brief description of the current group
9934 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9935 rereading the description from the server.
9938 @kindex H h (Summary)
9939 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9940 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9941 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9944 @kindex H i (Summary)
9945 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9946 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9950 @node Searching for Articles
9951 @subsection Searching for Articles
9956 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9957 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9958 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9959 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9962 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9963 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9964 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9965 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9969 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9970 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9971 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9972 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9973 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9974 search backward instead.
9976 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9977 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9980 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9981 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9982 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9983 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9986 @node Summary Generation Commands
9987 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9992 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9993 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9994 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9997 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9998 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9999 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10000 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10003 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10004 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10005 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10006 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10011 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10012 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10018 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10019 @kindex A D (Summary)
10020 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10021 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10022 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10023 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10024 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10025 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10026 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10027 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10031 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10032 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10033 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10034 several documents into one biiig group
10035 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10036 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10037 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10038 command understands the process/prefix convention
10039 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10042 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10043 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10044 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10045 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10046 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10047 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10050 @kindex = (Summary)
10051 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10052 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10053 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10056 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10057 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10058 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10059 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10062 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10063 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10064 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10065 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10070 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10071 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10072 @cindex summary exit
10073 @cindex exiting groups
10075 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10076 group and return you to the group buffer.
10082 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10083 @kindex q (Summary)
10084 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10085 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10086 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10087 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10088 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10089 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10090 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10091 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10092 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10093 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10094 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10095 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10099 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10100 @kindex Q (Summary)
10101 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10102 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10103 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10107 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10108 @kindex c (Summary)
10109 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10110 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10111 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10112 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10115 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10116 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10117 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10118 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10121 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10122 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10123 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10124 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10127 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10128 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10129 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10130 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10131 all articles, both read and unread.
10135 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10136 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10137 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10138 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10139 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10140 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10141 articles, both read and unread.
10144 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10145 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10146 Exit the group and go to the next group
10147 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10150 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10151 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10152 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10153 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10156 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10157 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10158 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10159 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10160 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10161 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10164 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10165 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10166 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10167 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10169 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10170 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10171 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10172 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10173 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10174 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10175 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10176 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10177 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10178 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10179 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10180 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10182 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10184 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10185 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10186 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10187 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10188 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10189 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10190 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10191 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10192 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10195 @node Crosspost Handling
10196 @section Crosspost Handling
10200 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10201 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10202 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10203 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10204 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10205 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10208 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10209 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10210 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10211 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10212 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10214 @cindex cross-posting
10217 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10218 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
10219 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10220 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
10221 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10222 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10223 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10224 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10225 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10226 the cross reference mechanism.
10228 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10229 @cindex overview.fmt
10230 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10231 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10232 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10233 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10234 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10235 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10238 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10239 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10240 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10245 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10248 @node Duplicate Suppression
10249 @section Duplicate Suppression
10251 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10252 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10253 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10254 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10259 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10260 is evil and not very common.
10263 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10264 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10267 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10268 different @sc{nntp} servers.
10271 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10274 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10275 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10277 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10278 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10279 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10280 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10281 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10282 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10283 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10286 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10287 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10288 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10289 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10290 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10291 saw the article in.
10294 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10295 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10296 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10298 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10299 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10300 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10301 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10302 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
10303 session are suppressed.
10305 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10306 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10307 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10308 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10310 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10311 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10312 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10313 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10316 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
10317 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10318 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10319 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10320 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
10321 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10322 to you to figure out, I think.
10327 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10328 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
10329 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
10333 To handle PGP and PGP/MIME messages, you have to install an OpenPGP
10334 implementation such as GnuPG. The lisp interface to GnuPG included
10335 with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG Manual}), but
10336 Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10339 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10340 or newer is recommended.
10344 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10345 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10348 @item mm-verify-option
10349 @vindex mm-verify-option
10350 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10351 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10352 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10354 @item mm-decrypt-option
10355 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10356 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10357 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10358 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10361 @vindex mml1991-use
10362 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for PGP
10363 messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but @code{mailcrypt} and
10364 @code{gpg} are also supported although deprecated.
10367 @vindex mml2015-use
10368 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10369 PGP/MIME messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but @code{mailcrypt}
10370 and @code{gpg} are also supported although deprecated.
10375 @section Mailing List
10377 @kindex A M (summary)
10378 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10379 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10380 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10381 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10384 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10389 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10390 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10391 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10394 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10395 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10396 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10399 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10400 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10401 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10405 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10406 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10407 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10410 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10411 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10412 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10415 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10416 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10417 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10421 @node Article Buffer
10422 @chapter Article Buffer
10423 @cindex article buffer
10425 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10426 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10427 tell Gnus otherwise.
10430 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10431 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10432 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10433 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10434 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10438 @node Hiding Headers
10439 @section Hiding Headers
10440 @cindex hiding headers
10441 @cindex deleting headers
10443 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10444 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10446 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10447 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10448 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10449 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10450 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10451 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10452 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10453 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10454 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10456 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10460 @item gnus-visible-headers
10461 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10462 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10463 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10464 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10466 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10467 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10470 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10473 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10476 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10477 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10478 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10479 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10480 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10481 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10483 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
10484 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
10487 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10490 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10493 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10494 variable will have no effect.
10498 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10499 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10500 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10501 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10502 the headers are to be displayed.
10504 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10505 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10508 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10511 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10512 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10514 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10515 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10516 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10517 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10518 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10519 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10520 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10523 These conditions are:
10526 Remove all empty headers.
10528 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10529 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10531 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10532 @code{From} header.
10534 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10537 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10538 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10540 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10543 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10545 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10548 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10551 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10552 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10555 This is also the default value for this variable.
10559 @section Using MIME
10562 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10563 while people stand around yawning.
10565 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10566 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10568 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10569 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10570 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10572 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10573 @findex gnus-display-mime
10574 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10575 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10576 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10577 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
10579 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10583 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10584 @item RET (Article)
10585 @kindex RET (Article)
10586 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10587 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
10588 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If builtin viewers can not display
10589 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
10590 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
10591 object is displayed inline.
10593 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
10594 @item M-RET (Article)
10595 @kindex M-RET (Article)
10597 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10598 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
10600 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
10602 @kindex t (Article)
10603 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
10604 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
10606 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
10608 @kindex C (Article)
10609 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10610 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
10612 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
10614 @kindex o (Article)
10615 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
10616 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
10618 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
10619 @item C-o (Article)
10620 @kindex C-o (Article)
10621 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
10622 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
10623 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
10624 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
10625 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
10626 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
10628 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
10630 @kindex c (Article)
10631 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
10632 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
10633 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
10634 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
10635 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
10637 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
10639 @kindex p (Article)
10640 Print the @sc{mime} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
10641 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
10642 @file{.mailcap} file.
10644 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
10646 @kindex i (Article)
10647 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
10648 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
10649 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
10650 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
10651 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
10654 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
10656 @kindex E (Article)
10657 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
10658 viewer is available, use an external viewer
10659 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
10661 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
10663 @kindex e (Article)
10664 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
10665 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
10667 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
10669 @kindex | (Article)
10670 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
10672 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
10674 @kindex . (Article)
10675 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
10676 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
10680 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
10681 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
10684 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
10685 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
10686 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
10687 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
10688 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
10689 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
10690 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
10691 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
10692 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
10694 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10696 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10699 @node Customizing Articles
10700 @section Customizing Articles
10701 @cindex article customization
10703 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10704 exist. You can call these functions interactively
10705 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
10706 called automatically when you select the articles.
10708 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10709 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10710 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10711 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10713 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10714 for sensible values.
10718 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10721 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10724 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10727 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10730 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10734 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10735 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10736 regexps in the list.
10739 A list where the first element is not a string:
10741 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10742 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10743 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10747 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10752 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10753 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10754 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10755 considered to contain just a single part.
10757 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10758 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10759 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10760 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10761 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10762 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10763 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10765 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10766 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10767 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10768 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10771 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10772 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10774 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10776 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10777 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10778 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10779 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10780 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10781 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10782 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10783 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10784 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10785 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
10787 @xref{Article Washing}.
10789 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10790 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10791 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10792 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10793 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10794 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10795 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10797 @xref{Article Date}.
10799 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10800 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10801 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10805 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10807 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10809 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10810 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10811 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10815 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10819 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10820 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10821 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10822 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10823 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10824 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10825 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10826 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10828 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10830 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10831 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10832 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10834 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10836 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10837 @item gnus-treat-translate
10838 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10840 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10841 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10842 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10843 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10845 @xref{Article Header}.
10850 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10851 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10852 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10853 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10854 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10858 @node Article Keymap
10859 @section Article Keymap
10861 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10862 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10863 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10864 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10867 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10872 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10873 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10874 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10875 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
10878 @kindex DEL (Article)
10879 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10880 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10881 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
10884 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10885 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10886 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10887 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10888 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10891 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10892 @findex gnus-article-mail
10893 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10894 given a prefix, include the mail.
10897 @kindex s (Article)
10898 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10899 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10900 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10903 @kindex ? (Article)
10904 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10905 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10906 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10909 @kindex TAB (Article)
10910 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10911 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10912 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10915 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10916 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10917 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10920 @kindex R (Article)
10921 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10922 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10923 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10924 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10928 @kindex F (Article)
10929 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10930 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10931 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10932 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10940 @section Misc Article
10944 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10945 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10946 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10947 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10950 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10951 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10953 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10954 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10956 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10957 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10958 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10959 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10960 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10961 the contents of the article buffer.
10963 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10964 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10965 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10967 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10968 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10969 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10970 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10972 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10973 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10974 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10975 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10976 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10982 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10983 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10984 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10989 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10992 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10995 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10996 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10997 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11000 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11003 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11006 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11011 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
11015 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11017 @item gnus-break-pages
11018 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11019 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11020 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11021 paging will not be done.
11023 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11024 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11025 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11030 @node Composing Messages
11031 @chapter Composing Messages
11032 @cindex composing messages
11035 @cindex sending mail
11040 @cindex using s/mime
11041 @cindex using smime
11043 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11044 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11045 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11046 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11047 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11048 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11051 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11052 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11053 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11054 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11055 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11056 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11057 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11058 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11061 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11062 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11068 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11071 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11072 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11073 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11074 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11075 @code{nil} include all headers.
11077 @item gnus-add-to-list
11078 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11079 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11080 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11082 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11083 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11084 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
11085 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
11086 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
11087 confirmation is should be asked for.
11089 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11090 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11092 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11093 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11094 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11095 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11096 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11101 @node Posting Server
11102 @section Posting Server
11104 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11105 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11107 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11109 It can be quite complicated.
11111 @vindex gnus-post-method
11112 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11113 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11114 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11115 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11116 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11117 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11118 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11119 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11120 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11123 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11126 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11127 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11128 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11129 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11131 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11132 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11134 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11135 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11138 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11139 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11141 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11142 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11143 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11144 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11145 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
11146 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11147 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11148 package correctly. An example:
11151 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11152 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11155 To the thing similar to this, there is @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}.
11156 It is useful if your ISP requires the POP-before-SMTP authentication.
11157 See the documentation for the function @code{mail-source-touch-pop}.
11159 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11160 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11161 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11163 @node Mail and Post
11164 @section Mail and Post
11166 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11170 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11171 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11172 @cindex mailing lists
11174 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11175 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
11176 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11177 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11178 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11179 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11180 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11181 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11182 still a pain, though.
11184 @item gnus-version-expose-system
11185 @vindex gnus-version-expose-system
11187 Your system type (@code{system-configuration} variable, such as
11188 @samp{i686-pc-linux}) is exposed in the auto-generated by default
11189 User-Agent header. Sometimes, it may be desireable (mostly because of
11190 aesthetic reasons) to turn it off. In this case, set it to @code{nil}.
11194 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11195 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11196 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11199 @findex ispell-message
11201 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11204 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11205 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11208 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11212 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11213 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11215 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11218 Modify to suit your needs.
11221 @node Archived Messages
11222 @section Archived Messages
11223 @cindex archived messages
11224 @cindex sent messages
11226 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11227 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11228 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11229 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11232 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11233 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11236 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11237 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
11238 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11241 (nnfolder "archive"
11242 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11243 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11244 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11245 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11248 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11249 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11250 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11251 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11254 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11255 '(nnfolder "archive"
11256 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11257 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11258 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11261 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11263 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11264 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11265 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11267 This variable can be used to do the following:
11272 Messages will be saved in that group.
11274 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11275 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11276 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11277 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11278 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11279 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11280 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11281 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11285 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11287 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11288 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11291 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11296 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11298 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11301 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11303 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11306 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11308 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11309 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11310 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11311 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11314 More complex stuff:
11316 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11317 '((if (message-news-p)
11322 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11323 messages in one file per month:
11326 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11327 '((if (message-news-p)
11329 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11332 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11333 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11335 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11336 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11337 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11338 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11339 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11340 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11341 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11342 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11343 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11344 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11346 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11347 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11348 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11349 this will disable archiving.
11352 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11353 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11354 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11355 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11356 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11359 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11360 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11361 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11364 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11365 but the latter is the preferred method.
11367 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11368 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11369 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11371 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11372 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11373 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11374 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11375 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11376 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11377 changed in the future.
11382 @node Posting Styles
11383 @section Posting Styles
11384 @cindex posting styles
11387 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11389 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11390 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11391 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11394 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11395 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11396 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11397 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11398 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11403 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11404 (organization "What me?"))
11406 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11407 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11408 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11411 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11412 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11413 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11414 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11415 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11416 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11417 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11418 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11420 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11421 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11422 If it is the form @code{(header MATCH REGEXP)}, then Gnus will look in
11423 the original article for a header whose name is MATCH and compare that
11424 REGEXP. MATCH and REGEXP are strings. (There original article is the
11425 one you are replying or following up to. If you are not composing a
11426 reply or a followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11427 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with no
11428 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11429 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11430 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
11433 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11434 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11435 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
11436 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
11437 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
11438 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
11439 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
11440 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
11441 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
11442 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
11445 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11446 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11447 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11448 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11449 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11450 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11451 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11452 references chars lines xref extra.
11454 @vindex message-reply-headers
11456 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11457 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11458 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11460 @findex message-mail-p
11461 @findex message-news-p
11463 So here's a new example:
11466 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11468 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11470 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11471 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11473 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11474 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
11475 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11476 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
11477 (signature my-news-signature))
11478 (window-system ;; A value symbol
11479 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11480 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
11481 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11482 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11483 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
11484 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11485 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11486 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11487 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11489 (From (save-excursion
11490 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11491 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11493 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11496 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11497 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11498 if you fill many roles.
11505 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11506 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11507 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11508 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11509 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11511 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11512 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11513 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11514 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11515 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11519 @vindex nndraft-directory
11520 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11521 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11522 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11523 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11524 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11525 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11527 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11528 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11531 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11532 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11533 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11534 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11535 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11536 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11537 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11538 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11539 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11540 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11541 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11542 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11543 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11544 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11546 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11547 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11548 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11550 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11551 @kindex D e (Draft)
11552 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11553 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11554 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11556 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11559 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11560 @kindex D s (Draft)
11561 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11562 @kindex D S (Draft)
11563 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11564 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11565 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11566 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11567 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11570 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
11571 @kindex D t (Draft)
11572 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11573 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11574 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11577 @node Rejected Articles
11578 @section Rejected Articles
11579 @cindex rejected articles
11581 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11582 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11583 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11584 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11586 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
11587 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11588 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11589 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
11590 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11592 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11593 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11594 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11596 @node Signing and encrypting
11597 @section Signing and encrypting
11599 @cindex using s/mime
11600 @cindex using smime
11602 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11603 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11604 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11605 (@pxref{Security}).
11607 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
11608 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
11609 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
11610 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11611 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11612 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11613 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11614 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11615 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11616 automatically encrypted messages.
11618 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11619 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11620 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11625 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11626 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11628 Digitally sign current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11631 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11632 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11634 Digitally sign current message using PGP.
11637 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11638 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11640 Digitally sign current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11643 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11644 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11646 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11649 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11650 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11652 Digitally encrypt current message using PGP.
11655 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11656 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11658 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11661 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11662 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11663 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11667 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
11669 @node Select Methods
11670 @chapter Select Methods
11671 @cindex foreign groups
11672 @cindex select methods
11674 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11675 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11676 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11677 personal mail group.
11679 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11680 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11681 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11682 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11683 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11684 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11686 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11687 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11689 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11692 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11693 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11694 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11695 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11696 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11698 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11701 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11702 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11703 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11704 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11705 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11706 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11707 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11708 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11712 @node Server Buffer
11713 @section Server Buffer
11715 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11716 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11717 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11718 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11719 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11720 back end represents a virtual server.
11722 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11723 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11724 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11725 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11727 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11728 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11729 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11730 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11731 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11732 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11733 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11735 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11736 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11739 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11740 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11741 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11742 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11743 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11744 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11745 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11748 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11749 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11752 @node Server Buffer Format
11753 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11754 @cindex server buffer format
11756 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11757 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11758 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11759 variable, with some simple extensions:
11764 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11767 The name of this server.
11770 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11773 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11776 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11777 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11778 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11779 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11789 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11792 @node Server Commands
11793 @subsection Server Commands
11794 @cindex server commands
11800 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11801 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11805 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11806 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11809 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11810 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11811 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11815 @findex gnus-server-exit
11816 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11820 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11821 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11825 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11826 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11830 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11831 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11835 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11836 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11840 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11841 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11842 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11847 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11848 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11849 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11850 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11855 @node Example Methods
11856 @subsection Example Methods
11858 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11861 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11864 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11870 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11871 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11874 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11875 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11877 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11878 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11882 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11885 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11886 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11888 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11889 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11890 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11894 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11897 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11900 Here's the method for a public spool:
11904 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11905 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11911 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11912 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11913 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11914 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11915 should probably look something like this:
11919 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11920 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11921 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11922 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11925 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11926 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11927 configuration to the example above:
11930 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11933 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
11935 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11936 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11937 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11941 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11942 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11943 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11944 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11947 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11948 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11949 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11950 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11953 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11954 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11956 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11957 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11959 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11960 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11961 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11963 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11965 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11966 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11967 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11968 will contain the following:
11978 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11979 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11980 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11983 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11984 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11985 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11988 @node Server Variables
11989 @subsection Server Variables
11991 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11992 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11993 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11994 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11995 won't change the "derived" variables.
11997 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11998 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11999 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12000 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12001 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12002 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12003 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12004 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12005 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12009 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12010 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12011 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12015 @node Servers and Methods
12016 @subsection Servers and Methods
12018 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12019 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12020 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12021 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12025 @node Unavailable Servers
12026 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12028 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12029 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12030 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12031 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12032 actually the case or not.
12034 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12035 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12036 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12037 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12038 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12039 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12040 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12041 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12043 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12044 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12046 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12047 with the following commands:
12053 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12054 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12055 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12059 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12060 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12061 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12065 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12066 Mark the current server as unreachable
12067 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12070 @kindex M-o (Server)
12071 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12072 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12073 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12076 @kindex M-c (Server)
12077 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12078 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12079 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12083 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12084 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12085 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12089 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12090 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12096 @section Getting News
12097 @cindex reading news
12098 @cindex news back ends
12100 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12101 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
12102 or it can read from a local spool.
