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265 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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274 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
276 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
277 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
278 are preserved on all copies.
280 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
281 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
282 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
283 permission notice identical to this one.
285 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
286 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
295 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
297 Copyright (C) 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
299 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
300 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
301 are preserved on all copies.
304 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
305 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
306 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
307 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
310 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
311 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
312 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
313 permission notice identical to this one.
315 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
316 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
324 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
327 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
328 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
330 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
331 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
332 are preserved on all copies.
334 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
335 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
336 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
337 permission notice identical to this one.
339 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
340 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
349 @top The Gnus Newsreader
353 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
354 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
355 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
358 This manual corresponds to Gnus 5.8.4.
369 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
370 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
372 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
373 being accused of plagiarism:
375 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
376 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
377 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
378 can even read news with it!
380 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
381 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
382 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
383 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
384 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
390 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
391 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
392 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
393 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
394 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
395 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
396 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
397 * Various:: General purpose settings.
398 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
399 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
400 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
401 * Key Index:: Key Index.
404 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
408 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
409 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
410 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
411 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
412 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
413 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
414 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
415 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
416 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
417 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
418 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
422 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
423 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
424 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
428 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
429 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
430 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
431 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
432 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
433 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
434 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
435 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
436 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
437 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
438 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
439 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
440 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
441 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
442 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
443 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
444 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
448 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
449 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
450 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
454 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
455 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
456 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
457 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
458 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
462 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
463 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
464 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
465 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
469 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
470 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
471 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
472 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
473 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
474 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
475 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
476 * Threading:: How threads are made.
477 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
478 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
479 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
480 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
481 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
482 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
483 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
484 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
485 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
486 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
487 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
488 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
489 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
490 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
491 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
492 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
493 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
494 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
495 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
496 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
498 Summary Buffer Format
500 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
501 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
502 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
503 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
507 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
508 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
510 Reply, Followup and Post
512 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
513 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
514 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
515 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
519 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
520 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
521 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
525 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
526 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
527 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
531 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
532 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
534 Customizing Threading
536 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
537 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
538 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
539 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
543 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
544 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
545 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
546 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
547 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
548 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
552 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
553 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
554 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
558 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
559 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
560 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
561 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
562 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
563 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
564 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
565 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
567 Alternative Approaches
569 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
570 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
572 Various Summary Stuff
574 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
575 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
576 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
577 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
581 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
582 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
583 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
584 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
585 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
589 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
590 * Post:: Posting and following up.
591 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
592 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
593 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
594 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
595 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
596 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
600 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
601 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
602 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
603 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
604 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
605 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
606 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
610 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
611 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
612 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
613 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
614 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
615 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
616 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
620 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
621 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
625 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
626 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
627 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
628 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
629 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
630 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
631 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
632 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
633 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
634 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
635 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
636 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
637 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
641 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
642 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
643 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
645 Choosing a Mail Backend
647 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
648 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
649 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
650 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
651 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
652 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
656 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
657 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
658 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
659 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
663 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
664 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
665 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
666 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
667 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
668 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
672 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
676 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
677 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
678 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
682 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
683 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
684 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
688 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
689 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
693 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
694 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
695 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
696 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
697 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
698 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
699 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
700 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
701 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
705 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
706 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
707 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
711 * Group Agent Commands::
712 * Summary Agent Commands::
713 * Server Agent Commands::
717 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
718 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
719 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
720 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
721 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
722 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
723 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
724 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
725 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
726 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
727 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
728 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
729 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
730 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
731 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
732 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
736 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
737 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
738 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
739 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
743 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
744 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
745 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
749 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
750 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
751 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
752 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
753 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
754 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
755 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
756 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
757 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
758 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
759 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
760 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
761 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
762 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
763 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
764 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
765 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
766 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
770 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
771 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
772 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
773 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
774 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
778 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
779 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
780 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
781 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
785 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
786 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
787 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
788 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
789 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
793 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
794 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
795 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
796 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
797 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
798 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
799 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
800 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
804 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
805 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
806 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
807 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
808 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
809 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
810 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
811 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
812 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
813 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
817 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
818 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
819 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
820 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
824 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
825 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
826 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
827 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
831 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
832 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
833 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
834 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
835 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
836 * Group Info:: The group info format.
837 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
838 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
839 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
843 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
844 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
845 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
846 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
847 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
848 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
852 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
853 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
857 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
858 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
864 @chapter Starting Gnus
869 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
870 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
873 @findex gnus-other-frame
874 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
875 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
876 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
878 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
879 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
880 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
882 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
883 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
886 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
887 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
888 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
889 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
890 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
891 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
892 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
893 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
894 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
895 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
896 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
900 @node Finding the News
901 @section Finding the News
904 @vindex gnus-select-method
906 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
907 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
908 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
909 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
912 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
913 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
916 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
919 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
922 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
925 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
926 certainly be much faster.
928 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
930 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
931 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
932 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
933 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
934 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
935 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
937 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
938 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
939 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
940 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
942 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
943 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
944 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
945 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
946 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
947 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
948 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
949 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
950 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
953 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
955 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
956 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
957 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
958 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
959 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
960 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
962 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
964 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
965 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
966 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
967 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
968 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
969 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
972 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
973 would typically set this variable to
976 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
981 @section The First Time
982 @cindex first time usage
984 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
985 be subscribed by default.
987 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
988 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
989 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
990 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
993 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
994 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
995 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
997 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
998 help you with most common problems.
1000 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1001 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1005 @node The Server is Down
1006 @section The Server is Down
1007 @cindex server errors
1009 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1010 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1011 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1013 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1014 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1015 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1016 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1017 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1018 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1019 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1021 @findex gnus-no-server
1022 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1024 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1025 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1026 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1027 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1028 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1029 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1034 @section Slave Gnusae
1037 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1038 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1039 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1040 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1042 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1043 @code{.newsrc} file.
1045 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1046 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1047 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1048 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1049 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1050 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1051 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1053 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1054 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1055 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1056 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1057 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1058 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1059 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1060 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1062 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1063 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1066 @node Fetching a Group
1067 @section Fetching a Group
1068 @cindex fetching a group
1070 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1071 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1072 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1073 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1074 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1075 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1081 @cindex subscription
1083 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1084 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1085 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1086 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1087 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1088 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1089 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1090 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
1091 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1094 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1095 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1096 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1100 @node Checking New Groups
1101 @subsection Checking New Groups
1103 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1104 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1105 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1106 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1107 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1108 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1109 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1110 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1111 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1112 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1114 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1115 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1116 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1117 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1118 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1119 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1120 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1121 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1122 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1123 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1124 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1126 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1127 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1128 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1129 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1130 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1131 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1134 @node Subscription Methods
1135 @subsection Subscription Methods
1137 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1138 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1139 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1141 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1142 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1144 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1148 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1149 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1150 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1151 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1152 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1154 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1155 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1156 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1157 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1159 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1160 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1161 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1163 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1164 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1165 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1166 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1167 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1168 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1169 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1170 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1171 up. Or something like that.
1173 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1174 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1175 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1176 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1177 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1179 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1180 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1181 Kill all new groups.
1183 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1184 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1185 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1186 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1187 topic parameter that looks like
1193 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1196 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1201 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1202 A closely related variable is
1203 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1204 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1205 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1206 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1209 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1210 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1211 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1212 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1215 @node Filtering New Groups
1216 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1218 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1219 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1220 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1223 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1226 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1227 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1228 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1229 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1230 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1231 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1232 subscribing these groups.
1233 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1234 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1236 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1237 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1238 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1239 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1240 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1241 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1242 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1243 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1245 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1246 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1247 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1248 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1249 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1250 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1251 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1252 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1253 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1254 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1256 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1257 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1260 @node Changing Servers
1261 @section Changing Servers
1262 @cindex changing servers
1264 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1265 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1266 very flaky and you want to use another.
1268 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1269 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1273 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1274 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1275 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1276 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1279 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1280 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1281 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1282 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1284 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1285 @findex gnus-change-server
1286 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1287 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1288 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1289 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1290 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1292 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1293 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1294 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1295 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1296 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1298 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1299 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1300 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1301 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1302 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1303 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1305 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1306 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1307 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1311 @section Startup Files
1312 @cindex startup files
1317 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1318 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1320 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1321 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1322 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1323 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1324 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1325 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1326 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1328 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1329 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1330 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1331 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1332 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1333 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1335 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1336 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1337 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1338 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1339 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1340 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1341 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1342 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1343 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1344 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1346 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1347 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1348 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1349 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1350 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1351 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1352 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1353 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1354 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1355 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1356 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1357 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1359 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1360 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1361 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1362 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1364 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1365 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1366 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1367 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1368 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1369 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1370 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1371 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1372 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1373 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1376 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1377 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1379 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1380 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1383 @vindex gnus-init-file
1384 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1385 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1386 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1387 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1388 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1389 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1390 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1391 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1392 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1398 @cindex dribble file
1401 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1402 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1403 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1404 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1405 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1408 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1409 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1412 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1413 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1414 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1416 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1417 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1418 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1419 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1420 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1421 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1423 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1424 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1425 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1428 @node The Active File
1429 @section The Active File
1431 @cindex ignored groups
1433 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1434 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1435 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1437 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1438 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1439 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1440 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1441 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1442 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1443 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1446 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1447 @c if you set it to anything else.