12105 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
12106 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12114 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
12115 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
12116 server as the, uhm, address.
12118 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12119 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12120 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12121 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12123 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12124 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12125 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12127 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12132 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12133 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12134 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12136 @cindex authentification
12137 @cindex nntp authentification
12138 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12139 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12140 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12141 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
12142 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12143 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12144 present in this hook.
12146 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12147 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12148 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12149 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12150 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
12151 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12152 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12153 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12154 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12155 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12156 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12157 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12161 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12164 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12166 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12167 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12168 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12169 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12170 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12171 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12172 @samp{force} is explained below.
12176 Here's an example file:
12179 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12180 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12183 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12184 have to be first, for instance.
12186 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12187 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12188 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12189 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12190 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12191 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12192 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12194 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12195 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12201 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12202 previously mentioned.
12204 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12206 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12207 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12208 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12209 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12210 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12213 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12214 '(("innd" (ding))))
12217 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12219 The default value is
12222 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12223 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12224 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12227 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12228 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12230 @item nntp-maximum-request
12231 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12232 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
12233 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12234 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12235 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12236 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12237 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12239 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12240 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12241 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12242 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
12243 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12244 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12245 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12246 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12247 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12248 no timeouts are done.
12250 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12251 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12252 @c @cindex PPP connections
12253 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12254 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12255 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12256 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
12257 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12258 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12259 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12260 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12261 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12262 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12264 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12265 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12266 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12267 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12268 @c described above.
12270 @item nntp-server-hook
12271 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12272 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
12275 @item nntp-buggy-select
12276 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12277 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12279 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12280 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12281 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
12282 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
12285 @item nntp-xover-commands
12286 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12289 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
12290 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12294 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12295 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
12296 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12297 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12298 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
12299 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12300 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12301 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12302 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12303 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12304 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12306 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12307 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12308 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
12310 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12311 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12312 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12313 server closes connection.
12315 @item nntp-record-commands
12316 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12317 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12318 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12319 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
12320 that doesn't seem to work.
12322 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12323 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12324 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12325 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12326 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12327 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12328 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12329 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12331 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12332 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12333 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12334 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12335 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12336 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12337 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12340 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12343 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12344 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12346 @item nntp-read-timeout
12347 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12348 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12349 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12350 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12351 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12357 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12358 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12359 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12363 @node Direct Functions
12364 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12365 @cindex direct connection functions
12367 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12368 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
12369 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12370 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12373 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12374 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12375 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12378 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12379 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12380 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12381 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
12382 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
12383 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
12384 define a server as follows:
12387 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
12389 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
12390 ;; however, openssl s_client -port doesn't like named ports
12392 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12393 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12394 (nntp-port-number 563)
12395 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12398 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12399 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12400 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12401 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12402 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12403 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12404 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12405 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12409 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12410 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12411 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12414 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12415 session, which is not a good idea.
12419 @node Indirect Functions
12420 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12421 @cindex indirect connection functions
12423 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12424 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
12425 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12426 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
12427 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12428 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12431 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12432 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12433 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12434 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12435 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12437 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12440 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12441 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12442 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12443 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12445 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12446 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12447 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12448 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12449 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
12450 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12451 this to @samp{("-t")} or @samp{("-C" "-t")} if the telnet command
12452 requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate host.
12455 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12456 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12457 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12458 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12460 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12463 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12464 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12465 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12468 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12469 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12470 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12471 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12473 @item nntp-via-user-password
12474 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12475 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12477 @item nntp-via-envuser
12478 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12479 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12480 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12481 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12483 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12484 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12485 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12486 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12493 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12498 @item nntp-via-user-name
12499 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12500 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12502 @item nntp-via-address
12503 @vindex nntp-via-address
12504 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12509 @node Common Variables
12510 @subsubsection Common Variables
12512 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12513 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12518 @item nntp-pre-command
12519 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12520 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
12521 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
12522 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
12523 wrapper for instance.
12526 @vindex nntp-address
12527 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12529 @item nntp-port-number
12530 @vindex nntp-port-number
12531 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
12532 If you use @sc{nntp} over @sc{ssl}, you may want to use integer ports rather
12533 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews}), because
12534 external SSL tools may not work with named ports.
12536 @item nntp-end-of-line
12537 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12538 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12539 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12540 using a non native connection function.
12542 @item nntp-telnet-command
12543 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12544 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12545 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12546 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12548 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12549 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12550 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12557 @subsection News Spool
12561 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12562 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12563 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12566 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12567 anything else) as the address.
12569 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12570 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12571 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12572 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12576 @item nnspool-inews-program
12577 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12578 Program used to post an article.
12580 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12581 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12582 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12584 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12585 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12586 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12587 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12589 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12590 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12591 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12592 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12594 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12595 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12596 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12598 @item nnspool-active-file
12599 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12600 The name of the active file.
12602 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12603 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12604 The name of the group descriptions file.
12606 @item nnspool-history-file
12607 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12608 The name of the news history file.
12610 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12611 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12612 The name of the active date file.
12614 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12615 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12616 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12619 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12620 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12622 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12623 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12624 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12630 @section Getting Mail
12631 @cindex reading mail
12634 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12638 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12639 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12640 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12641 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12642 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12643 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12644 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12645 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12646 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12647 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12648 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12649 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12650 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12654 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12655 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12657 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12658 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12659 of a culture shock.
12661 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12662 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12664 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12665 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12666 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12667 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12669 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12671 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12672 deleted? How awful!
12674 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12675 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12676 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12677 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12680 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12681 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12682 they want to treat a message.
12684 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12685 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12686 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12687 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12688 archived somewhere else.
12690 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12691 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12692 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12693 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12694 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12696 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12697 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12698 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12700 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12701 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12704 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12705 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12706 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12707 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12708 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12710 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12711 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12712 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12713 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12714 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12715 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12719 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12720 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12722 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12723 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12724 and things will happen automatically.
12726 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12727 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12730 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12733 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12734 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12735 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12736 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12737 like any other group.
12739 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12742 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12743 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12744 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12748 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12749 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12750 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12753 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12754 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12755 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12758 @node Splitting Mail
12759 @subsection Splitting Mail
12760 @cindex splitting mail
12761 @cindex mail splitting
12763 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12764 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12765 to be split into groups.
12768 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12769 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12770 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12771 ("mail.other" "")))
12774 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12775 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12776 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12777 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12778 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12779 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12780 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12783 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12786 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12787 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12788 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12789 mail belongs in that group.
12791 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12792 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12793 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12794 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12795 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12796 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12798 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12799 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12800 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12801 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12802 thinks should carry this mail message.
12804 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12805 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12806 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12807 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12809 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12810 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12811 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12812 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12813 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12815 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12818 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12819 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12820 links. If that's the case for you, set
12821 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12822 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12824 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12825 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12826 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12827 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12828 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12829 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12832 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12833 Header lines longer than the value of
12834 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12837 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
12838 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
12839 By default the splitting codes MIME decodes headers so you can match
12840 on non-ASCII strings. The @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
12841 variable specifies the default charset for decoding. The behaviour
12842 can be turned off completely by binding
12843 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to nil, which is useful if you
12844 want to match articles based on the raw header data.
12846 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12847 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If
12848 you specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable
12849 @code{mail-sources} @pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}, however, then
12850 splitting does @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
12851 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-nil value to make splitting
12852 happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on other kinds
12855 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12856 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12857 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12858 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12859 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12860 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12861 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12862 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12863 month's rent money.
12867 @subsection Mail Sources
12869 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12870 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12874 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12875 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12876 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12880 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12881 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12883 @cindex mail server
12886 @cindex mail source
12888 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12889 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12894 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12897 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12898 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12899 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12902 The following mail source types are available:
12906 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12912 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12913 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
12914 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
12918 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12921 An example file mail source:
12924 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12927 Or using the default file name:
12933 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12934 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12935 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12938 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12942 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12945 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12949 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12952 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12954 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12957 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12961 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
12962 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
12963 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. That is,
12964 there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that directory and
12965 groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in
12966 the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12967 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12968 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
12969 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
12970 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12972 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12973 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
12974 that to a non-nil value, then the normal splitting process is applied
12975 to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
12981 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12985 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12989 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12990 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12991 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12992 predicate are considered.
12996 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13000 An example directory mail source:
13003 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13008 Get mail from a POP server.
13014 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
13015 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13018 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
13019 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13020 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13021 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13022 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13025 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
13029 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
13033 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
13034 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13037 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13040 The valid format specifier characters are:
13044 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13045 included in this string.
13048 The name of the server.
13051 The port number of the server.
13054 The user name to use.
13057 The password to use.
13060 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13061 corresponding keywords.
13064 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13065 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13068 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13069 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13072 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
13073 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
13076 @item :authentication
13077 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13078 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13083 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13084 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
13086 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
13087 default user name, and default fetcher:
13093 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13096 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13097 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13100 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13103 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13107 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13108 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13109 contains exactly one mail.
13115 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13116 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13119 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13120 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13122 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13123 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13124 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13127 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13128 from locking problems).
13132 Two example maildir mail sources:
13135 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13136 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13140 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13145 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
13146 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
13147 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
13148 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
13151 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
13152 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13158 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
13159 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13162 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13163 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
13166 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
13170 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
13174 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13175 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13176 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
13177 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13179 @item :authentication
13180 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13181 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13182 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13183 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13186 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13187 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13188 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13194 The valid format specifier characters are:
13198 The name of the server.
13201 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13204 The port number of the server.
13207 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13208 corresponding keywords.
13211 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13212 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13215 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13216 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13217 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
13218 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13219 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13220 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13223 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13224 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13225 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13226 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13229 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
13230 after finishing the fetch.
13234 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
13237 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13239 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13243 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
13244 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
13245 @uref{mail.yahoo..com}.
13247 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13248 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13250 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13256 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13257 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13260 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13264 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13268 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
13269 folder after finishing the fetch.
13273 An example webmail source:
13276 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13278 :password "secret")
13283 @item Common Keywords
13284 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13290 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
13291 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
13295 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13300 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13301 useful when you use local mail and news.
13306 @subsubsection Function Interface
13308 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13309 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13310 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13311 consider the following mail-source setting:
13314 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13315 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13318 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13319 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13320 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13321 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13322 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13324 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13327 @node Mail Source Customization
13328 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13330 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13331 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13335 @item mail-source-crash-box
13336 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13337 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
13338 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13340 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13341 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13342 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
13344 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
13345 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
13346 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
13348 @item mail-source-directory
13349 @vindex mail-source-directory
13350 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13351 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13352 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13355 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13356 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13357 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13358 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13359 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13360 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13362 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13363 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13364 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13366 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13367 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13368 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
13369 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13374 @node Fetching Mail
13375 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13377 @vindex mail-sources
13378 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13379 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13380 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13381 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13383 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13384 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13387 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
13388 mail server, you'd say something like:
13393 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13394 :password "secret")))
13397 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13401 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13402 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13405 :password "secret")))
13409 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13410 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13411 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13412 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13413 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13414 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13418 @node Mail Back End Variables
13419 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13421 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13425 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13426 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13427 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13428 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13430 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13431 @item nnmail-split-hook
13432 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
13433 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
13434 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
13435 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13436 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13437 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13438 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13439 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13440 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13443 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13444 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13445 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13446 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13447 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13448 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13449 starting to handle the new mail) and
13450 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13451 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13452 default file modes the new mail files get:
13455 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13456 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13458 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13459 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13462 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13463 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13464 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13465 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13466 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13467 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13468 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13470 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13471 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13472 @findex delete-file
13473 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13475 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13476 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13477 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13478 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13479 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13481 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13482 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13483 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13484 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13485 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13487 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13488 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13489 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13494 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13495 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13496 @cindex mail splitting
13497 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13499 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13500 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13501 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13502 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13503 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13504 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13506 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13509 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
13510 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
13511 ;; from real errors.
13512 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13514 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
13515 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
13516 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
13517 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13518 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13519 ;; Other mailing lists...
13520 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13521 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13522 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
13523 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
13524 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
13525 ;; message was really cross-posted.
13526 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13527 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13529 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13530 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13534 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13535 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13536 the five possible split syntaxes:
13541 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13542 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13546 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13547 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13548 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13549 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13550 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13551 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13552 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13553 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13556 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13557 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13558 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13559 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13562 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13563 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13566 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13567 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13570 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13571 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13572 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13573 function should return a @var{split}.
13576 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13577 body of the messages:
13580 (defun split-on-body ()
13582 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13583 (goto-char (point-min))
13584 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13588 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13589 when the @code{:} function is run.
13592 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13593 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
13594 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
13598 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13602 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13603 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13604 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13605 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13606 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13608 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13609 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13610 are expanded as specified by the variable
13611 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13612 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13615 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13616 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13617 when all this splitting is performed.
13619 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13620 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13621 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13624 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13627 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13628 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13630 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13631 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13632 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13633 groupings 1 through 9.
13635 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13636 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13637 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13638 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13639 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13640 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13641 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13642 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13643 it once per thread.
13645 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13646 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13647 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13650 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; or 'delete
13651 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
13653 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13654 ;; other splits go here
13658 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13659 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13660 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13661 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13662 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13663 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13664 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13665 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13666 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13667 unless the group name matches the regexp
13668 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13669 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13670 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13671 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13672 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13673 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13674 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13675 messages goes into the new group.
13677 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
13678 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
13679 outgoing messages are written to an `outgoing' group, you could set
13680 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
13681 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
13685 @node Group Mail Splitting
13686 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13687 @cindex mail splitting
13688 @cindex group mail splitting
13690 @findex gnus-group-split
13691 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13692 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13693 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13694 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13695 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13696 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13697 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13698 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13700 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13701 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13702 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13703 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13705 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13706 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13707 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13708 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13709 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13710 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13711 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13713 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13714 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13715 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13716 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13717 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13718 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13719 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13721 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13722 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13723 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13724 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13725 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13726 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13727 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13728 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13729 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13730 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13731 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13732 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13733 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13735 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13740 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13741 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13743 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13744 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13745 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13746 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13748 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13751 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13752 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13753 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13756 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13757 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13758 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13762 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13763 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13764 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13768 (: gnus-group-split-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13771 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13772 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13773 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13774 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13775 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13776 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13777 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13778 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13779 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13781 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13782 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13783 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13784 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13785 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13786 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13787 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13788 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13789 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13791 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13792 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13793 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13794 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13795 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13796 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus.el}:
13799 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13802 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13803 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13804 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13805 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13806 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13809 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13810 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13811 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13812 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13814 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13815 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13816 @cindex incorporating old mail
13817 @cindex import old mail
13819 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13820 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13821 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13824 Doing so can be quite easy.
13826 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13827 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13828 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13829 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13830 your @code{nnml} groups.
13836 Go to the group buffer.
13839 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13840 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13843 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
13846 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13847 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13850 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13851 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13854 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13855 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13856 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13857 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13858 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13860 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13861 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13862 using the new mail back end.
13865 @node Expiring Mail
13866 @subsection Expiring Mail
13867 @cindex article expiry
13869 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13870 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13871 different approach to mail reading.
13873 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13874 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13875 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13876 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13877 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13878 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13881 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13882 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default keybindings, this means
13883 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
13884 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13885 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13886 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13887 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13888 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13889 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13891 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
13892 two features, called `auto-expire' and `total-expire', that can help you
13893 with this. In a nutshell, `auto-expire' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
13894 for you when you select an article. And `total-expire' means that Gnus
13895 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
13896 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
13897 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
13900 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
13901 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
13902 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
13903 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
13904 into its own group.)
13906 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
13907 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
13908 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
13909 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
13910 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
13911 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
13912 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring @pxref{Adaptive
13913 Scoring}. Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
13916 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13917 Groups that match the regular expression
13918 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
13919 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
13920 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
13922 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13923 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13924 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13925 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13926 @file{.gnus.el} file:
13928 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13930 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13931 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13932 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13935 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13936 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13937 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13938 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13939 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13941 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13942 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13945 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13946 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13949 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13950 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13952 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13953 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13954 don't really mix very well.
13956 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13957 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13958 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13959 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13962 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13963 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13964 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13965 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13968 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13970 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13972 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13974 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13976 ((string= group "important")
13982 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13983 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13985 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13986 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13987 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13990 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13991 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13993 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13994 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13995 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13996 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13997 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13998 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13999 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14000 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14001 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14002 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14003 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14004 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
14005 name or @code{delete}.
14007 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14009 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14012 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14013 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14014 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14015 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14016 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14019 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14020 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14021 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14022 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14023 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14026 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14027 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14028 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14029 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14030 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14031 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14033 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14034 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14035 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14036 easier for procmail users.
14038 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14039 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14040 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14041 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14042 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14043 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14044 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14045 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14046 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14047 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14048 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14049 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14050 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14053 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14055 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14056 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14057 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14058 auto-expire turned on.
14062 @subsection Washing Mail
14063 @cindex mail washing
14064 @cindex list server brain damage
14065 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14067 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14068 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14069 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14070 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14071 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14072 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14074 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14075 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14076 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14079 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14080 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14081 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14082 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14085 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14086 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14087 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14088 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14089 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14092 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14093 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14094 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14095 Emacs running on MS machines.
14099 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14100 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14101 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14102 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14105 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14106 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14107 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14108 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14110 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14111 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14112 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14113 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14114 into a feature by documenting it.)
14116 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14117 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14118 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14119 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14120 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14121 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14122 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14125 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14126 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14129 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14130 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14133 This can also be done non-destructively with
14134 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14136 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14137 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14138 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14140 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14141 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14143 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14144 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14145 @code{References} headers.
14149 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14150 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14151 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14155 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14156 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14157 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14164 @subsection Duplicates
14166 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14167 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14168 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14169 @cindex duplicate mails
14170 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14171 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14172 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14173 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14174 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14175 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14176 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14177 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14178 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14179 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14180 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14181 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14182 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14184 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14185 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14186 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14187 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14189 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14192 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14193 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14197 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14198 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
14199 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14200 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
14201 (any mail "mail.misc")
14208 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14209 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14214 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14215 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14216 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14217 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14218 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14221 @node Not Reading Mail
14222 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14224 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14225 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14226 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14228 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14229 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14230 mail, which should help.
14232 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14233 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14234 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14235 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14236 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14237 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14238 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
14239 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14240 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14241 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14242 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14244 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14245 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14249 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14250 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14252 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14253 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14254 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14256 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14257 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14258 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14259 Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
14260 @code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
14261 incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
14262 @uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
14265 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14266 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
14267 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14268 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14269 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14270 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14274 @node Unix Mail Box
14275 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14277 @cindex unix mail box
14279 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14280 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14281 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14282 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14283 which group it belongs in.
14285 Virtual server settings:
14288 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14289 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14290 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14293 @item nnmbox-active-file
14294 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14295 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14296 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14298 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14299 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14300 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14301 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14306 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14310 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14311 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14312 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
14313 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14314 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14316 Virtual server settings:
14319 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14320 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14321 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14323 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14324 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14325 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14326 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14328 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14329 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14330 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14336 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14338 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
14340 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14341 format. It should be used with some caution.