1449 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1451 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1452 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1453 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1455 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1456 you actually subscribe to.
1458 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1459 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1460 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1461 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1463 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1464 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1465 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1466 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1467 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1468 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1470 Some news servers (Leafnode and old versions of INN, for instance) do
1471 not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these servers, @code{nil}
1472 is probably the most efficient value for this variable.
1474 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1475 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1476 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1477 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1478 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1479 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1481 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1482 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1484 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1485 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1487 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1488 secondary select methods.
1491 @node Startup Variables
1492 @section Startup Variables
1496 @item gnus-load-hook
1497 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1498 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1499 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1500 times you start Gnus.
1502 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1503 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1504 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1506 @item gnus-startup-hook
1507 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1508 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1510 @item gnus-started-hook
1511 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1512 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1515 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1516 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1517 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1518 generating the group buffer.
1520 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1521 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1522 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1523 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1524 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1525 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1526 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1527 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1529 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1530 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1531 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1532 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1533 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1534 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1536 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1537 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1538 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1540 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1541 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1542 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1544 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1545 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1546 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1547 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1552 @node The Group Buffer
1553 @chapter The Group Buffer
1554 @cindex group buffer
1556 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1557 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1558 long as Gnus is active.
1562 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1563 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1564 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1565 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1566 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1567 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1568 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1569 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1575 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1576 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1577 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1578 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1579 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1580 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1581 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1582 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1583 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1584 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1585 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1586 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1587 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1588 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1589 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1590 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1591 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1595 @node Group Buffer Format
1596 @section Group Buffer Format
1599 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1600 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1601 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1605 @node Group Line Specification
1606 @subsection Group Line Specification
1607 @cindex group buffer format
1609 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1610 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1612 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1615 25: news.announce.newusers
1616 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1621 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1622 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1623 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1624 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1626 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1627 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1628 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1629 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1630 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1631 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1633 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1635 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1636 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1637 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1638 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1641 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1642 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1643 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1645 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1650 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1653 Whether the group is subscribed.
1656 Level of subscribedness.
1659 Number of unread articles.
1662 Number of dormant articles.
1665 Number of ticked articles.
1668 Number of read articles.
1671 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1672 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1675 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1678 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1687 Newsgroup description.
1690 @samp{m} if moderated.
1693 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1702 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1706 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1709 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1710 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1711 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1712 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1713 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1716 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1718 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1722 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1726 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1727 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1728 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1729 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1730 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1731 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1736 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1737 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1738 group, or a bogus native group.
1741 @node Group Modeline Specification
1742 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1743 @cindex group modeline
1745 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1746 The mode line can be changed by setting
1747 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1748 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1752 The native news server.
1754 The native select method.
1758 @node Group Highlighting
1759 @subsection Group Highlighting
1760 @cindex highlighting
1761 @cindex group highlighting
1763 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1764 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1765 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1766 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1767 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1769 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1773 (cond (window-system
1774 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1775 (defface my-group-face-1
1776 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1777 (defface my-group-face-2
1778 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1779 (defface my-group-face-3
1780 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1781 (defface my-group-face-4
1782 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1783 (defface my-group-face-5
1784 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1786 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1787 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1788 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1789 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1790 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1791 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1794 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1796 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1803 The number of unread articles in the group.
1807 Whether the group is a mail group.
1809 The level of the group.
1811 The score of the group.
1813 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1815 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1816 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1818 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1819 topic being inserted.
1822 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1823 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1824 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1826 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1827 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1828 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1829 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1830 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1833 @node Group Maneuvering
1834 @section Group Maneuvering
1835 @cindex group movement
1837 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1838 expected, hopefully.
1844 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1845 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1846 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1852 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1853 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1854 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1858 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1859 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1863 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1864 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1868 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1869 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1870 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1874 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1875 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1876 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1879 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1885 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1886 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1887 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1892 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1893 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1894 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1898 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1899 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1900 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1903 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1904 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1905 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1906 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1910 @node Selecting a Group
1911 @section Selecting a Group
1912 @cindex group selection
1917 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1918 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1919 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1920 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1921 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1922 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1923 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1924 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1925 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1926 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
1930 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1931 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1932 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1933 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1934 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1938 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1939 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1940 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1941 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1942 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1943 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1944 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1945 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1946 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1947 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1950 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1951 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1952 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1953 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1954 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1957 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1958 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1959 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1960 doing any processing of its contents
1961 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1962 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1963 manner will have no permanent effects.
1967 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1968 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1969 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1970 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1971 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1972 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1973 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1974 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1977 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1978 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1979 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1980 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1985 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1986 full summary buffer.
1989 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1992 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1997 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
1998 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
1999 Useful functions include:
2002 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2003 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2004 don't select the article.
2006 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2007 Select the first unread article.
2009 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2010 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2014 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2015 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2016 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2020 @node Subscription Commands
2021 @section Subscription Commands
2022 @cindex subscription
2030 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2031 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2032 Toggle subscription to the current group
2033 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2039 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2040 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2041 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2042 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2048 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2049 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2050 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2056 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2057 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2060 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2061 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2062 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2063 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2064 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2070 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2071 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2075 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2076 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2079 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2080 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2081 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2082 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2083 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2084 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2085 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2086 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2087 @file{.newsrc} file.
2091 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2101 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2102 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2103 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2104 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2105 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2106 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2111 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2112 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2113 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2117 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2118 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2119 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2121 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2122 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2123 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2124 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2125 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2126 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2133 @section Group Levels
2137 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2138 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2139 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2140 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2141 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2143 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2149 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2150 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2151 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2152 prompted for a level.
2155 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2156 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2157 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2158 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2159 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2160 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2161 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2162 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2163 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2164 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2165 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2166 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2167 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2168 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2169 reasons of efficiency.
2171 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2172 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2174 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2175 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2176 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2178 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2179 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2180 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2181 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2182 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2183 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2184 relevant valid ranges.
2186 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2187 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2188 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2189 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2190 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2191 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2194 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2195 one with the best level.
2197 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2198 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2199 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2202 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2203 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2204 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2205 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2208 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2209 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2210 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2211 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2213 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2214 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2215 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2216 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2217 to 5. The default is 6.
2221 @section Group Score
2226 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2227 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2228 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2231 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2232 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2233 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2234 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2235 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2236 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2237 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2238 least significant part.))
2240 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2241 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2242 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2243 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2244 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2245 action after each summary exit, you can add
2246 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2247 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2248 slow things down somewhat.
2251 @node Marking Groups
2252 @section Marking Groups
2253 @cindex marking groups
2255 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2256 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2257 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2258 bidding on those groups.
2260 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2261 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2262 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2270 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2271 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2277 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2278 Remove the mark from the current group
2279 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2283 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2284 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2288 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2289 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2293 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2294 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2298 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2299 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2300 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2303 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2305 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2306 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2307 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2308 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2309 the command to be executed.
2312 @node Foreign Groups
2313 @section Foreign Groups
2314 @cindex foreign groups
2316 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2317 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2318 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2319 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2326 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2327 @cindex making groups
2328 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2329 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2330 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2334 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2335 @cindex renaming groups
2336 Rename the current group to something else
2337 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2338 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2344 @findex gnus-group-customize
2345 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2349 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2350 @cindex renaming groups
2351 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2352 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2356 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2357 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2358 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2362 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2363 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2364 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2368 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2370 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2371 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2376 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2377 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2381 @cindex (ding) archive
2382 @cindex archive group
2383 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2384 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2385 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2386 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2387 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2388 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2389 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2393 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2395 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2396 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2397 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2398 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2402 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2404 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2405 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2406 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2410 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2411 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2413 Make a group based on some file or other
2414 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2415 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2416 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2417 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2418 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2419 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2420 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2424 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2425 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2426 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2427 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2431 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2436 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2437 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2438 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2439 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2440 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2441 @xref{Web Searches}.