14343 @vindex nnml-directory
14344 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14345 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14346 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14347 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14349 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14352 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14353 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14354 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14355 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14356 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14357 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14358 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14359 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14361 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14362 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14363 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14364 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14366 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14368 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14369 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14370 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14371 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14372 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14373 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14374 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14375 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14378 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14379 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14380 them next time it starts.
14382 Virtual server settings:
14385 @item nnml-directory
14386 @vindex nnml-directory
14387 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
14388 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
14391 @item nnml-active-file
14392 @vindex nnml-active-file
14393 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14394 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
14396 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14397 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14398 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14399 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
14401 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14402 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14403 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14406 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14407 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14408 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14409 default is @code{nil}.
14411 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14412 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14413 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14415 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14416 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14417 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14419 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14420 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14421 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14422 default is @code{nil}.
14424 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14425 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14426 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14428 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14429 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14430 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14435 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14436 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
14437 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14438 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14439 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14440 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14441 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14446 @subsubsection MH Spool
14448 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14450 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14451 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14452 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14453 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14455 Virtual server settings:
14458 @item nnmh-directory
14459 @vindex nnmh-directory
14460 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14461 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14464 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14465 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14466 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14470 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14471 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14472 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14473 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14474 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14475 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14476 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14481 @subsubsection Mail Folders
14483 @cindex mbox folders
14484 @cindex mail folders
14486 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
14487 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
14488 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
14491 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
14493 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
14494 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14495 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14496 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
14497 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
14498 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
14499 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
14500 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
14501 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
14502 @code{nnfolder} directory).
14504 Virtual server settings:
14507 @item nnfolder-directory
14508 @vindex nnfolder-directory
14509 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
14510 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14513 @item nnfolder-active-file
14514 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
14515 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
14517 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14518 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14519 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14520 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
14522 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
14523 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14524 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
14527 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14528 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14529 @cindex backup files
14530 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
14531 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
14532 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
14533 your @file{.emacs} file:
14536 (defun turn-off-backup ()
14537 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
14539 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
14542 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14543 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14544 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
14545 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
14546 extract some information from it before removing it.
14548 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14549 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14550 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14551 default is @code{nil}.
14553 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14554 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14555 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
14557 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
14558 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
14559 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
14560 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14562 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14563 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14564 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14565 default is @code{nil}.
14567 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14568 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14569 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
14571 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
14572 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
14573 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14574 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14579 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14580 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14581 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14582 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14583 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14584 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14587 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14588 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14590 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14591 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14592 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14593 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14594 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14596 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14597 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14598 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14599 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14600 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14601 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14602 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14603 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14606 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14607 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14608 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14609 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14614 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14615 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14616 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14617 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14618 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14619 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14620 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14621 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14622 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14623 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14624 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14625 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14626 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14631 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14632 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14633 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14634 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14635 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14636 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14637 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14638 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14639 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14640 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14641 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14642 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14643 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14644 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14646 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14647 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14652 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14653 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14654 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14655 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14656 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14657 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14658 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14659 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14660 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14661 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14662 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14663 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14664 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14665 provided by the active file and overviews.
14667 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14668 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
14669 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14670 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14671 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14674 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14675 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14680 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14681 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14682 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14683 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14684 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14685 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14686 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14690 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14691 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14692 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14693 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14694 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14695 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14696 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14697 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14698 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14700 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14701 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14702 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14703 friendly mail back end all over.
14707 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14708 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14709 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14710 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14711 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14712 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14713 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14714 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14717 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14718 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14719 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14720 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14721 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14722 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14723 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14724 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14725 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14726 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
14727 treatment such as duplicate checking.
14729 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
14730 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14731 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14732 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14733 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14734 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14735 This will probably be changed in the future.
14737 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14738 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14739 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14740 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14741 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14744 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14745 parameters slightly different from those of other mail back ends.
14747 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14748 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14749 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
14750 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
14751 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
14752 would) to make it use less memory.
14754 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
14755 with other back ends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
14756 depending in part on your file system.
14758 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
14759 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
14764 @node Browsing the Web
14765 @section Browsing the Web
14767 @cindex browsing the web
14771 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
14772 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
14773 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
14774 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
14775 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
14776 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
14777 even know what a news group is.
14779 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
14780 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
14781 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
14782 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
14783 you mad in the end.
14785 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
14788 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
14789 interfaces to these sources.
14793 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
14794 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
14795 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
14796 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
14797 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
14798 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
14801 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
14803 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
14804 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
14805 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
14806 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
14807 though, you should be ok.
14809 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
14810 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
14811 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
14812 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
14813 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
14815 @node Archiving Mail
14816 @subsection Archiving Mail
14817 @cindex archiving mail
14818 @cindex backup of mail
14820 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
14821 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
14822 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
14823 marks is fairly simple.
14825 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
14826 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
14829 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
14830 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
14831 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
14832 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
14833 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
14834 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
14835 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
14836 before you restore the data.
14838 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
14839 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
14840 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
14841 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
14842 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
14843 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
14844 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
14845 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
14846 is unnecessary in that case.
14849 @subsection Web Searches
14854 @cindex Usenet searches
14855 @cindex searching the Usenet
14857 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14858 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14859 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14860 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14861 searches without having to use a browser.
14863 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14864 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14865 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14866 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14867 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14869 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14870 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14871 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14872 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14873 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14874 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14875 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14876 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14877 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14878 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14881 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14882 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14883 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14884 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14885 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14886 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14888 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14889 to use @code{nnweb}.
14891 Virtual server variables:
14896 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14897 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
14898 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
14901 @vindex nnweb-search
14902 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14904 @item nnweb-max-hits
14905 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14906 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14909 @item nnweb-type-definition
14910 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14911 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14912 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14917 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14921 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14924 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14927 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14931 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14938 @subsection Slashdot
14942 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14943 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14944 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14946 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14947 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14950 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14951 '((nnslashdot "")))
14954 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14955 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14956 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14957 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14958 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14961 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14962 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14964 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14965 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14966 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14967 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14968 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14969 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14972 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14975 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14976 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14977 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14978 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14979 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14980 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14981 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
14983 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14984 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14985 The login name to use when posting.
14987 @item nnslashdot-password
14988 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14989 The password to use when posting.
14991 @item nnslashdot-directory
14992 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14993 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14994 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
14996 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14997 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14998 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14999 news articles and comments. The default is
15000 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
15002 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
15003 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
15004 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
15006 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
15008 @item nnslashdot-article-url
15009 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
15010 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
15012 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
15014 @item nnslashdot-threshold
15015 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
15016 The score threshold. The default is -1.
15018 @item nnslashdot-group-number
15019 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
15020 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
15021 updated. The default is 0.
15028 @subsection Ultimate
15030 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
15032 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
15033 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
15034 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
15035 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15037 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
15038 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
15039 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
15040 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
15041 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
15042 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
15043 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
15045 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
15048 @item nnultimate-directory
15049 @vindex nnultimate-directory
15050 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
15051 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
15056 @subsection Web Archive
15058 @cindex Web Archive
15060 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
15061 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
15062 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
15063 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15066 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
15067 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
15068 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
15069 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
15070 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
15071 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
15072 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
15073 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
15075 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
15078 @item nnwarchive-directory
15079 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
15080 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
15081 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
15083 @item nnwarchive-login
15084 @vindex nnwarchive-login
15085 The account name on the web server.
15087 @item nnwarchive-passwd
15088 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
15089 The password for your account on the web server.
15097 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
15098 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
15099 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15102 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
15103 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
15106 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
15109 @item nnrss-directory
15110 @vindex nnrss-directory
15111 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
15112 @file{~/News/rss/}.
15116 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
15117 the summary buffer.
15120 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
15121 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
15123 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
15125 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
15126 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
15129 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
15132 (require 'browse-url)
15134 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
15136 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
15139 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
15140 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
15143 (browse-url (cdr url))
15144 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
15145 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
15147 (eval-after-load "gnus"
15148 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
15149 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
15150 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
15153 @node Customizing w3
15154 @subsection Customizing w3
15160 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
15161 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
15162 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
15164 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
15165 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
15166 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
15169 (eval-after-load "w3"
15171 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
15172 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
15173 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
15174 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
15176 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
15179 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
15180 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
15189 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
15190 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
15191 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
15192 specify the network address of the server.
15194 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
15195 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
15196 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
15197 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
15198 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
15200 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
15201 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
15202 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
15203 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
15205 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
15206 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
15207 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
15208 usage explained in this section.
15210 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
15211 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
15212 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
15215 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15216 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
15217 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
15219 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15220 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
15221 ; a UW server running on localhost
15223 (nnimap-server-port 143)
15224 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15225 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
15226 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
15227 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
15228 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
15229 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15230 (nnimap-stream network))
15231 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
15233 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15234 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15235 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15238 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
15239 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
15240 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
15241 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
15243 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15248 @item nnimap-address
15249 @vindex nnimap-address
15251 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
15252 server name if not specified.
15254 @item nnimap-server-port
15255 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15256 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
15258 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
15261 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15262 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
15265 @item nnimap-list-pattern
15266 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
15267 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
15268 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
15269 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
15270 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
15271 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
15273 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
15274 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
15275 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
15278 Example server specification:
15281 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15282 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
15283 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
15286 @item nnimap-stream
15287 @vindex nnimap-stream
15288 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
15289 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
15290 of SSL/TLS. (@sc{imap} over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
15291 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
15293 Example server specification:
15296 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15297 (nnimap-stream ssl))
15300 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
15304 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
15305 @samp{imtest} program.
15307 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
15309 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
15310 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
15313 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
15314 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
15315 library @samp{ssl.el}.
15317 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
15319 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
15322 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
15323 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
15324 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
15325 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
15326 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
15327 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
15328 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
15329 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
15330 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
15333 @vindex imap-ssl-program
15334 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
15335 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
15336 and nnimap support it too - although the most recent versions of
15337 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
15338 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
15339 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
15340 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
15341 distribution, for instance).
15343 @vindex imap-shell-program
15344 @vindex imap-shell-host
15345 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
15346 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
15348 @item nnimap-authenticator
15349 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
15351 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
15352 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
15354 Example server specification:
15357 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15358 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
15361 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
15365 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
15366 external program @code{imtest}.
15368 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
15371 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
15372 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
15374 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
15376 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
15378 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your email address as password.
15381 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
15383 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
15384 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
15385 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
15386 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
15387 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
15388 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
15391 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
15392 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
15393 running in circles yet?
15395 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
15396 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
15399 The possible options are:
15404 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
15407 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
15408 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
15409 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
15410 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
15412 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
15417 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
15418 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
15420 If non-nil (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as well),
15421 for other @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
15422 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
15423 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap}
15424 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap}
15427 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
15428 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
15431 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
15432 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15433 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
15434 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15437 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
15438 as ticked for other users.
15440 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
15442 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
15444 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
15445 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
15446 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
15447 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
15449 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
15450 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
15451 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
15452 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
15454 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
15455 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
15457 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
15458 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
15459 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
15465 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
15466 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
15467 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
15468 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
15469 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
15474 @node Splitting in IMAP
15475 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
15476 @cindex splitting imap mail
15478 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
15479 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
15480 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
15481 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
15482 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
15486 Here are the variables of interest:
15490 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
15491 @cindex splitting, crosspost
15493 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
15495 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
15496 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
15498 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
15500 @item nnimap-split-inbox
15501 @cindex splitting, inbox
15503 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
15505 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
15506 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
15510 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
15511 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
15514 No nnmail equivalent.
15516 @item nnimap-split-rule
15517 @cindex Splitting, rules
15518 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
15520 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
15523 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
15524 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
15525 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
15526 Neither did I, we need examples.
15529 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15531 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
15532 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
15533 ("INBOX.private" "")))
15536 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
15537 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
15538 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
15540 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
15541 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
15545 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
15548 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
15549 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
15551 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15552 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
15553 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
15554 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
15556 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
15557 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
15558 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
15559 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
15560 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
15561 them every time you fetch new mail.)
15563 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
15564 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
15565 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
15567 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
15568 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
15569 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15571 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
15573 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
15574 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
15575 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
15578 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15579 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
15580 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
15581 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
15582 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
15583 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
15586 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
15587 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15588 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15589 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15590 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15591 group/function elements.
15593 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15595 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15597 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15599 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15600 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15602 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15603 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15604 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15607 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15608 @cindex splitting, fancy
15609 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15610 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15612 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15613 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15614 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15616 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15617 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15618 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15619 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15624 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15625 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15628 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15630 @item nnimap-split-download-body
15631 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
15632 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
15634 Set to non-nil to download entire articles during splitting. This is
15635 generally not required, and will slow things down considerably. You
15636 may need it if you want to use an advanced splitting function that
15637 analyses the body to split the article.
15641 @node Expiring in IMAP
15642 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
15643 @cindex expiring imap mail
15645 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
15646 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
15647 Mail}). Unlike splitting in IMAP (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}) it do
15648 not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
15649 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
15650 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
15653 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @sc{imap} server is
15654 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
15655 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
15656 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
15657 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
15658 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
15659 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
15660 messages. Most do, fortunately.
15664 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
15665 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15667 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
15668 number, the symbol @var{immediate} or @var{never}.
15670 @item nnmail-expiry-target
15672 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
15673 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
15674 that if the destination is a IMAP group on the same server, the
15675 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
15679 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15680 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
15681 @cindex editing imap acls
15682 @cindex Access Control Lists
15683 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15685 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
15687 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
15688 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
15689 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
15692 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
15693 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
15694 editing window with detailed instructions.
15696 Some possible uses:
15700 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15701 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15702 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15704 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15705 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
15706 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15710 @node Expunging mailboxes
15711 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
15715 @cindex Manual expunging
15717 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15719 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15720 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15721 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15723 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15726 @node A note on namespaces
15727 @subsection A note on namespaces
15728 @cindex IMAP namespace
15731 The IMAP protocol has a concept called namespaces, described by the
15732 following text in the RFC:
15735 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
15737 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
15738 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
15739 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
15740 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
15742 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
15743 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
15744 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
15745 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
15746 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
15747 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
15750 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the IMAP
15751 implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace prefixes in a way
15752 that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
15754 Specifically, University of Washington's IMAP server uses mailbox
15755 names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only in the
15756 @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is created
15757 (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed without
15758 the namespace prefix, i.e @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do not make it
15759 possible for the user to guarantee that user entered mailbox names
15760 will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands, you should
15761 simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in Gnus.
15763 See the UoW @sc{imapd} documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
15764 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
15765 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
15767 @node Other Sources
15768 @section Other Sources
15770 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
15771 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
15775 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
15776 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
15777 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
15778 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
15779 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
15783 @node Directory Groups
15784 @subsection Directory Groups
15786 @cindex directory groups
15788 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
15789 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
15792 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
15793 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
15794 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
15795 back end to read directories. Big deal.
15797 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
15798 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
15799 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
15800 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
15801 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
15803 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
15805 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
15806 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
15807 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
15808 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
15811 @node Anything Groups
15812 @subsection Anything Groups
15815 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
15816 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
15817 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
15820 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
15821 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
15822 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
15823 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
15824 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
15825 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
15826 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
15827 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
15828 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
15829 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
15832 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
15833 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
15834 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
15835 in the article buffer, just as usual.
15837 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
15838 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
15839 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
15840 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
15842 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
15843 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
15844 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
15845 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
15846 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
15847 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
15848 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
15849 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
15854 @item nneething-map-file-directory
15855 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
15856 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
15857 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
15859 @item nneething-exclude-files
15860 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
15861 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
15862 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
15864 @item nneething-include-files
15865 @vindex nneething-include-files
15866 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
15867 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
15869 @item nneething-map-file
15870 @vindex nneething-map-file
15871 Name of the map files.
15875 @node Document Groups
15876 @subsection Document Groups
15878 @cindex documentation group
15881 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
15882 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
15889 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
15894 The standard Unix mbox file.
15896 @cindex MMDF mail box
15898 The MMDF mail box format.
15901 Several news articles appended into a file.
15904 @cindex rnews batch files
15905 The rnews batch transport format.
15906 @cindex forwarded messages
15909 Forwarded articles.
15912 Netscape mail boxes.
15915 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
15917 @item standard-digest
15918 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
15921 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
15923 @item lanl-gov-announce
15924 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
15926 @item rfc822-forward
15927 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
15930 The Outlook mail box.
15933 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
15936 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
15939 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
15942 An RFC934-forwarded message.
15948 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
15951 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
15957 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
15958 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
15959 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
15962 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
15963 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
15964 group. And that's it.
15966 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
15967 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
15968 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
15969 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
15970 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
15971 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
15972 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
15973 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
15974 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15975 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15977 Virtual server variables:
15980 @item nndoc-article-type
15981 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15982 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15983 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15984 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15985 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
15986 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
15988 @item nndoc-post-type
15989 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15990 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15991 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15996 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
16000 @node Document Server Internals
16001 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
16003 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
16004 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
16005 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
16006 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
16008 First, here's an example document type definition:
16012 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
16013 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
16016 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
16017 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
16018 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
16019 types can be defined with very few settings:
16022 @item first-article
16023 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
16024 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
16027 @item article-begin
16028 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
16029 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
16031 @item head-begin-function
16032 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
16035 @item nndoc-head-begin
16036 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
16039 @item nndoc-head-end
16040 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
16041 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
16043 @item body-begin-function
16044 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
16048 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
16051 @item body-end-function
16052 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
16056 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
16059 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
16060 regexp will be totally ignored.
16064 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
16065 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
16066 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
16067 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
16068 something that's palatable for Gnus:
16071 @item prepare-body-function
16072 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
16073 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
16074 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
16076 @item article-transform-function
16077 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
16078 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
16079 body of the article.
16081 @item generate-head-function
16082 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
16083 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
16084 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
16085 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
16089 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
16094 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16095 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16096 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
16097 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
16098 (head-end . "^ ?$")
16099 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
16100 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
16101 (subtype digest guess))
16104 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
16105 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
16106 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
16107 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
16108 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
16110 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
16111 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
16112 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
16113 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
16114 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
16115 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
16116 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
16117 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
16118 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
16119 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
16127 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
16128 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
16129 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
16131 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
16132 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
16133 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
16136 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
16137 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
16138 that interested in doing things properly.
16140 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
16141 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
16144 First some terminology:
16149 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
16150 get news and/or mail from.
16153 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
16154 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
16157 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
16161 @item message packets
16162 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
16163 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
16164 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16166 @item response packets
16167 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
16168 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
16169 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16179 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
16180 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
16181 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
16182 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
16185 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
16188 You put the packet in your home directory.
16191 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
16192 the native or secondary server.
16195 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
16196 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
16199 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
16203 You transfer this packet to the server.
16206 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
16209 You then repeat until you die.
16213 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
16214 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
16217 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
16218 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
16219 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
16223 @node SOUP Commands
16224 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
16226 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
16230 @kindex G s b (Group)
16231 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
16232 Pack all unread articles in the current group
16233 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
16234 process/prefix convention.