2443 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2444 to a particular group by using a match string like
2445 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2448 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2449 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2450 This function will delete the current group
2451 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2452 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2453 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2454 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2455 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2459 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2460 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2461 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2465 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2466 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2467 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2470 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2473 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2474 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2475 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2476 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2477 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2478 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2482 @node Group Parameters
2483 @section Group Parameters
2484 @cindex group parameters
2486 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2487 Here's an example group parameter list:
2490 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2494 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2495 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2496 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2497 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2499 The following group parameters can be used:
2504 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2507 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2510 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2511 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2512 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2513 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2514 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2516 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2517 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2518 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2519 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2520 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2521 list address instead.
2525 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2528 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2531 It is totally ignored
2532 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2533 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2535 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2536 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2537 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2538 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2539 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2541 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2542 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2543 sending the message.
2547 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2548 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2549 of whether it has any unread articles.
2551 @item broken-reply-to
2552 @cindex broken-reply-to
2553 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2554 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2555 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2556 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2557 broken behavior. So there!
2561 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2562 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2566 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2567 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2568 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2573 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2574 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2575 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2576 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2577 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2578 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2579 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2583 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2584 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2585 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2588 @cindex total-expire
2589 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2590 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2591 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2592 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2597 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2598 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2599 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2600 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2601 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2602 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2605 @cindex score file group parameter
2606 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2607 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2608 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2611 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2612 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2613 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2614 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2617 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2618 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2619 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2620 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2623 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2624 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2628 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2631 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2636 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2637 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2638 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2642 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2643 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2644 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2646 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2647 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2648 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2649 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2650 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2651 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2652 @code{eval}ed there.
2654 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2655 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2656 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2657 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2658 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2661 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2662 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2663 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2664 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2665 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2667 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2668 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2669 like this in the group parameters:
2674 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2679 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2680 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2684 @node Listing Groups
2685 @section Listing Groups
2686 @cindex group listing
2688 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2696 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2697 List all groups that have unread articles
2698 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2699 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2700 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2701 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2708 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2709 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2710 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2711 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2712 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2713 unsubscribed groups).
2717 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2718 List all unread groups on a specific level
2719 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2720 with no unread articles.
2724 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2725 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2726 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2727 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2732 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2733 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2737 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2738 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2739 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2743 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2744 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2748 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2749 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2750 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2751 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2752 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2753 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2754 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2755 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2759 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2760 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2761 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2765 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2766 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2767 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2771 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2772 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2776 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2777 @cindex visible group parameter
2778 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2779 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2780 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2781 get the same effect.
2783 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2784 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2785 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2786 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2787 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2790 @node Sorting Groups
2791 @section Sorting Groups
2792 @cindex sorting groups
2794 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2795 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2796 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2797 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2798 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2799 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2804 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2805 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2806 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2808 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2809 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2810 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2812 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2813 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2814 Sort by group level.
2816 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2817 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2818 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2820 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2821 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2822 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2823 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2825 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2826 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2827 Sort by number of unread articles.
2829 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2830 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2831 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2836 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2837 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2841 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2842 some sorting criteria:
2846 @kindex G S a (Group)
2847 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2848 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2849 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2852 @kindex G S u (Group)
2853 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2854 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2855 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2858 @kindex G S l (Group)
2859 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2860 Sort the group buffer by group level
2861 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2864 @kindex G S v (Group)
2865 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2866 Sort the group buffer by group score
2867 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2870 @kindex G S r (Group)
2871 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2872 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2873 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2876 @kindex G S m (Group)
2877 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2878 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2879 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2883 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
2884 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2886 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2887 commands will sort in reverse order.
2889 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2893 @kindex G P a (Group)
2894 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2895 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2896 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2899 @kindex G P u (Group)
2900 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2901 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2902 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2905 @kindex G P l (Group)
2906 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2907 Sort the groups by group level
2908 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2911 @kindex G P v (Group)
2912 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2913 Sort the groups by group score
2914 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2917 @kindex G P r (Group)
2918 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2919 Sort the groups by group rank
2920 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2923 @kindex G P m (Group)
2924 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2925 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2926 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2932 @node Group Maintenance
2933 @section Group Maintenance
2934 @cindex bogus groups
2939 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2940 Find bogus groups and delete them
2941 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2945 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2946 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2947 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2948 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
2949 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
2953 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2954 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2955 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2956 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2959 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2960 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2961 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2962 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2967 @node Browse Foreign Server
2968 @section Browse Foreign Server
2969 @cindex foreign servers
2970 @cindex browsing servers
2975 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2976 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2977 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2978 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2981 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2982 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2983 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2984 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2986 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2991 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2992 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2996 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2997 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3000 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3001 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3002 Enter the current group and display the first article
3003 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3006 @kindex RET (Browse)
3007 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3008 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3012 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3013 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3014 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3020 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3021 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3025 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3026 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3027 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3032 @section Exiting Gnus
3033 @cindex exiting Gnus
3035 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3040 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3041 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3042 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3043 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3047 @findex gnus-group-exit
3048 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3049 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3053 @findex gnus-group-quit
3054 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3055 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3058 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3059 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3060 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3061 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3062 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3067 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3068 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3069 trying to customize meta-variables.