16237 @kindex G s w (Group)
16238 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
16239 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
16242 @kindex G s s (Group)
16243 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
16244 Send all replies from the replies packet
16245 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
16248 @kindex G s p (Group)
16249 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
16250 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
16253 @kindex G s r (Group)
16254 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
16255 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
16258 @kindex O s (Summary)
16259 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
16260 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
16261 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
16262 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16267 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
16272 @item gnus-soup-directory
16273 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
16274 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
16275 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
16277 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
16278 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
16279 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
16280 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
16282 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
16283 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
16284 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
16285 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
16287 @item gnus-soup-packer
16288 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
16289 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16290 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
16292 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
16293 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
16294 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16295 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16297 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
16298 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
16299 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
16301 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16302 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16303 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
16304 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
16310 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
16313 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
16314 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
16315 you can read them at leisure.
16317 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
16321 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
16322 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
16323 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
16324 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
16326 @item nnsoup-directory
16327 @vindex nnsoup-directory
16328 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
16329 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
16331 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
16332 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
16333 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
16334 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
16336 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
16337 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
16338 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
16339 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
16340 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
16342 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
16343 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
16344 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
16345 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
16347 @item nnsoup-active-file
16348 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
16349 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
16350 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
16351 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
16352 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
16354 @item nnsoup-packer
16355 @vindex nnsoup-packer
16356 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
16357 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
16359 @item nnsoup-unpacker
16360 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
16361 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
16362 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16364 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
16365 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
16366 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
16369 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
16370 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
16371 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
16374 @item nnsoup-always-save
16375 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
16376 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
16382 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
16384 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
16385 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
16386 more for that to happen.
16388 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
16389 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
16390 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
16393 In specific, this is what it does:
16396 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
16397 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
16400 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
16401 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
16402 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
16405 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
16406 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
16407 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
16410 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
16411 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
16412 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
16414 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
16420 @item nngateway-address
16421 @vindex nngateway-address
16422 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
16424 @item nngateway-header-transformation
16425 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
16426 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
16427 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
16428 transformation should be called, and defaults to
16429 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
16430 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
16433 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
16434 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
16435 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
16438 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
16441 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
16444 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
16447 The following pre-defined functions exist:
16449 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16452 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16453 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16454 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
16456 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16458 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16459 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16460 @code{nngateway-address}.
16465 (setq gnus-post-method
16467 "mail2news@@replay.com"
16468 (nngateway-header-transformation
16469 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
16477 So, to use this, simply say something like:
16480 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
16485 @node Combined Groups
16486 @section Combined Groups
16488 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
16492 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
16493 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
16497 @node Virtual Groups
16498 @subsection Virtual Groups
16500 @cindex virtual groups
16501 @cindex merging groups
16503 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
16506 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
16507 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
16508 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
16510 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
16511 regexp to match component groups.
16513 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
16514 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
16515 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
16516 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
16517 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
16518 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
16519 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
16520 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
16522 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
16523 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
16526 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
16529 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
16530 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
16532 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
16533 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
16534 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
16535 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
16538 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
16541 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
16542 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
16543 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
16545 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
16546 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
16547 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
16548 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
16549 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
16551 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
16552 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
16553 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
16555 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
16556 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
16557 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
16558 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
16559 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
16560 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
16561 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
16562 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
16563 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
16564 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
16565 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
16567 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
16568 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
16569 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
16570 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
16571 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
16572 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
16573 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
16575 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
16576 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
16578 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
16579 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
16583 @node Kibozed Groups
16584 @subsection Kibozed Groups
16588 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
16589 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
16590 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
16591 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
16593 @kindex G k (Group)
16594 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
16597 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
16598 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
16599 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
16600 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
16602 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
16603 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
16604 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
16606 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
16607 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
16608 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
16609 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
16610 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
16611 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
16612 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
16613 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
16615 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
16616 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
16617 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
16618 Stranger things have happened.
16620 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
16621 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
16623 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
16624 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
16625 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
16626 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
16627 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
16628 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
16630 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
16631 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
16634 @node Gnus Unplugged
16635 @section Gnus Unplugged
16640 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
16642 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
16643 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
16644 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
16645 read news. Believe it or not.
16647 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
16648 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
16649 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
16650 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
16651 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
16653 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
16654 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
16655 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
16656 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
16657 reading news on a machine.
16659 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
16660 fact, you don't even have to configure anything.
16662 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16665 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16666 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16667 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16668 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
16669 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16670 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
16671 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16672 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16673 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16674 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16675 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16676 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
16681 @subsection Agent Basics
16683 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
16685 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
16686 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
16687 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
16688 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
16690 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
16691 connected to the net continuously.
16693 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
16694 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
16696 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
16701 @findex gnus-unplugged
16702 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
16703 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
16704 already fetched while in this mode.
16707 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
16708 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
16709 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
16710 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
16711 Source Specifiers}).
16714 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
16715 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
16716 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
16717 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
16718 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
16721 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
16722 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
16723 then you read the news offline.
16726 And then you go to step 2.
16729 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
16735 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
16736 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
16737 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
16738 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
16739 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
16740 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
16741 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} groups in @code{gnus-select-method} and
16742 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
16745 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
16752 @node Agent Categories
16753 @subsection Agent Categories
16755 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
16756 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
16757 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
16758 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
16759 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
16760 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
16761 you're interested in the articles anyway.
16763 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
16764 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
16765 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
16766 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
16767 managing categories.
16770 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
16771 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
16772 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
16776 @node Category Syntax
16777 @subsubsection Category Syntax
16779 A category consists of two things.
16783 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
16784 are eligible for downloading; and
16787 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
16788 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
16789 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
16792 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
16793 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
16794 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
16795 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
16797 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
16798 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
16799 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
16801 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
16802 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
16803 operators sprinkled in between.
16805 Perhaps some examples are in order.
16807 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
16808 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
16814 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
16815 short (for some value of ``short'').
16817 Here's a more complex predicate:
16826 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
16827 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
16830 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
16831 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
16832 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
16834 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
16835 you want to do, you can write your own.
16839 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
16840 lines; default 100.
16843 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
16844 lines; default 200.
16847 True iff the article has a download score less than
16848 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
16851 True iff the article has a download score greater than
16852 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
16855 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
16856 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
16857 checksum and sees whether articles match.
16866 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
16867 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
16868 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
16871 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
16872 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
16873 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
16874 something along the lines of the following:
16877 (defun my-article-old-p ()
16878 "Say whether an article is old."
16879 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
16880 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
16883 with the predicate then defined as:
16886 (not my-article-old-p)
16889 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
16890 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
16894 (require 'gnus-agent)
16895 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
16896 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
16897 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
16900 and simply specify your predicate as:
16906 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
16907 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
16908 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
16909 just don't give a damn.
16911 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
16912 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
16913 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
16914 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
16915 parameters like so:
16918 (agent-predicate . short)
16921 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
16922 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
16923 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
16925 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
16928 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
16931 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
16932 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
16933 predicate is assumed to be a list.
16936 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
16937 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
16938 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
16939 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
16940 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
16941 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
16943 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
16944 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
16945 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
16946 if it's to be specific to that group.
16948 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
16955 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
16956 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
16962 Category specification
16966 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16972 Group Parameter specification
16975 (agent-score ("from"
16976 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16981 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16987 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
16988 keywords stated above.
16994 Category specification
16997 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
17003 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
17007 Group Parameter specification
17010 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
17013 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
17018 Use @code{normal} score files
17020 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
17021 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
17022 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
17023 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
17025 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
17026 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
17027 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
17028 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
17032 Category Specification
17039 Group Parameter specification
17042 (agent-score . file)
17047 @node Category Buffer
17048 @subsubsection Category Buffer
17050 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
17051 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
17052 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
17054 The following commands are available in this buffer:
17058 @kindex q (Category)
17059 @findex gnus-category-exit
17060 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
17063 @kindex k (Category)
17064 @findex gnus-category-kill
17065 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
17068 @kindex c (Category)
17069 @findex gnus-category-copy
17070 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
17073 @kindex a (Category)
17074 @findex gnus-category-add
17075 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
17078 @kindex p (Category)
17079 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
17080 Edit the predicate of the current category
17081 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
17084 @kindex g (Category)
17085 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
17086 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
17087 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
17090 @kindex s (Category)
17091 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
17092 Edit the download score rule of the current category
17093 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
17096 @kindex l (Category)
17097 @findex gnus-category-list
17098 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
17102 @node Category Variables
17103 @subsubsection Category Variables
17106 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
17107 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
17108 Hook run in category buffers.
17110 @item gnus-category-line-format
17111 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
17112 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
17113 Variables}). Valid elements are:
17117 The name of the category.
17120 The number of groups in the category.
17123 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
17124 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
17125 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
17127 @item gnus-agent-short-article
17128 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
17129 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
17131 @item gnus-agent-long-article
17132 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
17133 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
17135 @item gnus-agent-low-score
17136 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
17137 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
17140 @item gnus-agent-high-score
17141 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
17142 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
17148 @node Agent Commands
17149 @subsection Agent Commands
17150 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
17151 @kindex J j (Agent)
17153 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
17154 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
17155 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
17159 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
17160 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
17161 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
17167 @node Group Agent Commands
17168 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
17172 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
17173 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
17174 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
17175 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
17178 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
17179 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
17180 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
17183 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
17184 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
17185 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
17186 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
17189 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
17190 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
17191 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
17192 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
17195 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
17196 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
17197 Add the current group to an Agent category
17198 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
17199 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17202 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
17203 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
17204 Remove the current group from its category, if any
17205 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
17206 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17209 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
17210 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17211 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
17217 @node Summary Agent Commands
17218 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
17222 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
17223 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
17224 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
17227 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
17228 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
17229 Remove the downloading mark from the article
17230 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
17234 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
17235 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
17236 Toggle whether to download the article
17237 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The dowload mark is @samp{%} by
17241 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
17242 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
17243 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
17246 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
17247 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
17248 Download all eligible (See @pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
17249 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
17252 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
17253 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
17254 Download all processable articles in this group.
17255 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
17258 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
17259 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
17260 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
17261 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
17266 @node Server Agent Commands
17267 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
17271 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
17272 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
17273 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
17274 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
17277 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
17278 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
17279 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
17280 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
17285 @node Agent as Cache
17286 @subsection Agent as Cache
17288 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
17289 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
17290 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
17291 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
17292 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
17293 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
17294 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
17295 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
17296 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
17298 This behaviour can be controlled by @code{gnus-agent-cache}
17299 (@pxref{Agent Variables}).
17302 @subsection Agent Expiry
17304 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17305 @findex gnus-agent-expire
17306 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
17307 @cindex Agent expiry
17308 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
17311 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
17312 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
17313 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
17314 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
17315 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
17316 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
17318 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
17319 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
17320 synchronized with the group.
17322 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
17323 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
17324 expiry in different groups.
17327 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
17333 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
17334 method---it must always match all groups. Also, for a regexp to match,
17335 it must match from the beginning of the group's name.
17337 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
17338 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
17339 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
17340 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
17341 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
17343 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
17344 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's a special
17345 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} command to fix possible problems.
17347 @node Agent Regeneration
17348 @subsection Agent Regeneration
17350 @cindex Agent Regeneration
17351 @cindex Gnus Agent Regeneration
17352 @cindex regeneration
17354 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
17355 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
17356 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
17357 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
17358 internal inconsistencies.
17360 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
17361 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
17362 know about articles downloaded prior to the connection failure.
17363 Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
17364 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
17365 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
17367 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
17368 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
17369 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
17370 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
17371 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
17372 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
17374 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
17375 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
17376 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
17377 of individual articles to repair the local NOV(header) database. It
17378 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
17379 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
17382 @node Agent and IMAP
17383 @subsection Agent and IMAP
17385 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
17386 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
17387 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
17388 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
17390 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
17391 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
17392 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
17393 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
17395 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
17396 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
17397 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
17398 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
17400 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17401 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
17402 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
17403 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
17404 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
17405 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
17407 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
17408 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
17409 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
17410 in the group buffer.
17412 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
17413 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
17418 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
17421 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
17425 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
17426 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
17427 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
17428 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
17429 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
17430 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
17431 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
17432 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
17435 @node Outgoing Messages
17436 @subsection Outgoing Messages
17438 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
17439 stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view
17440 them there after posting, and edit them at will.
17442 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
17443 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
17444 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
17445 messages in the draft group.
17449 @node Agent Variables
17450 @subsection Agent Variables
17453 @item gnus-agent-directory
17454 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
17455 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
17456 @file{~/News/agent/}.
17458 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
17459 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
17460 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
17461 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
17462 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
17465 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17466 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17467 Hook run when connecting to the network.
17469 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17470 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17471 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
17473 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17474 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17475 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
17477 @item gnus-agent-cache
17478 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
17479 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and
17480 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
17481 The default is non-nil, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
17483 @item gnus-agent-go-online
17484 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
17485 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
17486 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
17487 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
17488 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
17489 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
17492 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
17493 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
17494 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
17495 mark articles as unread after downloading. The default is t.
17497 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
17498 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
17499 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
17500 agent will fetch all missing headers. When @code{nil}, the agent will
17501 fetch only new headers. The default is @code{nil}.
17503 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
17504 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
17505 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
17506 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
17507 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
17508 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
17509 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
17510 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
17511 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
17512 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
17513 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
17514 available while unplugged).
17516 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
17517 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
17518 Perhaps not a Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
17519 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
17520 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
17521 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
17522 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
17523 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
17524 is only valid if the Agent is used.
17529 @node Example Setup
17530 @subsection Example Setup
17532 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
17533 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
17534 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
17537 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
17538 ;;; from your ISP's server.
17539 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
17541 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
17542 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
17543 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
17545 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
17546 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
17548 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
17549 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
17550 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; Now the default.
17553 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
17554 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
17557 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
17558 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
17559 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
17560 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
17561 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
17564 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
17565 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
17566 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
17567 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
17568 back all the killed groups.)
17570 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
17571 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
17572 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
17575 @node Batching Agents
17576 @subsection Batching Agents
17577 @findex gnus-agent-batch
17579 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
17580 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
17581 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
17583 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
17584 following incantation:
17588 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
17592 @node Agent Caveats
17593 @subsection Agent Caveats
17595 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
17596 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
17600 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
17602 @strong{No}. If you want this behaviour, add
17603 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
17604 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
17606 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
17608 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
17612 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
17613 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
17614 locally stored articles.
17621 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
17622 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
17623 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
17626 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
17627 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
17628 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
17629 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
17630 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
17632 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
17633 before generating the summary buffer.
17635 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
17636 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
17637 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
17639 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
17640 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
17641 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
17642 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
17645 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
17646 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
17647 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
17648 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
17649 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
17650 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
17651 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
17652 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
17653 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
17654 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
17655 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
17656 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
17657 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
17658 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
17659 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
17660 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
17661 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
17665 @node Summary Score Commands
17666 @section Summary Score Commands
17667 @cindex score commands
17669 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
17670 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
17671 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
17672 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
17673 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
17675 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
17676 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
17677 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
17678 score file the current one.
17680 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
17685 @kindex V s (Summary)
17686 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
17687 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
17690 @kindex V S (Summary)
17691 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
17692 Display the score of the current article
17693 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
17696 @kindex V t (Summary)
17697 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
17698 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
17699 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
17702 @kindex V w (Summary)
17703 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
17704 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
17707 @kindex V R (Summary)
17708 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
17709 Run the current summary through the scoring process
17710 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
17711 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
17712 effect you're having.
17715 @kindex V c (Summary)
17716 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
17717 Make a different score file the current
17718 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
17721 @kindex V e (Summary)
17722 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
17723 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
17724 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
17728 @kindex V f (Summary)
17729 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
17730 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
17731 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
17734 @kindex V F (Summary)
17735 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17736 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
17737 after editing score files.
17740 @kindex V C (Summary)
17741 @findex gnus-score-customize
17742 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
17743 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
17747 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
17752 @kindex V m (Summary)
17753 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
17754 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
17755 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
17758 @kindex V x (Summary)
17759 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
17760 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
17761 expunge all articles below this score
17762 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
17765 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
17766 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
17769 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
17770 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
17774 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
17775 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
17777 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
17778 keys are available:
17782 Score on the author name.
17785 Score on the subject line.
17788 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
17791 Score on the @code{References} line.
17797 Score on the number of lines.
17800 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
17803 Score on an "extra" header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
17804 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
17807 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
17808 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
17809 @file{ADAPT} files.)
17818 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
17824 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
17825 what headers you are scoring on.
17837 Substring matching.
17840 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
17869 Greater than number.
17874 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
17875 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
17876 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
17881 Temporary score entry.
17884 Permanent score entry.
17887 Immediately scoring.
17891 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
17892 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
17893 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
17897 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
17898 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
17899 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
17900 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
17902 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
17903 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
17904 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
17905 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
17906 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
17908 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
17909 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
17910 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
17911 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
17912 current score file.
17914 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
17915 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
17916 pretend they are keymaps or not.
17919 @node Group Score Commands
17920 @section Group Score Commands
17921 @cindex group score commands
17923 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
17928 @kindex W f (Group)
17929 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17930 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
17931 all the time. This command will flush the cache
17932 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
17936 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
17938 @findex gnus-batch-score
17939 @cindex batch scoring
17941 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
17945 @node Score Variables
17946 @section Score Variables
17947 @cindex score variables
17951 @item gnus-use-scoring
17952 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
17953 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
17954 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
17956 @item gnus-kill-killed
17957 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
17958 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
17959 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
17960 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
17961 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
17962 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
17963 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
17965 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
17966 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
17967 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
17968 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
17969 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
17971 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
17972 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
17973 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
17974 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
17976 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17977 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17978 @cindex score cache
17979 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
17980 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
17981 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
17982 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
17983 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
17984 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
17987 @item gnus-save-score
17988 @vindex gnus-save-score
17989 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
17990 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
17991 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17993 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
17994 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
17995 across group visits.
17997 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17998 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17999 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
18000 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
18001 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
18002 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
18003 manually entered data.
18005 @item gnus-summary-default-score
18006 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
18007 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
18009 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
18010 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
18011 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
18012 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
18013 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
18014 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
18016 @item gnus-score-over-mark
18017 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
18018 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
18019 default. Default is @samp{+}.
18021 @item gnus-score-below-mark
18022 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
18023 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
18024 default. Default is @samp{-}.
18026 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18027 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18028 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
18029 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
18031 Predefined functions available are:
18034 @item gnus-score-find-single
18035 @findex gnus-score-find-single
18036 Only apply the group's own score file.
18038 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
18039 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
18040 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
18041 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
18042 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
18043 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
18044 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
18045 then a regexp match is done.
18047 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
18048 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
18050 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
18051 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
18052 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
18053 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
18055 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18056 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18057 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
18058 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
18059 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
18063 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
18064 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
18065 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
18066 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
18067 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
18068 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
18069 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
18072 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
18073 overall score file, you could use the value
18075 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
18076 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
18079 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
18080 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
18081 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
18082 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
18083 are expired. It's 7 by default.
18085 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
18086 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
18087 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
18088 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
18089 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
18090 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
18091 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
18092 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
18094 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
18095 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
18096 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
18098 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
18099 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
18100 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
18101 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
18102 threading---according to the current value of
18103 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
18104 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
18105 simplified in this manner.
18110 @node Score File Format
18111 @section Score File Format
18112 @cindex score file format
18114 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
18115 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
18116 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
18118 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
18122 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
18124 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
18126 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
18128 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
18133 (mark-and-expunge -10)
18137 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
18138 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
18139 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
18140 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
18144 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
18145 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
18147 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
18148 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
18149 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
18151 Six keys are supported by this alist:
18156 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
18157 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
18158 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
18159 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
18160 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
18161 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
18162 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
18163 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
18164 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
18165 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
18166 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
18167 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
18168 to articles that matches these score entries.