3074 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3075 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3076 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3082 @section Group Topics
3085 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3086 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3087 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3088 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3089 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3090 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3094 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3095 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
3106 2: alt.religion.emacs
3109 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3111 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3112 13: comp.sources.unix
3115 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3117 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3118 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3119 is a toggling command.)
3121 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3122 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
3123 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3124 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3127 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3128 the hook for the group mode:
3131 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3135 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3136 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3137 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3138 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3139 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3143 @node Topic Variables
3144 @subsection Topic Variables
3145 @cindex topic variables
3147 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
3148 really neat, I think.
3150 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3151 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3152 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3165 Number of groups in the topic.
3167 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3169 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3172 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3173 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3174 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3177 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3178 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3180 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3181 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3182 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3185 @node Topic Commands
3186 @subsection Topic Commands
3187 @cindex topic commands
3189 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3190 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3191 definitions slightly.
3197 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3198 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3199 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3203 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3204 Move the current group to some other topic
3205 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3206 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3210 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3211 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3215 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3216 Copy the current group to some other topic
3217 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3218 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3222 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3223 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3224 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3225 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3226 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3227 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3228 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3231 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3232 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3236 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3237 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3238 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3242 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3243 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3244 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3248 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3249 Toggle hiding empty topics
3250 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3254 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3255 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3256 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3259 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3260 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3261 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3262 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3266 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3268 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3269 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3270 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3271 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3274 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3275 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3276 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3277 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3281 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3283 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3284 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3285 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3286 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3287 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3288 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3291 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3292 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3293 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
3294 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
3298 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3299 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3300 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3304 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3305 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3306 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3311 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3312 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3315 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3316 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3317 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3321 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3322 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3323 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3327 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3328 @cindex group parameters
3329 @cindex topic parameters
3331 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3332 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3338 @subsection Topic Sorting
3339 @cindex topic sorting
3341 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3347 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3348 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3349 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3350 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3353 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3354 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3355 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3356 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3359 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3360 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3361 Sort the current topic by group level
3362 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3365 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3366 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3367 Sort the current topic by group score
3368 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3371 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3372 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3373 Sort the current topic by group rank
3374 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3377 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3378 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3379 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
3380 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3384 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3387 @node Topic Topology
3388 @subsection Topic Topology
3389 @cindex topic topology
3392 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3398 2: alt.religion.emacs
3401 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3403 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3404 13: comp.sources.unix
3407 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3408 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3409 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3414 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3415 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3419 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3420 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3421 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3422 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3423 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3424 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3426 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3427 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3428 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3431 @node Topic Parameters
3432 @subsection Topic Parameters
3433 @cindex topic parameters
3435 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3436 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3437 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3439 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3444 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3445 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3446 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3451 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3452 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3453 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3454 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3460 2: alt.religion.emacs
3464 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3466 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3467 13: comp.sources.unix
3471 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3472 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3473 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3474 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3475 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3476 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3478 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3479 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3480 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3481 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3482 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3484 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3485 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3486 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3487 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3488 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3489 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3490 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3491 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3494 @node Misc Group Stuff
3495 @section Misc Group Stuff
3498 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3499 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3500 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3501 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3508 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3509 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3510 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
3514 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3515 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3516 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3520 @findex gnus-group-mail
3521 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3525 Variables for the group buffer:
3529 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3530 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3531 is called after the group buffer has been
3534 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3535 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3536 is called after the group buffer is
3537 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3540 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3541 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3542 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3543 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3545 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3546 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3547 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3548 whether they are empty or not.