18170 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
18171 score entry has one to four elements.
18175 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
18176 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
18180 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
18181 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
18182 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
18183 is successful. If this element is not present, the
18184 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
18185 instead. This is 1000 by default.
18188 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
18189 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
18190 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
18191 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
18192 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
18195 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
18196 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
18197 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
18198 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
18201 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
18202 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
18203 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
18204 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
18205 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
18206 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
18207 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
18208 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
18209 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
18210 instead, if you feel like.
18213 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
18214 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
18215 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
18216 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
18217 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
18218 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
18221 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
18225 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
18226 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
18228 These predicates are true if
18231 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
18234 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
18235 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
18242 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
18243 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
18244 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
18245 it's not. I think.)
18247 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
18248 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
18249 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
18250 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
18253 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
18254 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
18255 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
18256 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
18257 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
18258 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
18259 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
18263 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
18264 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
18265 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
18266 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
18267 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
18268 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
18269 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
18270 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
18273 @item Head, Body, All
18274 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
18278 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
18279 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
18280 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
18281 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
18282 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
18283 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
18284 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
18288 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
18289 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
18290 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
18291 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
18292 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
18293 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
18294 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
18295 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
18296 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
18297 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
18298 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
18302 @cindex Score File Atoms
18304 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18305 lower than this number will be marked as read.
18308 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18309 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
18311 @item mark-and-expunge
18312 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18313 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
18316 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
18317 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
18318 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
18319 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
18320 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
18323 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
18324 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
18327 @item exclude-files
18328 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
18329 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
18333 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
18334 ignored when handling global score files.
18337 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
18338 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
18339 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
18340 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
18343 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
18344 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
18345 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
18346 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
18348 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
18352 (mark-and-expunge -100)
18355 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
18356 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
18357 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
18358 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
18359 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
18361 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
18362 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
18363 scoring rules exist.
18366 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
18367 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
18368 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
18369 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
18370 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
18371 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
18372 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18373 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
18374 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
18375 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
18376 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
18380 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
18381 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
18382 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
18383 file for a number of groups.
18386 @cindex local variables
18387 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
18388 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
18389 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
18390 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
18391 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
18395 @node Score File Editing
18396 @section Score File Editing
18398 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
18399 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
18400 with a mode for that.
18402 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
18403 additional commands:
18408 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
18409 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
18410 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
18411 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
18414 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
18415 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
18416 Insert the current date in numerical format
18417 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
18418 you were wondering.
18421 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
18422 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
18423 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
18424 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
18425 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
18430 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
18432 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
18433 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
18435 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
18436 e} to begin editing score files.
18439 @node Adaptive Scoring
18440 @section Adaptive Scoring
18441 @cindex adaptive scoring
18443 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
18444 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
18445 stupidity, to be precise.
18447 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
18448 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
18449 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
18450 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
18451 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18452 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
18453 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
18454 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
18455 variable to @code{(word line)}.
18457 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18458 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
18459 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
18460 might look something like this:
18463 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18464 '((gnus-unread-mark)
18465 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
18466 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
18467 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
18468 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
18469 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
18470 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
18471 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
18472 (gnus-ancient-mark)
18473 (gnus-low-score-mark)
18474 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
18477 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
18478 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
18479 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
18480 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
18481 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
18482 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
18485 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
18486 will be applied to each article.
18488 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
18489 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
18490 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
18491 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
18493 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
18494 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
18495 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
18496 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
18498 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
18499 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
18500 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
18501 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
18503 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
18504 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
18505 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
18506 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
18507 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
18508 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
18510 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
18511 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
18512 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
18514 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
18515 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
18516 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
18518 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
18519 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
18520 let you use different rules in different groups.
18522 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
18523 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
18524 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
18527 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
18528 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
18529 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
18530 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
18531 the length of the match is less than
18532 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
18533 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
18536 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18537 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
18538 headers. If you adapt on words, the
18539 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
18540 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
18543 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18544 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
18545 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
18546 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
18547 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
18550 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
18551 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
18552 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
18553 score with 30 points.
18555 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
18556 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
18557 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
18558 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
18559 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
18561 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
18562 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
18563 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
18564 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
18565 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
18567 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
18568 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
18569 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
18570 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
18572 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
18573 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
18574 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
18575 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
18577 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
18578 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
18579 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
18580 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
18581 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
18583 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
18584 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
18585 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
18587 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
18588 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
18589 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
18590 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
18593 @node Home Score File
18594 @section Home Score File
18596 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
18597 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
18598 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
18599 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
18601 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
18602 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
18603 could perhaps use the same home score file.
18605 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
18606 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
18611 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
18615 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
18616 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
18620 A list. The elements in this list can be:
18624 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
18625 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
18628 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
18629 the home score file.
18632 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
18635 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
18640 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
18643 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18644 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
18647 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
18648 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
18650 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
18652 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18653 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
18656 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
18657 Other functions include
18660 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
18661 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
18662 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
18663 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
18667 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
18668 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
18669 their own home score files:
18672 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18673 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
18674 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
18675 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
18676 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
18679 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
18680 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
18681 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
18682 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
18683 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
18685 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
18686 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
18687 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
18688 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
18689 precedence over this variable.
18692 @node Followups To Yourself
18693 @section Followups To Yourself
18695 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
18696 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
18697 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
18698 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
18699 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
18700 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
18704 @item gnus-score-followup-article
18705 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
18706 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
18709 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
18710 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
18711 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
18715 @vindex message-sent-hook
18716 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
18717 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
18719 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
18723 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
18724 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
18728 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18729 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18732 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
18733 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
18738 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
18742 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
18743 is system-dependent.
18746 @node Scoring On Other Headers
18747 @section Scoring On Other Headers
18748 @cindex scoring on other headers
18750 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
18751 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
18752 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
18753 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
18754 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
18756 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
18757 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
18758 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
18759 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
18760 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
18762 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18765 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
18766 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
18769 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
18770 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
18771 time if you have much mail.
18773 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
18774 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
18780 @section Scoring Tips
18781 @cindex scoring tips
18787 @cindex scoring crossposts
18788 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
18789 the @code{Xref} header.
18791 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
18794 @item Multiple crossposts
18795 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
18796 more than, say, 3 groups:
18799 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
18803 @item Matching on the body
18804 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
18805 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
18806 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
18807 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
18808 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
18809 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
18810 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
18813 @item Marking as read
18814 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
18815 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
18816 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
18820 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
18822 @item Negated character classes
18823 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
18824 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
18825 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
18829 @node Reverse Scoring
18830 @section Reverse Scoring
18831 @cindex reverse scoring
18833 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
18834 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
18835 like this in your score file:
18839 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
18844 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
18845 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
18848 @node Global Score Files
18849 @section Global Score Files
18850 @cindex global score files
18852 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
18853 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
18854 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
18856 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
18857 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
18858 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
18860 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
18861 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
18862 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
18863 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
18864 files are applicable to which group.
18866 To use the score file
18867 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
18868 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
18872 (setq gnus-global-score-files
18873 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
18874 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
18877 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
18879 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
18880 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
18881 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
18882 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
18884 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
18885 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
18887 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
18888 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
18889 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
18890 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
18891 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
18892 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
18894 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
18900 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
18902 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
18904 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
18906 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
18907 lowered out of existence.
18909 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
18910 articles completely.
18913 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
18914 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
18915 old articles for a long time.
18918 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
18919 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
18920 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
18921 holding our breath yet?
18925 @section Kill Files
18928 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
18929 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
18930 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
18932 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
18933 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
18934 files into score files.
18936 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
18937 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
18938 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
18939 that isn't a very good idea.
18941 Normal kill files look like this:
18944 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18945 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
18949 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
18950 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
18952 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
18953 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
18956 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
18961 @kindex M-k (Summary)
18962 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
18963 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
18966 @kindex M-K (Summary)
18967 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
18968 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
18971 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
18976 @kindex M-k (Group)
18977 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
18978 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
18981 @kindex M-K (Group)
18982 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
18983 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
18986 Kill file variables:
18989 @item gnus-kill-file-name
18990 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
18991 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
18992 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
18993 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
18994 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
18995 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
18997 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18998 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18999 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
19000 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
19003 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
19004 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
19005 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
19006 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
19007 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
19008 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
19009 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
19010 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
19011 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
19013 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19014 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19015 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
19020 @node Converting Kill Files
19021 @section Converting Kill Files
19023 @cindex converting kill files
19025 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
19026 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
19027 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
19030 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
19031 You can fetch it from
19032 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
19034 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
19035 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
19036 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
19044 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
19045 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
19046 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
19047 news articles generated every day.
19049 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
19050 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
19051 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
19052 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
19053 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
19054 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
19055 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
19056 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
19059 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
19060 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
19063 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
19064 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
19065 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
19066 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
19070 @node Using GroupLens
19071 @subsection Using GroupLens
19073 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
19075 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
19076 better bit in town at the moment.
19078 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
19082 @item gnus-use-grouplens
19083 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
19084 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
19085 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
19087 @item grouplens-pseudonym
19088 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
19089 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
19090 with the Better Bit Bureau.
19092 @item grouplens-newsgroups
19093 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
19094 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
19098 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
19099 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
19100 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
19101 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
19102 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
19103 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
19106 @node Rating Articles
19107 @subsection Rating Articles
19109 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
19110 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
19111 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
19112 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
19115 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
19120 @kindex r (GroupLens)
19121 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
19122 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
19125 @kindex k (GroupLens)
19126 @findex grouplens-score-thread
19127 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
19128 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
19129 threads in rec.humor.
19133 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
19134 the score of the article you're reading.
19139 @kindex n (GroupLens)
19140 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
19141 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
19144 @kindex , (GroupLens)
19145 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
19146 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
19150 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
19151 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
19154 @node Displaying Predictions
19155 @subsection Displaying Predictions
19157 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
19158 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
19159 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
19160 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
19161 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
19163 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
19164 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
19165 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
19166 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
19167 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
19168 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
19169 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
19170 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
19171 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
19172 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
19173 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
19174 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
19175 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
19177 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
19178 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
19179 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
19180 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
19182 The following are valid values for that variable.
19185 @item prediction-spot
19186 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
19189 @item confidence-interval
19190 A numeric confidence interval.
19192 @item prediction-bar
19193 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
19195 @item confidence-bar
19196 Numerical confidence.
19198 @item confidence-spot
19199 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
19201 @item prediction-num
19202 Plain-old numeric value.
19204 @item confidence-plus-minus
19205 Prediction +/- confidence.
19210 @node GroupLens Variables
19211 @subsection GroupLens Variables
19215 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
19216 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
19217 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
19218 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
19221 @item grouplens-bbb-host
19222 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
19225 @item grouplens-bbb-port
19226 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
19228 @item grouplens-score-offset
19229 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
19230 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
19233 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
19234 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
19235 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
19240 @node Advanced Scoring
19241 @section Advanced Scoring
19243 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
19244 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
19245 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
19246 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
19247 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
19249 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
19253 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
19254 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
19255 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
19259 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
19260 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
19262 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
19263 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
19264 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
19265 non-@code{nil} value.
19267 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
19268 operator, and various match operators.
19275 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19276 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
19277 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
19282 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19283 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
19284 then this operator will return @code{false}.
19289 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
19290 logical negation of the value of its argument.
19294 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
19295 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
19296 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
19297 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
19298 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
19299 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
19300 the ancestry you want to go.
19302 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
19303 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
19304 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
19305 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
19306 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
19309 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
19310 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
19312 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
19313 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
19316 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
19317 when he's talking about Gnus:
19321 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19322 ("subject" "Gnus"))
19328 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
19332 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19339 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
19340 really don't want to read what he's written:
19344 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19345 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
19349 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
19350 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
19351 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
19358 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
19359 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
19360 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
19361 ("body" "white.*socks"))
19365 The possibilities are endless.
19368 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
19369 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
19371 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
19372 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
19373 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
19374 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
19375 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
19376 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
19377 @samp{subject}) first.
19379 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
19380 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
19391 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
19392 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
19398 ("subject" "Gnus")))
19405 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
19406 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
19411 @section Score Decays
19412 @cindex score decays
19415 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
19416 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
19417 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
19418 use them in any sensible way.
19420 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
19421 @findex gnus-decay-score
19422 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
19423 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
19424 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
19425 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
19426 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
19427 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
19428 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
19429 definition of that function:
19432 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
19434 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
19435 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
19438 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
19440 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
19442 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
19445 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
19446 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
19447 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
19448 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
19452 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
19455 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
19458 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
19462 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
19463 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
19464 the new score, which should be an integer.
19466 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
19467 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
19472 @include message.texi
19473 @chapter Emacs MIME
19474 @include emacs-mime.texi
19476 @include sieve.texi
19486 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
19487 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
19488 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
19489 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
19490 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
19491 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
19492 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
19493 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
19494 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
19495 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
19496 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
19497 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
19498 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
19499 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
19500 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
19501 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
19502 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
19503 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
19504 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
19508 @node Process/Prefix
19509 @section Process/Prefix
19510 @cindex process/prefix convention
19512 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
19513 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
19515 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
19516 command to be performed on.
19520 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
19521 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
19522 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
19523 with the current one.
19525 @vindex transient-mark-mode
19526 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
19527 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
19529 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
19530 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
19533 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
19534 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
19536 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
19539 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
19540 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
19541 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
19542 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19544 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
19545 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
19546 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
19547 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
19548 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
19549 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
19550 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
19551 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
19553 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
19554 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
19555 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
19556 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
19557 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
19561 @section Interactive
19562 @cindex interaction
19566 @item gnus-novice-user
19567 @vindex gnus-novice-user
19568 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
19569 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
19570 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
19571 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
19574 @item gnus-expert-user
19575 @vindex gnus-expert-user
19576 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
19577 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
19578 matter how strange.
19580 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
19581 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
19582 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
19583 is @code{t} by default.
19585 @item gnus-interactive-exit
19586 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
19587 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
19592 @node Symbolic Prefixes
19593 @section Symbolic Prefixes
19594 @cindex symbolic prefixes
19596 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
19597 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
19598 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
19599 rule of 900 to the current article.
19601 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
19602 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
19603 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
19604 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
19605 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
19606 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
19607 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
19609 @kindex M-i (Summary)
19610 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
19611 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
19612 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
19613 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
19614 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
19615 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
19616 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
19617 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
19619 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
19620 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
19621 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
19623 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
19627 @node Formatting Variables
19628 @section Formatting Variables
19629 @cindex formatting variables
19631 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
19632 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
19633 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
19634 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
19635 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
19638 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
19639 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
19640 lots of percentages everywhere.
19643 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
19644 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
19645 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
19646 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
19647 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
19648 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
19649 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
19650 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
19653 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
19654 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
19655 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
19656 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
19657 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
19658 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
19659 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
19660 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
19662 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
19663 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
19665 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
19666 @findex gnus-update-format
19667 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
19668 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
19669 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
19670 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
19674 @node Formatting Basics
19675 @subsection Formatting Basics
19677 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
19678 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
19679 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
19681 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
19682 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
19683 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
19684 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
19685 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
19688 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
19689 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
19690 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
19691 less than 4 characters wide.
19693 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
19694 @samp{%&user-date;}.
19697 @node Mode Line Formatting
19698 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
19700 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
19701 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
19702 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
19703 with the following two differences:
19708 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
19711 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
19712 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
19713 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
19714 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
19715 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
19716 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
19717 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
19722 @node Advanced Formatting
19723 @subsection Advanced Formatting
19725 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
19726 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
19727 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
19728 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
19730 These are the valid modifiers:
19735 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
19739 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
19744 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
19747 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
19752 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
19755 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
19758 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
19761 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
19767 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
19772 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
19773 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
19774 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
19775 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
19776 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
19777 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
19778 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
19780 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
19781 last operation, padding.
19783 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
19784 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
19785 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
19786 @xref{Compilation}.
19789 @node User-Defined Specs
19790 @subsection User-Defined Specs
19792 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
19793 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
19794 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
19795 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
19796 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
19797 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
19798 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
19799 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
19800 should protect against that.
19802 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
19803 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
19805 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
19806 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
19807 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
19808 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
19812 @node Formatting Fonts
19813 @subsection Formatting Fonts
19815 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
19816 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
19817 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
19818 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
19821 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
19822 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
19823 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
19824 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
19825 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
19826 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
19828 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
19829 special @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}.
19830 If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on.
19831 The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
19832 symbols naming functions that return a string. When the mouse passes
19833 over text with this property set, a balloon window will appear and
19834 display the string. Please refer to @ref{(emacs)Help Echo} (in GNU
19835 Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in XEmacs) for
19836 more information on this. (For technical reasons, the guillemets have
19837 been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this paragraph.)
19839 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
19842 ;; Create three face types.
19843 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
19844 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
19846 ;; We want the article count to be in
19847 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
19848 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
19849 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
19851 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
19852 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
19854 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
19855 (setq gnus-group-line-format
19856 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
19859 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
19860 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
19862 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
19863 mode-line variables.
19865 @node Positioning Point
19866 @subsection Positioning Point
19868 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
19869 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
19870 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
19872 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
19874 @findex gnus-goto-colon
19875 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
19876 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
19878 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
19879 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
19880 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
19885 @subsection Tabulation
19887 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
19888 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
19889 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
19890 about lining up the following text afterwards.
19892 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
19893 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
19895 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19896 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
19897 This is the soft tabulator.
19899 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19900 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
19901 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
19904 @node Wide Characters
19905 @subsection Wide Characters
19907 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
19908 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
19909 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
19911 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
19912 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
19913 these countries, that's not true.
19915 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
19916 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
19917 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
19918 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
19922 @node Window Layout
19923 @section Window Layout
19924 @cindex window layout
19926 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
19928 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
19929 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
19930 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
19931 @code{t} by default.
19933 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
19934 glitches. Use at your own peril.
19936 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
19937 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
19938 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
19941 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
19942 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
19943 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19947 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
19948 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
19949 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
19950 possible names is listed below.
19952 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
19953 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
19956 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19960 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
19961 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
19962 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
19963 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
19964 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
19965 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
19966 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
19967 size spec per split.
19969 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
19970 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
19971 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
19972 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
19973 present) gets focus.
19975 Here's a more complicated example:
19978 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
19979 (summary 0.25 point)
19980 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
19984 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
19985 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
19986 occupy, not a percentage.
19988 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
19989 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
19990 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
19991 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
19992 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
19995 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
19998 (article (horizontal 1.0
20003 (summary 0.25 point)
20008 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
20009 @code{horizontal} thingie?
20011 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
20012 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
20013 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
20014 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
20015 the screen is to be given to this strip.
20017 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
20018 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
20019 lines from the splits.
20021 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
20025 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
20026 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
20027 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
20028 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
20029 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
20030 size = number | frame-params
20031 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
20034 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
20035 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
20036 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
20037 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
20039 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
20040 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
20041 @cindex window height
20042 @cindex window width
20043 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
20044 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
20045 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
20046 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
20047 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
20048 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
20050 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
20051 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
20052 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
20053 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
20055 @findex gnus-configure-frame
20056 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
20057 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
20058 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
20059 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
20060 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
20061 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
20062 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
20063 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
20064 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
20065 configuration list.