3553 @node Scanning New Messages
3554 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3555 @cindex new messages
3556 @cindex scanning new news
3562 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3563 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3564 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3565 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3566 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3567 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3572 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3573 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3574 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3575 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3576 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3577 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3578 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3580 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3581 @cindex activating groups
3583 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3584 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3589 @findex gnus-group-restart
3590 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3591 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3592 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3596 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3597 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3599 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3600 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3604 @node Group Information
3605 @subsection Group Information
3606 @cindex group information
3607 @cindex information on groups
3614 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3615 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3618 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3619 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3620 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3621 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3622 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3623 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3624 for fetching the file.
3626 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3627 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3631 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3633 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3634 @cindex describing groups
3635 @cindex group description
3636 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3637 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3638 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3642 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3643 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3644 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3651 @findex gnus-version
3652 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3656 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3657 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3660 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3663 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3664 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3668 @node Group Timestamp
3669 @subsection Group Timestamp
3671 @cindex group timestamps
3673 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3674 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3675 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3678 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3681 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3683 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3684 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3687 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3688 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3691 This will result in lines looking like:
3694 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3695 0: custom 19961002T012713
3698 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3699 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3703 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3704 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3709 @subsection File Commands
3710 @cindex file commands
3716 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3717 @vindex gnus-init-file
3718 @cindex reading init file
3719 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3720 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3724 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3725 @cindex saving .newsrc
3726 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3727 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3728 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3731 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3732 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3733 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3738 @node The Summary Buffer
3739 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3740 @cindex summary buffer
3742 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3743 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3745 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3746 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3748 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3751 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3752 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3753 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3754 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3755 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3756 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3757 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3758 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3759 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3760 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3761 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3762 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3763 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3764 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3765 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3766 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3767 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3768 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3769 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3770 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3771 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3772 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3773 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3774 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3775 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3776 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3777 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3778 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3782 @node Summary Buffer Format
3783 @section Summary Buffer Format
3784 @cindex summary buffer format
3788 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3789 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3790 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3796 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3797 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3798 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3799 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3802 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3803 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3804 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3805 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3806 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3807 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
3808 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3809 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3810 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3811 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3812 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
3815 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3816 'mail-extract-address-components)
3819 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3820 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3821 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3822 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3825 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3826 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3828 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3829 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3830 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3831 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3832 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3834 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3836 The following format specification characters are understood:
3842 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
3843 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
3845 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3846 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3847 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3849 Full @code{From} header.
3851 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3853 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3854 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3856 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3857 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3858 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3859 may be more thorough.
3861 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3864 Number of lines in the article.
3866 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported in some
3867 methods (like nnfolder).
3869 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3871 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3872 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3874 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3875 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3877 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3878 for adopted articles.
3880 One space for each thread level.
3882 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3887 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3888 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3892 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3894 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3895 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3896 default level. If the difference between
3897 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3898 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3906 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3908 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3914 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3915 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3917 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3918 article has any children.
3924 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3925 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3926 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3927 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3928 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3929 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3932 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3933 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3934 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3935 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3936 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3937 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3939 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3940 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3942 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3945 @node To From Newsgroups
3946 @subsection To From Newsgroups
3950 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
3951 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
3952 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
3953 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
3954 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
3958 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
3959 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
3960 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
3964 (setq gnus-extra-headers
3965 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
3968 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
3969 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
3972 @findex gnus-extra-header
3973 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
3974 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
3975 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
3978 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
3982 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
3983 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
3984 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
3985 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
3986 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
3987 headers are used instead.
3991 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
3992 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
3993 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
3994 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
3997 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3998 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
3999 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4000 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4002 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
4005 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4007 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4008 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4009 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
4010 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4014 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4015 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4022 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4023 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4026 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4027 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4029 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4030 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4031 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4032 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4034 Here are the elements you can play with:
4040 Unprefixed group name.
4042 Current article number.
4044 Current article score.
4048 Number of unread articles in this group.
4050 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4053 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4054 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4055 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4056 and no unselected ones.
4058 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4059 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4061 Subject of the current article.
4063 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4065 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4067 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4069 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4071 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4073 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4077 @node Summary Highlighting
4078 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4082 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4083 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4084 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4085 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4086 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4088 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4089 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4090 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4091 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4093 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4094 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4095 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4096 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4098 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4099 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4100 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4101 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4102 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4103 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4106 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4107 ((> score default) . bold))
4109 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4110 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4114 @node Summary Maneuvering
4115 @section Summary Maneuvering
4116 @cindex summary movement
4118 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4119 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4121 None of these commands select articles.