20068 (gnus-configure-frame
20072 (article 0.3 point))
20080 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
20081 @code{frame} split:
20084 (gnus-configure-frame
20087 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
20089 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
20090 (user-position . t)
20091 (left . -1) (top . 1))
20096 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
20097 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
20098 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
20099 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
20100 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
20101 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
20102 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
20103 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
20105 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
20106 be found in its default value.
20108 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
20109 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
20110 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
20114 (message (horizontal 1.0
20115 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
20117 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
20122 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
20123 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
20124 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
20129 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
20130 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
20131 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
20132 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
20133 (name . "Message"))
20134 (message 1.0 point))))
20137 @findex gnus-add-configuration
20138 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
20139 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
20140 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
20141 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
20144 (gnus-add-configuration
20145 '(article (vertical 1.0
20147 (summary .25 point)
20151 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
20152 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
20153 Gnus has been loaded.
20155 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
20156 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
20157 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
20158 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
20159 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
20161 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
20162 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
20163 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
20166 @subsection Example Window Configurations
20170 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
20171 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
20186 (gnus-add-configuration
20189 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
20191 (summary 0.16 point)
20194 (gnus-add-configuration
20197 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
20198 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
20204 @node Faces and Fonts
20205 @section Faces and Fonts
20210 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
20211 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
20212 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
20217 @section Compilation
20218 @cindex compilation
20219 @cindex byte-compilation
20221 @findex gnus-compile
20223 Remember all those line format specification variables?
20224 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
20225 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
20226 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
20227 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
20228 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
20231 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
20232 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
20233 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
20234 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
20235 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
20236 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
20237 them into the @file{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
20241 @section Mode Lines
20244 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
20245 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
20246 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
20247 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
20248 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
20249 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
20250 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
20253 @cindex display-time
20255 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
20256 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
20257 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
20258 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
20259 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
20260 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
20261 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
20262 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
20265 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
20267 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
20268 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
20270 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
20271 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
20272 (length display-time-string)))))
20275 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
20276 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
20277 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
20278 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
20279 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
20282 @node Highlighting and Menus
20283 @section Highlighting and Menus
20285 @cindex highlighting
20288 @vindex gnus-visual
20289 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
20290 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
20291 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
20294 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
20295 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
20298 @item group-highlight
20299 Do highlights in the group buffer.
20300 @item summary-highlight
20301 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
20302 @item article-highlight
20303 Do highlights in the article buffer.
20305 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
20307 Create menus in the group buffer.
20309 Create menus in the summary buffers.
20311 Create menus in the article buffer.
20313 Create menus in the browse buffer.
20315 Create menus in the server buffer.
20317 Create menus in the score buffers.
20319 Create menus in all buffers.
20322 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
20323 buffers, you could say something like:
20326 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
20329 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
20332 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
20335 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
20336 in all Gnus buffers.
20338 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
20341 @item gnus-mouse-face
20342 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
20343 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
20344 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
20348 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
20352 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
20353 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
20354 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
20356 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
20357 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
20358 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
20360 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
20361 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
20362 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
20364 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
20365 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
20366 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
20368 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
20369 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
20370 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
20372 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
20373 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
20374 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
20385 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
20386 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
20387 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
20388 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
20389 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
20393 @vindex gnus-carpal
20394 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
20395 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
20396 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
20401 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20402 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20403 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
20405 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
20406 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
20407 Face used on buttons.
20409 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
20410 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
20411 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
20413 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20414 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20415 Buttons in the group buffer.
20417 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20418 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20419 Buttons in the summary buffer.
20421 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20422 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20423 Buttons in the server buffer.
20425 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20426 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20427 Buttons in the browse buffer.
20430 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
20431 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
20432 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
20440 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
20441 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
20442 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
20443 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
20444 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
20446 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
20447 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
20448 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
20450 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
20451 been idle for thirty minutes:
20454 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
20457 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
20461 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
20464 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
20465 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
20466 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20468 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
20469 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
20470 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
20471 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20473 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
20474 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
20475 @var{idle} minutes.
20477 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
20478 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
20481 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
20482 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
20483 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
20485 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
20486 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
20487 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
20488 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
20490 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
20491 your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20493 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
20495 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
20498 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
20499 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
20500 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
20501 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
20502 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
20503 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
20504 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
20505 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
20506 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
20507 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
20508 @file{.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
20510 @findex gnus-demon-init
20511 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
20512 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
20513 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
20514 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
20515 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
20517 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
20518 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
20519 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
20528 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
20529 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
20531 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
20532 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
20533 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
20534 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
20537 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
20538 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
20539 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
20540 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
20542 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
20543 this will make spam disappear.
20545 There are some variables to customize, of course:
20548 @item gnus-use-nocem
20549 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
20550 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
20553 @item gnus-nocem-groups
20554 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
20555 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
20556 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
20557 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
20559 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
20560 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
20561 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
20562 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
20563 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
20564 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
20566 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
20567 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
20569 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
20570 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
20571 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
20572 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
20573 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
20574 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
20575 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
20576 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
20577 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
20578 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
20580 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
20581 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
20584 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
20587 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
20588 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
20591 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
20594 The specs are applied left-to-right.
20597 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
20598 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
20600 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
20601 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
20602 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
20603 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
20605 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
20606 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
20609 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
20611 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
20619 This might be dangerous, though.
20621 @item gnus-nocem-directory
20622 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
20623 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
20624 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
20626 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20627 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20628 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
20629 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
20630 might then see old spam.
20632 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
20633 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
20634 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
20635 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
20636 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
20639 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20640 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20641 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
20642 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
20646 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
20647 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
20648 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
20649 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
20656 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
20657 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
20658 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
20660 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
20661 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
20662 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
20663 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
20664 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
20665 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
20666 @code{undo} function.
20668 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
20669 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
20670 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
20671 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
20672 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
20673 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
20674 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
20675 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
20676 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
20677 never be totally undoable.
20679 @findex gnus-undo-mode
20680 @vindex gnus-use-undo
20682 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
20683 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
20684 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
20685 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
20689 @node Predicate Specifiers
20690 @section Predicate Specifiers
20691 @cindex predicate specifiers
20693 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
20694 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
20695 to type all that much.
20697 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
20702 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
20703 gnus-article-unread-p)
20706 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
20707 functions all take one parameter.
20709 @findex gnus-make-predicate
20710 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
20711 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
20712 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
20717 @section Moderation
20720 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
20721 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
20722 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
20725 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
20729 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
20732 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
20734 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
20739 You split your incoming mail by matching on
20740 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
20741 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
20744 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
20745 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
20748 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
20749 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
20753 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
20756 (setq gnus-moderated-list
20757 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
20761 @node Image Enhancements
20762 @section Image Enhancements
20764 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
20765 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
20768 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
20769 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
20770 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
20771 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
20784 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
20785 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
20786 over your shoulder as you read news.
20788 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
20797 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
20798 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
20799 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
20800 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
20801 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
20802 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
20803 @code{GIF} formats.
20806 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
20807 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
20808 point your Web browser at
20809 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
20811 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
20812 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
20814 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
20815 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
20818 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
20822 @item gnus-picon-databases
20823 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
20824 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
20825 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
20826 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
20827 "/usr/local/faces")}.
20829 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
20830 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
20831 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
20832 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
20834 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
20835 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
20836 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
20837 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
20839 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
20840 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
20841 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
20842 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
20843 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
20845 @item gnus-picon-file-types
20846 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
20847 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
20848 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your Emacs.
20853 @subsection Smileys
20858 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
20863 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
20864 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
20866 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
20867 @file{.gnus.el} file:
20870 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
20873 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
20874 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
20875 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
20876 text and maps that to file names.
20878 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
20879 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
20880 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
20881 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
20882 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
20885 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
20890 @item smiley-data-directory
20891 @vindex smiley-data-directory
20892 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
20894 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
20895 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
20896 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
20905 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
20906 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
20907 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
20911 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
20912 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
20913 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
20914 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
20922 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
20923 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
20924 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
20925 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
20927 The variable that controls this is the
20928 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20929 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20930 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20931 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20932 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20934 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20935 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20936 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20937 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20940 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20941 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20942 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20943 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20944 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20945 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20946 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20947 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20949 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20952 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
20953 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
20955 @findex gnus-random-x-face
20956 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
20957 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
20958 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
20959 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
20960 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
20961 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
20962 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
20963 header data as a string.
20965 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
20966 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
20967 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
20968 randomly generated data.
20970 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
20971 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
20972 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
20973 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
20974 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
20976 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
20977 like the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20980 (setq message-required-news-headers
20981 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20982 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
20985 Using the last function would be something like this:
20988 (setq message-required-news-headers
20989 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20990 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
20991 (gnus-x-face-from-file
20992 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
20997 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
21000 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
21001 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
21002 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
21003 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
21004 unusual directory structure.
21006 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
21007 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
21008 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
21009 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
21011 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
21012 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
21013 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
21014 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
21015 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
21016 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
21018 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21019 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21020 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
21025 @subsubsection Toolbar
21029 @item gnus-use-toolbar
21030 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
21031 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
21032 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
21033 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
21035 @item gnus-group-toolbar
21036 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
21037 The toolbar in the group buffer.
21039 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
21040 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
21041 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
21043 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21044 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21045 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
21056 @node Fuzzy Matching
21057 @section Fuzzy Matching
21058 @cindex fuzzy matching
21060 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
21061 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
21063 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
21064 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
21065 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
21067 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
21068 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
21069 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
21070 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
21071 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
21074 @node Thwarting Email Spam
21075 @section Thwarting Email Spam
21079 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21081 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
21082 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
21083 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
21084 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
21085 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
21086 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
21087 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
21088 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
21091 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
21092 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
21093 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
21094 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
21095 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
21096 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
21098 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
21101 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
21102 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
21103 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
21104 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
21105 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
21106 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
21109 @node The problem of spam
21110 @subsection The problem of spam
21112 @cindex spam filtering approaches
21113 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
21115 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21117 First, some background on spam.
21119 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
21120 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it exists
21121 because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail, so only
21122 a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to make it
21123 worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most common
21124 spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for further
21125 spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers}, but terms like
21126 @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, and @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
21128 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
21129 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
21130 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
21131 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
21132 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
21133 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
21134 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
21135 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
21136 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
21139 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering. If you get 200
21140 spam messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you
21141 block @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about
21142 @samp{VIAGRA}, you discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the
21143 message. This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate
21144 e-mail. For instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest
21145 has been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it
21146 @strong{contained} words that were common in spam messages.
21147 Nevertheless, in isolated cases, with great care, direct filtering of
21148 mail can be useful.
21150 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
21151 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
21152 @code{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @samp{X} in
21153 China, Ghana, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
21154 @code{N} systems enter @samp{X} or the spam e-mail from @samp{X} into
21155 a database. The criteria for spam detection vary - it may be the
21156 number of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When
21157 a user of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a
21158 message is spam, he consults one of those @code{N} systems.
21160 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
21161 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
21162 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
21163 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
21164 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
21165 sending spam, and their web sites have been shut down for some time
21166 because of the incident.
21168 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
21169 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
21170 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
21171 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
21172 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
21173 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
21174 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
21175 to store the database of spam analyses.
21177 @node Anti-Spam Basics
21178 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
21182 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21184 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
21185 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
21187 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
21188 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
21189 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
21190 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
21191 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
21192 part of the mail address.)
21195 (setq message-default-news-headers
21196 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
21199 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21200 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21205 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
21206 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
21207 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
21213 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
21214 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
21215 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
21216 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
21218 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
21219 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
21220 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
21221 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
21222 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
21223 your fancy split rule in this way:
21228 (to "larsi" "misc")
21232 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
21233 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
21234 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
21235 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
21236 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
21238 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
21239 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
21240 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
21241 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
21242 cosmic balance somewhat.
21244 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
21245 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
21246 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
21247 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
21252 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
21253 @cindex SpamAssassin
21254 @cindex Vipul's Razor
21257 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
21258 avoiding spam is coming to an end. There are many tools out there
21259 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
21260 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
21261 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
21262 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
21263 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
21265 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
21266 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
21267 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
21268 Specifiers}) follows.
21272 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
21275 :postscript "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
21278 Once you managed to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
21279 the mail contain e.g. a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
21280 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
21283 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
21287 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21290 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
21291 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
21295 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
21296 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
21297 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
21298 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
21301 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
21303 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
21305 (let ((buf (or (get-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
21306 (get-buffer " *nnml move*"))))
21308 (progn (message "Oops, cannot find message buffer") nil)
21310 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
21311 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
21315 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
21316 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
21317 spam. And here is the nifty function:
21320 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
21321 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
21323 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
21324 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
21325 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
21329 @subsection Hashcash
21332 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
21333 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
21334 you cannot rely on that everyone in the world uses this technique,
21335 since it is not part of the Internet standards, but it may be useful
21336 in smaller communities.
21338 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
21339 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
21340 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
21341 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
21342 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
21343 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
21344 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
21345 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
21346 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
21347 one of them separately.
21350 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
21351 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
21352 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
21353 header. For more details, and for the external application
21354 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
21355 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
21356 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
21358 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
21362 (require 'hashcash)
21363 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
21366 The @code{hashcash.el} library can be found at
21367 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}, or in the Gnus
21368 development contrib directory.
21370 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
21374 @item hashcash-default-payment
21375 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
21376 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
21377 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
21378 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
21380 @item hashcash-payment-alist
21381 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
21382 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
21383 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(ADDR AMOUNT)} cells,
21384 where ADDR is the receiver (email address or newsgroup) and AMOUNT is
21385 the number of bits in the collision that is needed. It can also
21386 contain @samp{(ADDR STRING AMOUNT)} cells, where the STRING is the
21387 string to use (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
21391 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
21395 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
21396 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
21397 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
21398 a useful contribution, however.
21400 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
21401 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
21402 @cindex spam filtering
21405 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
21406 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
21407 filters incoming mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
21408 @emph{Ham} is the name used throughout @code{spam.el} to indicate
21411 So, what happens when you load @code{spam.el}? First of all, you get
21412 the following keyboard commands:
21422 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
21423 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
21425 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
21426 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
21427 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
21428 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
21434 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
21435 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
21437 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
21443 Also, when you load @code{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
21444 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
21447 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
21448 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
21449 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
21450 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
21451 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
21452 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
21453 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
21454 will be detected later.
21456 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
21457 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
21458 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
21459 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
21460 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
21461 by customizing the corresponding variable
21462 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
21463 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
21464 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
21465 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
21466 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
21467 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
21468 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
21471 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
21472 they get the @samp{$} mark when you enter the group. You must review
21473 these messages from time to time and remove the @samp{$} mark for
21474 every message that is not spam after all. To remove the @samp{$}
21475 mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to "unread" the article, or @kbd{d} for
21476 declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a group, all
21477 spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam processor which
21478 will study them as spam samples.
21480 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
21481 @code{spam-ham-marks} gets overridden below, marks @samp{R} and
21482 @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
21483 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
21484 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
21485 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
21486 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
21487 should then adjust the @code{spam-ham-marks} variable.
21489 @defvar spam-ham-marks
21490 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
21491 consider ham. By default, the list contains the deleted, read,
21492 killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks.
21495 @defvar spam-spam-marks
21496 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
21497 consider spam. By default, the list contains only the spam mark.
21500 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
21501 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
21502 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
21503 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
21504 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
21505 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
21508 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
21509 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
21510 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
21511 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
21512 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
21513 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
21514 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
21515 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with
21516 @code{customize-variable gnus-ham-process-destinations}). The ultimate
21517 location is a group name. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
21518 parameter is not set, spam articles are only expired.
21520 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
21521 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
21523 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
21524 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
21525 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
21526 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
21527 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
21528 customize this variable with @code{customize-variable
21529 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). The ultimate location is a group
21530 name. If the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set,
21531 the spam articles are only expired.
21533 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
21534 must add the following to your fancy split list
21535 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
21541 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
21542 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
21543 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
21545 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
21546 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
21547 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
21548 but you can customize it.
21550 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
21552 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
21553 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
21554 the headers. By default, the nnimap backend will only retrieve the
21555 message headers. If you use spam-check-bogofilter, spam-check-ifile,
21556 or spam-check-stat (the splitters that can benefit from the full
21557 message body), you should set this variable. It is not set by default
21558 because it will slow IMAP down.
21560 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
21562 @emph{TODO: Currently, spam.el only supports insertion of articles
21563 into a backend. There is no way to tell spam.el that an article is no
21564 longer spam or ham.}
21566 @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
21567 statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
21570 The following are the methods you can use to control the behavior of
21571 @code{spam-split} and their corresponding spam and ham processors:
21574 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
21575 * BBDB Whitelists::
21577 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
21579 * ifile spam filtering::
21580 * spam-stat spam filtering::
21581 * Extending the spam elisp package::
21584 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
21585 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
21586 @cindex spam filtering
21587 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
21588 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
21591 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
21593 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
21594 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
21595 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
21596 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
21601 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
21603 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
21604 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
21605 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
21606 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
21607 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
21611 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
21613 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
21614 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
21615 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
21619 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
21621 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21622 customizing the group parameters or the
21623 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21624 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21625 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
21629 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
21631 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21632 customizing the group parameters or the
21633 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21634 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21635 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
21636 whitelist. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
21637 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21641 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
21642 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
21643 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
21644 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
21645 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
21647 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
21648 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
21649 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
21650 Emacs regular expression syntax.
21652 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
21653 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
21654 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
21655 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
21656 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
21657 @file{blacklist} respectively.
21659 @node BBDB Whitelists
21660 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
21661 @cindex spam filtering
21662 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
21663 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
21666 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
21668 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
21669 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
21670 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
21671 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
21672 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
21673 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
21674 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
21678 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
21680 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
21681 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
21682 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
21683 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
21684 classified as spammers.
21688 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
21690 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21691 customizing the group parameters or the
21692 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21693 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
21694 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
21695 BBDB. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
21696 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21701 @subsubsection Blackholes
21702 @cindex spam filtering
21703 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
21706 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
21708 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
21709 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
21710 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
21711 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
21712 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
21713 contains outdated servers.
21715 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
21716 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
21717 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil. It is not recommended at this
21718 time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil despite the possible
21719 performance improvements, because some users may be unable to use it,
21720 but you can try it and see if it works for you.
21724 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
21726 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
21730 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
21732 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
21733 blackhole server list. When set to nil, it has no effect.
21737 @defvar spam-use-dig
21739 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
21740 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
21744 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
21745 ham processor for blackholes.
21747 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
21748 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
21749 @cindex spam filtering
21750 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
21753 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
21755 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
21756 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
21757 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
21758 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
21759 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
21760 message is spam or ham, respectively.
21764 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
21766 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
21767 the message, positively identify it as spam.
21771 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
21773 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
21774 the message, positively identify it as ham.
21778 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
21779 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
21782 @subsubsection Bogofilter
21783 @cindex spam filtering
21784 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
21787 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
21789 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
21792 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
21793 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
21794 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
21795 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
21796 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
21797 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
21799 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on an internal
21800 threshold, set at compilation time. That threshold can't be
21803 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
21804 processing will be turned off.
21806 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
21810 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
21812 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
21813 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
21814 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
21815 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
21816 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
21817 installation documents for details.
21819 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
21823 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
21824 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21825 customizing the group parameters or the
21826 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21827 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
21828 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
21831 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
21832 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21833 customizing the group parameters or the
21834 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21835 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
21836 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
21837 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
21838 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21841 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
21843 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
21844 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
21845 database directory.
21849 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to ifile in intent and
21850 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
21851 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
21852 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
21853 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
21854 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
21856 @node ifile spam filtering
21857 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
21858 @cindex spam filtering
21859 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
21862 @defvar spam-use-ifile
21864 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use ifile, a
21865 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
21869 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
21871 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
21872 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
21873 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
21877 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
21879 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
21880 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
21881 the default value of @samp{spam}.
21884 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
21886 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
21887 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
21891 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
21892 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
21893 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
21894 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
21897 @node spam-stat spam filtering
21898 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
21899 @cindex spam filtering
21900 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
21904 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
21906 @defvar spam-use-stat
21908 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
21909 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
21913 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
21914 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21915 customizing the group parameters or the
21916 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21917 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
21918 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
21921 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
21922 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
21923 customizing the group parameters or the
21924 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
21925 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
21926 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
21927 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
21928 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
21931 This enables spam.el to cooperate with spam-stat.el. spam-stat.el
21932 provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database, which unlike ifile or
21933 Bogofilter does not require external programs. A spam and a ham
21934 processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for @code{spam-split}
21937 @node Extending the spam elisp package
21938 @subsubsection Extending the spam elisp package
21939 @cindex spam filtering
21940 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
21941 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
21943 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
21944 incoming mail, provide the following:
21952 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
21953 "True if blackbox should be used.")
21958 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
21960 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
21965 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
21966 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
21967 @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
21970 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
21977 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
21978 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
21981 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
21982 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
21983 Only applicable to spam groups.")
21985 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
21986 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
21987 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
21995 (defun spam-blackbox-register-spam-routine ()
21996 (spam-generic-register-routine
21997 ;; the spam function
21999 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
22000 (when (stringp from)
22001 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer from))))
22002 ;; the ham function
22005 (defun spam-blackbox-register-ham-routine ()
22006 (spam-generic-register-routine
22007 ;; the spam function
22009 ;; the ham function
22011 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
22012 (when (stringp from)
22013 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender from))))))
22016 Write the @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender} and
22017 @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer} functions. You can add
22018 more complex code than fetching the message sender, but keep in mind
22019 that retrieving the whole message takes significantly longer than the
22020 sender through @code{spam-fetch-field-from-fast}, because the message
22021 senders are kept in memory by Gnus.
22026 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
22027 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
22028 @cindex Paul Graham
22029 @cindex Graham, Paul
22030 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
22031 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
22032 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
22034 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
22035 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
22036 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
22037 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
22038 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
22039 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
22040 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
22041 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
22042 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
22045 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
22046 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
22047 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
22048 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
22049 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
22050 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
22051 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
22052 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
22054 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
22055 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
22056 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
22057 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
22058 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
22061 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
22062 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
22063 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
22066 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
22067 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
22069 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
22070 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
22071 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
22072 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
22073 need several hundred emails in both collections.
22075 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
22076 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
22077 per mail. Use the following:
22079 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
22080 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
22081 is treated as one spam mail.
22084 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
22085 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
22086 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
22089 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
22090 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
22091 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
22092 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
22093 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
22094 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
22096 When you are using IMAP, you won't have the mails available locally,
22097 so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent to cache
22098 the articles. Then you can use directories such as
22099 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
22100 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
22103 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics -- the
22104 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
22105 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
22106 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
22109 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
22110 reset the dictionary.
22112 @defun spam-stat-reset
22113 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
22116 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
22117 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
22118 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
22119 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
22120 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
22121 only non-spam mails.
22123 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
22124 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
22125 to update the dictionary incrementally.
22128 @defun spam-stat-save
22129 Save the dictionary.
22132 @defvar spam-stat-file
22133 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
22134 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
22137 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
22138 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
22140 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
22141 following to your @file{~/.gnus} file:
22144 (require 'spam-stat)
22148 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
22151 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
22152 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
22153 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
22154 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
22156 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
22157 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
22158 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
22159 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
22162 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22163 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22167 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
22168 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
22171 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
22172 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
22173 expression are considered potential spam.
22176 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22177 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22178 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22182 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
22183 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
22184 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
22185 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
22186 mails, when creating the dictionary!
22189 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22190 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22191 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22195 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
22196 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
22197 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
22198 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
22199 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
22203 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22204 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
22205 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22206 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22211 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
22212 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
22214 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
22216 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
22217 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
22218 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
22221 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
22222 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
22223 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
22226 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
22227 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
22228 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
22229 already been processed as non-spam.
22232 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
22233 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
22234 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
22235 been processed as spam.
22238 @defun spam-stat-save
22239 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
22240 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
22243 @defun spam-stat-load
22244 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
22245 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
22248 @defun spam-stat-score-word
22249 Return the spam score for a word.
22252 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
22253 Return the spam score for a buffer.
22256 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
22257 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
22258 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22261 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
22262 following in your @file{~/.gnus} file:
22265 (require 'spam-stat)
22269 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
22272 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22273 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22274 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22275 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22276 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22277 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22278 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22279 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22280 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22281 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22282 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22283 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22284 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22285 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22288 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
22291 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22292 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22293 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22294 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
22295 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22296 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22299 @node Various Various
22300 @section Various Various
22306 @item gnus-home-directory
22307 @vindex gnus-home-directory
22308 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
22309 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
22311 @item gnus-directory
22312 @vindex gnus-directory
22313 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
22314 this variable, which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment
22315 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
22317 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
22318 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
22319 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
22320 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
22322 @item gnus-default-directory
22323 @vindex gnus-default-directory
22324 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
22325 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
22326 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
22327 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
22328 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
22329 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
22332 @vindex gnus-verbose
22333 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
22334 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
22335 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
22336 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
22337 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
22339 @item gnus-verbose-backends
22340 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
22341 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
22342 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
22344 @item nnheader-max-head-length
22345 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
22346 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
22347 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
22348 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
22349 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
22350 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
22351 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
22352 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
22353 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
22355 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
22356 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
22357 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
22358 read when doing the operation described above.
22360 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22361 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22363 @cindex invalid characters in file names
22364 @cindex characters in file names
22365 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
22366 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
22367 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
22370 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
22374 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
22375 Windows (phooey) systems.
22377 @item gnus-hidden-properties
22378 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
22379 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
22380 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
22381 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
22383 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
22384 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
22385 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
22386 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
22387 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
22389 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
22390 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
22391 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
22393 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
22394 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
22396 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
22397 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
22398 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
22399 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
22402 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
22410 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
22411 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
22413 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
22415 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
22421 Not because of victories @*
22424 but for the common sunshine,@*
22426 the largess of the spring.
22430 but for the day's work done@*
22431 as well as I was able;@*
22432 not for a seat upon the dais@*
22433 but at the common table.@*
22438 @chapter Appendices
22441 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
22442 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
22443 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
22444 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
22445 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
22446 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
22447 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
22448 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
22449 * Frequently Asked Questions::
22456 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
22458 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
22459 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
22460 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
22461 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
22462 @samp{xemacs-base}, @samp{sh-script} and @samp{fsf-compat}. The
22463 @samp{misc-games} package is required for Morse decoding.
22470 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
22471 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
22473 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
22474 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
22475 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
22476 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
22477 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
22479 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
22480 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
22481 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
22482 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
22483 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
22484 appropriate name, don't you think?)
22486 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
22487 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
22488 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
22489 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
22492 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
22493 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
22494 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
22495 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
22496 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
22497 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
22498 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
22499 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
22500 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
22504 @node Gnus Versions
22505 @subsection Gnus Versions
22507 @cindex September Gnus
22509 @cindex Quassia Gnus
22510 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
22514 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
22515 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
22516 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
22518 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
22519 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
22521 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
22522 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
22524 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
22525 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
22527 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
22528 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
22531 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
22533 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
22534 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
22535 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
22536 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
22537 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
22538 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
22541 @node Other Gnus Versions
22542 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
22545 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
22546 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
22547 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
22548 @sc{mime} capabilities.
22550 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
22551 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
22552 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
22553 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
22560 What's the point of Gnus?
22562 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
22563 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
22564 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
22565 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
22566 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
22567 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
22568 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
22569 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
22570 keep track of millions of people who post?
22572 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
22573 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
22574 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
22575 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
22576 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
22577 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
22578 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
22579 every one of you to explore and invent.
22581 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
22582 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
22585 @node Compatibility
22586 @subsection Compatibility
22588 @cindex compatibility
22589 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
22590 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
22591 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
22596 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
22600 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
22603 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
22606 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
22607 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
22608 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
22609 important variables have their values copied into their global
22610 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
22611 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
22613 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
22614 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
22615 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
22616 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
22617 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
22621 @cindex highlighting
22622 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
22623 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
22624 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
22625 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
22626 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
22627 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
22630 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
22631 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
22632 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
22633 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
22635 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
22636 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
22637 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
22638 to stop doing it the old way.
22640 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
22642 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22644 @cindex reporting bugs
22646 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
22647 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
22648 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
22650 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
22651 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
22652 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
22653 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
22658 @subsection Conformity
22660 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
22661 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
22669 There are no known breaches of this standard.
22673 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
22675 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
22676 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
22677 We do have some breaches to this one.
22683 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
22684 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
22685 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
22686 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
22687 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
22692 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
22693 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
22694 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
22695 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
22697 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
22699 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
22701 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
22702 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
22704 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
22707 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
22708 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
22709 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
22710 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
22711 decoding (verification and decryption).
22713 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
22714 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
22715 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
22716 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
22718 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
22719 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
22721 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
22722 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
22723 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
22724 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
22725 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
22726 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
22727 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
22731 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
22732 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
22737 @subsection Emacsen
22743 Gnus should work on :
22751 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
22755 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
22756 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
22759 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
22760 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
22761 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
22765 @node Gnus Development
22766 @subsection Gnus Development
22768 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
22769 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
22770 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
22771 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
22772 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
22773 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
22774 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
22775 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
22777 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
22778 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
22779 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
22780 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
22781 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
22784 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
22785 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
22786 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
22787 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
22788 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
22790 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
22791 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
22792 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
22793 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
22794 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
22795 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
22796 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
22797 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
22798 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
22799 can't be assumed to do so.
22804 @subsection Contributors
22805 @cindex contributors
22807 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
22808 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
22809 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
22810 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
22811 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
22812 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
22813 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
22814 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
22815 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
22816 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
22818 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
22824 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
22827 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
22828 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
22829 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
22830 functionality and stuff.
22833 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
22834 well as numerous other things).
22837 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
22840 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
22843 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
22846 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
22849 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
22850 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
22853 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
22856 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
22857 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
22860 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
22863 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
22866 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
22869 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
22872 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
22873 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
22876 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
22879 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
22882 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
22885 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
22889 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
22892 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
22895 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
22898 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
22899 well as autoconf support.
22903 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
22904 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
22906 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
22915 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
22919 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
22929 Alexei V. Barantsev,
22944 Massimo Campostrini,
22949 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
22950 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
22954 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
22957 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
22963 Michael Welsh Duggan,
22968 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
22972 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
22980 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
22982 Michelangelo Grigni,
22986 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
22988 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
22990 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
22997 François Felix Ingrand,
22998 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
22999 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
23001 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
23012 Peter Skov Knudsen,
23013 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
23015 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
23016 Thor Kristoffersen,
23019 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
23037 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
23038 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
23045 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
23050 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
23054 John McClary Prevost,
23060 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
23065 Christian von Roques,
23068 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
23075 Philippe Schnoebelen,
23077 Randal L. Schwartz,
23091 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
23096 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
23112 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
23117 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
23118 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
23119 (550kB and counting).
23121 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
23124 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
23125 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
23129 @subsection New Features
23130 @cindex new features
23133 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
23134 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
23135 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
23136 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
23137 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
23140 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
23141 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
23142 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
23145 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
23147 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
23152 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
23153 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
23156 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
23157 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
23160 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
23163 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
23164 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
23165 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
23168 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
23169 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
23170 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
23171 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
23174 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
23175 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23178 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
23179 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
23180 (@pxref{The Active File}).
23183 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
23184 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
23187 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
23188 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
23189 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23192 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
23193 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
23194 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
23197 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus.el}) to avoid cluttering up
23198 the @file{.emacs} file.
23201 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
23202 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
23205 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
23206 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
23209 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
23210 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23213 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
23214 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
23217 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
23218 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23221 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
23224 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
23225 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
23228 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
23229 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
23232 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
23233 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
23236 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
23239 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
23240 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
23243 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
23247 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
23251 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
23252 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
23255 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
23261 @node September Gnus
23262 @subsubsection September Gnus
23266 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
23270 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
23275 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
23276 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
23280 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
23281 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
23285 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
23289 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
23290 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
23293 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
23297 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
23300 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
23303 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
23306 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
23310 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
23311 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
23314 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
23318 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
23322 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
23326 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
23330 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
23333 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
23334 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
23337 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
23341 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
23342 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
23345 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
23348 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
23349 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
23350 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
23353 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
23357 The Gnus cache is much faster.
23360 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
23364 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
23365 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
23368 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
23369 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
23372 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
23373 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
23376 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
23377 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
23378 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
23381 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
23382 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
23385 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
23388 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23391 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
23394 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
23397 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
23398 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
23401 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
23405 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
23408 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
23413 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
23416 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
23420 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23423 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
23427 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
23430 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
23433 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
23434 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
23437 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
23438 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
23442 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
23443 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
23446 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
23450 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
23451 buffer to allow easier treatment.
23454 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
23457 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
23461 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
23465 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
23466 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
23469 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
23473 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
23474 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23477 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
23478 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23481 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
23485 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23488 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
23491 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
23497 @subsubsection Red Gnus
23499 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
23503 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
23510 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
23513 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
23514 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23517 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
23518 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
23522 Article washing status can be displayed in the
23523 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
23526 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
23529 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
23530 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
23533 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
23537 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
23538 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
23542 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
23543 Server Internals}).
23546 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
23550 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
23553 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
23554 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
23557 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
23558 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
23559 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
23562 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
23563 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23566 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
23567 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
23570 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
23574 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
23575 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23578 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
23579 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23582 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
23586 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
23589 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
23593 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
23594 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23597 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
23598 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23601 A new command for reading collections of documents
23602 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
23603 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
23606 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
23610 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
23611 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
23614 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
23615 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
23616 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
23619 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
23620 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
23624 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
23628 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
23632 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
23637 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
23641 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
23645 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
23646 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
23649 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
23655 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
23657 New features in Gnus 5.6:
23662 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
23663 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
23664 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
23667 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
23668 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
23669 group, which is created automatically.
23672 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
23676 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
23679 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
23680 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
23683 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
23687 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
23690 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
23691 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
23694 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
23697 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
23698 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
23701 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
23702 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
23705 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
23706 control over simplification.
23709 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
23712 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
23716 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
23719 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
23722 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
23723 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
23724 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
23727 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
23728 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
23731 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
23735 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
23736 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
23739 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
23740 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
23743 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
23747 A history of where mails have been split is available.
23750 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
23753 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
23754 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
23757 A new function for citing in Message has been
23758 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
23761 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
23764 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
23768 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
23769 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
23772 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
23773 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
23776 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
23779 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
23783 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
23784 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
23786 New features in Gnus 5.8:
23791 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
23792 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
23794 If you used procmail like in
23797 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
23798 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
23799 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
23800 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
23803 this now has changed to
23807 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
23811 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
23812 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
23815 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
23816 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
23819 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
23820 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
23823 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
23824 called to position point.
23827 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
23828 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
23831 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
23832 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
23835 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
23836 subtly different manner.
23839 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
23840 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
23841 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
23844 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
23852 @section The Manual
23856 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
23857 either @code{texi2dvi}
23859 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
23860 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
23862 to get what you hold in your hands now.
23864 The following conventions have been used:
23869 This is a @samp{string}
23872 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
23875 This is a @file{file}
23878 This is a @code{symbol}
23882 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
23886 (setq flargnoze "yes")
23889 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
23892 (setq flumphel 'yes)
23895 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
23896 ever get them confused.
23900 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
23901 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
23902 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
23903 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
23904 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
23905 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
23906 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
23912 @node On Writing Manuals
23913 @section On Writing Manuals
23915 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
23916 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
23917 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
23918 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
23919 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
23920 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
23923 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
23924 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
23925 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
23928 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
23929 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
23934 @section Terminology
23936 @cindex terminology
23941 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
23942 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
23943 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
23944 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
23945 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
23949 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
23950 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
23951 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
23952 not posting, and replying is not following up.
23956 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
23960 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
23965 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
23966 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
23967 commonly fetched via the protocol NNTP, whereas mail messages could be
23968 read from a file on the local disk. The internal architecture of Gnus
23969 thus comprises a `front end' and a number of `back ends'. Internally,
23970 when you enter a group (by hitting @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke
23971 a function in the front end in Gnus. The front end then `talks' to a
23972 back end and says things like ``Give me the list of articles in the foo
23973 group'' or ``Show me article number 4711''.
23975 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back end
23976 accesses news via NNTP, the @code{nnimap} back end accesses mail via
23977 IMAP) or a file format and directory layout (the @code{nnspool} back end
23978 accesses news via the common `spool directory' format, the @code{nnml}
23979 back end access mail via a file format and directory layout that's
23982 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
23983 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
23984 access the articles.
23986 However, sometimes the term `back end' is also used where `server'
23987 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term `select
23988 method' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
23993 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
23994 default, way of getting news.
23998 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
23999 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
24004 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
24005 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
24009 A message that has been posted as news.
24012 @cindex mail message
24013 A message that has been mailed.
24017 A mail message or news article
24021 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
24026 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
24031 A line from the head of an article.
24035 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
24036 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
24040 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
24041 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
24042 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
24043 normal @sc{head} format.
24047 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
24048 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
24049 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
24050 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
24051 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
24052 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
24054 @item killed groups
24055 @cindex killed groups
24056 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
24057 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
24059 @item zombie groups
24060 @cindex zombie groups
24061 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
24064 @cindex active file
24065 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
24066 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
24067 is rather large, as you might surmise.
24070 @cindex bogus groups
24071 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
24072 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
24073 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
24076 @cindex activating groups
24077 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
24078 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
24079 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
24083 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
24085 @item select method
24086 @cindex select method
24087 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
24090 @item virtual server
24091 @cindex virtual server
24092 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
24093 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
24094 whole is a virtual server.
24098 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
24099 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
24102 @item ephemeral groups
24103 @cindex ephemeral groups
24104 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
24105 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
24106 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
24109 @cindex solid groups
24110 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
24111 group buffer are solid groups.
24113 @item sparse articles
24114 @cindex sparse articles
24115 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
24116 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
24120 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
24121 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
24125 @cindex thread root
24126 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
24127 articles in the thread.
24131 An article that has responses.
24135 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
24139 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
24140 specified by RFC 1153.