4126 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4127 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4128 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4129 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4130 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4134 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4135 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4136 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4137 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4138 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4143 @kindex G j (Summary)
4144 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4145 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4146 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4149 @kindex G g (Summary)
4150 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4151 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4152 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4155 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4156 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4157 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4158 to the group buffer.
4160 Variables related to summary movement:
4164 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4165 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4166 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4167 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4168 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4169 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4170 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4171 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4172 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4173 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4174 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4175 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4176 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4177 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4179 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4180 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4181 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4182 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4183 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4184 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4185 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4187 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4189 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4190 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4191 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4192 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4193 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4195 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4196 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4197 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4198 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4199 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4200 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4201 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4202 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4205 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4206 the given number of lines from the top.
4211 @node Choosing Articles
4212 @section Choosing Articles
4213 @cindex selecting articles
4216 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4217 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4221 @node Choosing Commands
4222 @subsection Choosing Commands
4224 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4225 and they all select and display an article.
4229 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4230 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4231 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4232 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4237 @kindex G n (Summary)
4238 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4239 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4240 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4245 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4246 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4247 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4252 @kindex G N (Summary)
4253 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4254 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4259 @kindex G P (Summary)
4260 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4261 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4264 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4265 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4266 Go to the next article with the same subject
4267 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4270 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4271 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4272 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4273 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4277 @kindex G f (Summary)
4279 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4280 Go to the first unread article
4281 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4285 @kindex G b (Summary)
4287 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4288 Go to the article with the highest score
4289 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4294 @kindex G l (Summary)
4295 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4296 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4299 @kindex G o (Summary)
4300 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4302 @cindex article history
4303 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4304 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4305 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4306 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4307 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4308 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4312 @node Choosing Variables
4313 @subsection Choosing Variables
4315 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4318 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4319 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4320 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4321 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4322 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4323 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4325 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4326 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4327 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4328 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4330 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4331 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4332 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4333 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4334 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4335 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4336 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4337 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4338 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4339 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4340 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4341 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4342 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4343 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4348 @node Paging the Article
4349 @section Scrolling the Article
4350 @cindex article scrolling
4355 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4356 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4357 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4358 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4359 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4362 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4363 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4364 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4367 @kindex RET (Summary)
4368 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4369 Scroll the current article one line forward
4370 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4373 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4374 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4375 Scroll the current article one line backward
4376 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4380 @kindex A g (Summary)
4382 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4383 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4384 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4385 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4386 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4387 the way it came from the server.
4389 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4390 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4391 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4394 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4399 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4404 @kindex A < (Summary)
4405 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4406 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4407 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4412 @kindex A > (Summary)
4413 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4414 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4418 @kindex A s (Summary)
4420 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4421 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4422 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4426 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4427 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4432 @node Reply Followup and Post
4433 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4436 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4437 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4438 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4439 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
4443 @node Summary Mail Commands
4444 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4446 @cindex composing mail
4448 Commands for composing a mail message:
4454 @kindex S r (Summary)
4456 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4457 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4458 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4459 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4460 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4465 @kindex S R (Summary)
4466 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4467 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4468 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4469 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4470 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4473 @kindex S w (Summary)
4474 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4475 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4476 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4477 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4478 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4481 @kindex S W (Summary)
4482 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4483 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4484 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4485 the process/prefix convention.
4488 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4489 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4490 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4491 Forward the current article to some other person
4492 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4493 headers of the forwarded article.
4498 @kindex S m (Summary)
4499 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4500 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4501 Send a mail to some other person
4502 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4505 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4506 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4507 @cindex bouncing mail
4508 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4509 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4510 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4511 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4512 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4513 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
4514 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4515 very well fail, though.
4518 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4519 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4520 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4521 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4522 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4523 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4524 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4525 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4526 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4527 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4529 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4530 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4531 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4532 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4533 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4535 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4536 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4539 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4540 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4541 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4542 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4543 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4546 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4547 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4548 @cindex crossposting
4549 @cindex excessive crossposting
4550 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4551 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4553 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4554 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4555 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4556 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4557 command understands the process/prefix convention
4558 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4562 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4565 @node Summary Post Commands
4566 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4568 @cindex composing news
4570 Commands for posting a news article:
4576 @kindex S p (Summary)
4577 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4578 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4579 Post an article to the current group
4580 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4585 @kindex S f (Summary)
4586 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4587 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4588 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4592 @kindex S F (Summary)
4594 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4595 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4596 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4597 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4598 process/prefix convention