24146 @node Customization
24147 @section Customization
24148 @cindex general customization
24150 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
24151 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
24152 for some quite common situations.
24155 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
24156 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
24157 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
24158 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
24162 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
24163 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
24165 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
24166 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
24167 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
24171 @item gnus-read-active-file
24172 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
24173 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
24174 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
24175 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
24176 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
24178 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
24179 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
24180 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
24181 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
24185 @node Slow Terminal Connection
24186 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
24188 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
24189 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
24190 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
24194 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
24195 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
24196 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
24197 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
24198 horizontal and vertical recentering.
24200 @item gnus-visible-headers
24201 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
24202 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
24203 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
24204 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
24206 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
24208 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
24209 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
24210 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
24213 @item gnus-use-full-window
24214 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
24215 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
24216 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
24217 want to read them anyway.
24219 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
24220 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
24224 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
24225 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
24226 lines, which might save some time.
24230 @node Little Disk Space
24231 @subsection Little Disk Space
24234 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
24235 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
24239 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
24240 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
24241 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
24242 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
24245 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
24246 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
24247 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
24248 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
24251 @item gnus-save-killed-list
24252 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
24253 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
24254 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
24255 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
24261 @subsection Slow Machine
24262 @cindex slow machine
24264 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
24265 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
24267 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
24268 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
24270 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
24271 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
24272 summary buffer faster.
24276 @node Troubleshooting
24277 @section Troubleshooting
24278 @cindex troubleshooting
24280 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
24288 Make sure your computer is switched on.
24291 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
24292 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
24296 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
24297 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
24298 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
24299 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
24302 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
24306 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
24307 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
24308 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
24309 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
24310 something like that.
24313 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
24316 @cindex reporting bugs
24318 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
24320 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
24321 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
24322 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
24323 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
24325 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
24326 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
24327 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
24328 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
24331 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
24332 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
24333 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
24334 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
24335 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
24336 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
24338 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
24339 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
24340 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
24344 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
24345 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
24348 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
24349 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
24350 edebug. Debugging lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
24351 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
24352 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
24353 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
24354 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
24355 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
24356 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
24357 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
24358 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
24359 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
24360 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
24361 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
24366 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate a elisp error but
24367 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
24368 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press C-j when things are
24369 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
24370 helps isolating the real problem areas). A fancier approach is to use
24371 the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is (or should be) fully
24372 documented elsewhere, but to get you started there are a few steps
24373 that need to be followed. First, instrument the part of Gnus you are
24374 interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package RET
24375 gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-packagre RET message}. Then perform
24376 the operation that is slow and press @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will
24377 then see which operations that takes time, and can debug them further.
24378 If the entire operation takes much longer than the time spent in the
24379 slowest function in the profiler output, you probably profiled the
24380 wrong part of Gnus. To reset profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x
24381 elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove
24382 profiling, but given the complexities and dynamic code generation in
24383 Gnus, it might not always work perfectly.
24385 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
24386 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
24388 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
24389 @cindex ding mailing list
24390 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
24391 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
24395 @node Gnus Reference Guide
24396 @section Gnus Reference Guide
24398 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
24399 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
24400 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
24401 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
24404 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
24405 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
24406 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
24407 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
24408 and general methods of operation.
24411 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
24412 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
24413 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
24414 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
24415 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
24416 * Group Info:: The group info format.
24417 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
24418 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
24419 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
24423 @node Gnus Utility Functions
24424 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
24425 @cindex Gnus utility functions
24426 @cindex utility functions
24428 @cindex internal variables
24430 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
24431 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
24432 Below is a list of the most common ones.
24436 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
24437 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
24438 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
24440 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
24441 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
24442 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
24444 @item gnus-group-real-name
24445 @findex gnus-group-real-name
24446 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
24449 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
24450 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
24451 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
24452 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
24454 @item gnus-get-info
24455 @findex gnus-get-info
24456 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
24458 @item gnus-group-unread
24459 @findex gnus-group-unread
24460 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
24464 @findex gnus-active
24465 The active entry for @var{group}.
24467 @item gnus-set-active
24468 @findex gnus-set-active
24469 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
24471 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24472 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24473 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
24476 @item gnus-continuum-version
24477 @findex gnus-continuum-version
24478 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
24479 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
24482 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
24483 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
24484 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
24486 @item gnus-news-group-p
24487 @findex gnus-news-group-p
24488 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
24490 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24491 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24492 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
24494 @item gnus-server-to-method
24495 @findex gnus-server-to-method
24496 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
24498 @item gnus-server-equal
24499 @findex gnus-server-equal
24500 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
24502 @item gnus-group-native-p
24503 @findex gnus-group-native-p
24504 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
24506 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
24507 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
24508 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
24510 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
24511 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
24512 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
24514 @item group-group-find-parameter
24515 @findex group-group-find-parameter
24516 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
24517 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
24519 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
24520 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
24521 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
24523 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
24524 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
24525 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
24527 @item gnus-check-backend-function
24528 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
24529 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
24530 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
24533 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
24537 @item gnus-read-method
24538 @findex gnus-read-method
24539 Prompts the user for a select method.
24544 @node Back End Interface
24545 @subsection Back End Interface
24547 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
24548 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
24549 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
24550 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
24551 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
24552 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
24554 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
24555 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
24556 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
24557 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
24558 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
24559 been opened, the function should fail.
24561 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
24562 name. Take this example:
24566 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
24567 (nntp-port-number 4324))
24570 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
24571 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
24573 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
24574 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
24575 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
24577 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
24578 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
24579 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
24581 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
24582 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
24583 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
24584 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
24585 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
24586 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
24589 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
24590 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
24591 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
24592 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
24595 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
24596 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
24597 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
24598 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
24599 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
24600 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
24601 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
24602 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
24603 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
24604 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
24606 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
24607 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
24608 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
24609 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
24610 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
24611 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
24612 of numbers as long as possible.
24614 Note that by convention, backends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
24615 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
24616 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
24618 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
24621 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
24624 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
24625 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
24626 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
24627 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
24628 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
24629 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
24633 @node Required Back End Functions
24634 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
24638 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
24640 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
24641 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
24642 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
24643 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
24645 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
24646 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
24647 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
24648 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
24650 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
24651 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
24652 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
24653 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
24654 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
24655 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
24656 number, do maximum fetches.
24658 Here's an example HEAD:
24661 221 1056 Article retrieved.
24662 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
24663 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
24664 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
24665 Subject: Re: Something very droll
24666 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
24667 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
24669 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
24670 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
24671 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
24675 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
24676 these in the data buffer.
24678 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
24682 head = error / valid-head
24683 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
24684 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
24685 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
24686 header = <text> eol
24689 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
24690 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
24694 nov-buffer = *nov-line
24695 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
24696 field = <text except TAB>
24699 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
24703 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
24705 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
24706 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
24708 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
24709 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
24710 server. In fact, it should do so.
24712 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
24713 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
24716 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
24718 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
24719 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
24722 There should be no data returned.
24725 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
24727 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
24728 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
24729 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
24730 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
24732 There should be no data returned.
24735 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
24737 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
24738 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
24739 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
24740 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
24742 There should be no data returned.
24745 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
24747 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
24749 There should be no data returned.
24752 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
24754 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
24755 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
24756 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
24757 it would be nice if that were possible.
24759 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
24760 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
24761 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
24762 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
24763 into its article buffer.
24765 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
24766 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
24767 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
24768 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
24769 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
24770 on successful article retrieval.
24773 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
24775 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
24776 making @var{group} the current group.
24778 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
24781 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
24784 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
24787 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
24788 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
24789 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
24790 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
24791 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
24792 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
24793 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
24794 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
24795 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
24799 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
24800 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
24801 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
24805 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
24807 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
24808 a no-op on most back ends.
24810 There should be no data returned.
24813 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
24815 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
24818 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
24821 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
24822 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
24825 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
24826 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
24827 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
24828 and the highest as 0.
24831 active-file = *active-line
24832 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
24834 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
24837 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
24838 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
24839 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
24842 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
24844 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
24845 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
24846 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
24847 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
24848 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
24849 clear if the posting could not be completed.
24851 There should be no result data from this function.
24856 @node Optional Back End Functions
24857 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
24861 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
24863 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
24864 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
24865 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
24867 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
24868 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
24869 former is in the same format as the data from
24870 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
24871 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
24874 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
24878 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
24880 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
24881 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
24882 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
24883 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
24884 should return a non-nil value.
24886 There should be no result data from this function.
24889 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
24891 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
24892 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
24893 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
24894 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
24895 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
24896 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
24897 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
24898 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
24900 There should be no result data from this function.
24903 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
24905 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
24906 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
24907 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
24908 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
24909 propagate the mark information to the server.
24911 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
24914 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
24917 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
24918 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
24919 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
24920 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
24921 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
24922 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
24923 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
24924 possible, not limit itself to these.
24926 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
24927 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
24928 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
24929 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
24931 An example action list:
24934 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
24935 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
24936 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
24939 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
24940 mark on (currently not used for anything).
24942 There should be no result data from this function.
24944 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
24946 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
24947 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
24948 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
24949 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
24950 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
24952 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
24953 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
24954 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
24957 There should be no result data from this function.
24960 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
24962 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
24963 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
24964 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
24965 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
24966 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
24967 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
24968 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
24970 There should be no result data from this function.
24973 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
24975 The result data from this function should be a description of
24979 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
24981 description = <text>
24984 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
24986 The result data from this function should be the description of all
24987 groups available on the server.
24990 description-buffer = *description-line
24994 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
24996 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
24997 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
24998 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
24999 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
25000 in the active buffer format.
25002 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
25003 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
25004 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
25005 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
25006 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
25007 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
25008 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
25011 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
25013 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
25015 There should be no return data.
25018 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
25020 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
25021 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
25022 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
25023 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
25024 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
25027 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
25030 There should be no result data returned.
25033 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
25036 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
25037 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
25039 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
25040 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
25041 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
25042 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
25043 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
25044 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
25046 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
25047 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
25050 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
25051 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
25053 There should be no data returned.
25056 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
25058 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
25059 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
25060 this function in short order.
25062 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
25063 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
25065 The group should exist before the backend is asked to accept the
25066 article for that group.
25068 There should be no data returned.
25071 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
25073 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
25074 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
25076 There should be no data returned.
25079 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
25081 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
25082 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
25083 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
25085 There should be no data returned.
25088 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
25090 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
25091 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
25093 There should be no data returned.
25098 @node Error Messaging
25099 @subsubsection Error Messaging
25101 @findex nnheader-report
25102 @findex nnheader-get-report
25103 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
25104 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
25105 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
25106 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
25107 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
25108 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
25111 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
25113 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
25116 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
25117 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
25118 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
25119 takes one argument---the server symbol.
25121 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
25122 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
25123 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
25126 @node Writing New Back Ends
25127 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
25129 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
25130 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
25131 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
25132 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
25133 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
25136 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
25137 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
25138 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
25140 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
25141 package called @code{nnoo}.
25143 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
25144 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
25150 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
25151 parameters. For instance:
25154 (nnoo-declare nndir
25158 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
25159 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
25162 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
25163 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
25164 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
25166 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
25167 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
25168 a function in those back ends.
25171 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
25172 "Where nndir will look for groups."
25173 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
25176 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
25177 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
25178 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
25180 @item nnoo-define-basics
25181 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
25185 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
25189 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
25190 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
25191 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
25193 @item nnoo-map-functions
25194 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
25195 functions from the parent back ends.
25198 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
25199 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25200 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
25203 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
25204 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
25205 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
25206 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
25209 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
25210 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
25211 haven't already been defined.
25217 nnmh-request-newgroups)
25221 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
25222 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
25223 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
25228 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
25231 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
25232 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
25236 (require 'nnheader)
25240 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
25242 (nnoo-declare nndir
25245 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
25246 "Where nndir will look for groups."
25247 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
25249 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
25250 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
25253 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
25255 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
25256 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
25257 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
25259 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
25260 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
25262 ;;; Interface functions.
25264 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
25266 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
25267 (setq nndir-directory
25268 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
25270 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
25271 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
25272 (push `(nndir-current-group
25273 ,(file-name-nondirectory
25274 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25276 (push `(nndir-top-directory
25277 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25279 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
25281 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
25282 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25283 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25284 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
25285 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
25289 nnmh-status-message
25291 nnmh-request-newgroups))
25297 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
25298 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
25300 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
25301 @findex gnus-declare-backend
25302 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
25303 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
25304 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
25306 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
25307 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
25312 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
25315 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
25317 The abilities can be:
25321 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
25323 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
25325 This back end supports both mail and news.
25327 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
25330 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
25331 articles and groups.
25333 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
25334 true for almost all back ends.
25335 @item prompt-address
25336 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
25337 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
25338 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
25342 @node Mail-like Back Ends
25343 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
25345 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
25346 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
25347 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
25348 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
25351 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
25352 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
25353 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
25356 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
25357 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
25360 This function takes four parameters.
25364 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
25367 @item exit-function
25368 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
25370 @item temp-directory
25371 Where the temporary files should be stored.
25374 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
25375 performed for one group only.
25378 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
25379 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
25380 find the article number assigned to this article.
25382 The function also uses the following variables:
25383 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
25384 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
25385 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
25386 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
25390 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
25391 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
25395 @node Score File Syntax
25396 @subsection Score File Syntax
25398 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
25399 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
25400 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
25402 Here's a typical score file:
25406 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
25413 BNF definition of a score file:
25416 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
25417 element = rule / atom
25418 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
25419 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
25420 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
25421 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
25423 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
25424 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
25425 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
25426 date-header = "date"
25427 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25428 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25429 score = "nil" / <integer>
25430 date = "nil" / <natural number>
25431 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
25432 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
25433 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
25434 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
25435 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25436 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25437 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
25438 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25439 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
25440 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
25441 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
25442 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
25443 exclude-files / read-only / touched
25444 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
25445 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
25446 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
25447 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
25448 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
25449 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
25450 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
25451 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
25452 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
25453 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
25454 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
25455 eval = "eval" space <form>
25456 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
25459 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
25462 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
25463 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
25464 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
25465 one looong line, then that's ok.
25467 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
25468 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25472 @subsection Headers
25474 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
25475 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
25476 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
25477 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
25479 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
25480 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
25481 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
25482 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
25483 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
25484 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
25485 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
25487 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
25488 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
25489 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
25490 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
25491 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
25493 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
25494 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
25500 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
25501 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
25503 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
25504 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
25505 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
25506 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
25508 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
25512 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
25515 is transformed into
25518 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
25521 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
25522 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
25525 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
25528 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
25529 is slightly tricky:
25532 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
25538 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
25541 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
25547 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
25554 and is equal to the previous range.
25556 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
25557 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
25558 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
25562 range = simple-range / normal-range
25563 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
25564 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
25565 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
25566 number *[ " " contents ]
25569 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
25570 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
25571 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
25572 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
25573 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
25578 @subsection Group Info
25580 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
25581 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
25582 describes the group.
25584 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
25585 second is a more complex one:
25588 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
25590 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
25591 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
25593 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
25596 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
25597 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
25598 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
25599 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
25600 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
25601 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
25602 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
25603 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
25604 this section is about.
25606 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
25607 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
25608 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
25610 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
25613 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
25614 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
25615 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25616 group = quote <string> quote
25617 ralevel = rank / level
25618 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25619 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
25620 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25622 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
25623 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
25624 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
25625 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
25628 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
25629 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
25632 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
25633 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
25636 @item gnus-info-group
25637 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
25638 @findex gnus-info-group
25639 @findex gnus-info-set-group
25640 Get/set the group name.
25642 @item gnus-info-rank
25643 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
25644 @findex gnus-info-rank
25645 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
25646 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
25648 @item gnus-info-level
25649 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
25650 @findex gnus-info-level
25651 @findex gnus-info-set-level
25652 Get/set the group level.
25654 @item gnus-info-score
25655 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
25656 @findex gnus-info-score
25657 @findex gnus-info-set-score
25658 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
25660 @item gnus-info-read
25661 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
25662 @findex gnus-info-read
25663 @findex gnus-info-set-read
25664 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
25666 @item gnus-info-marks
25667 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
25668 @findex gnus-info-marks
25669 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
25670 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
25672 @item gnus-info-method
25673 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
25674 @findex gnus-info-method
25675 @findex gnus-info-set-method
25676 Get/set the group select method.
25678 @item gnus-info-params
25679 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
25680 @findex gnus-info-params
25681 @findex gnus-info-set-params
25682 Get/set the group parameters.
25685 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
25686 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
25688 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
25689 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
25690 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
25691 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
25694 @node Extended Interactive
25695 @subsection Extended Interactive
25696 @cindex interactive
25697 @findex gnus-interactive
25699 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
25700 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
25701 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
25704 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
25705 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
25710 The best thing to do would have been to implement
25711 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
25712 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
25713 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
25714 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
25715 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
25716 @code{interactive}.
25718 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
25723 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
25724 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
25728 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
25729 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
25730 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
25733 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
25737 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
25741 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
25747 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
25748 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
25752 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
25753 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
25754 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
25756 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
25757 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
25758 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
25759 Gnus, that's very useful.
25761 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
25762 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
25763 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
25764 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
25765 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
25766 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
25767 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
25768 following function:
25771 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
25775 (,function ,@@args))
25779 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
25780 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
25781 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
25784 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
25785 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
25786 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
25788 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
25789 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
25790 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
25793 @node Various File Formats
25794 @subsection Various File Formats
25797 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
25798 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
25802 @node Active File Format
25803 @subsubsection Active File Format
25805 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
25806 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
25809 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
25812 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
25813 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
25814 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
25815 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
25816 no.general 1000 900 y
25819 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
25822 active = *group-line
25823 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
25824 group = <non-white-space string>
25826 high-number = <non-negative integer>
25827 low-number = <positive integer>
25828 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
25831 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
25832 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
25835 @node Newsgroups File Format
25836 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
25838 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
25839 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
25840 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
25843 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
25844 Here's the definition:
25848 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
25849 group = <non-white-space string>
25851 description = <string>
25856 @node Emacs for Heathens
25857 @section Emacs for Heathens
25859 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
25860 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
25861 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
25862 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
25863 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
25864 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
25865 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
25869 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
25870 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
25875 @subsection Keystrokes
25879 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
25882 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
25885 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
25886 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
25887 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
25888 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
25889 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
25890 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
25892 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
25893 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
25894 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
25895 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
25896 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
25897 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
25898 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
25900 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
25901 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
25902 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
25903 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
25904 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
25905 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
25906 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
25908 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
25909 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
25910 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
25911 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
25912 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
25918 @subsection Emacs Lisp
25920 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
25921 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
25922 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
25923 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
25925 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
25926 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
25927 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
25928 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
25929 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
25930 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
25931 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
25934 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
25935 write the following:
25938 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
25941 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
25942 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
25943 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
25946 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
25947 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
25948 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
25949 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
25950 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
25952 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
25953 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
25954 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
25958 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
25962 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
25965 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
25966 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
25969 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
25972 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
25973 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
25976 @include gnus-faq.texi
25996 @c Local Variables:
25998 @c coding: iso-8859-1
26000 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
26001 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
26002 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
26003 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
26004 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref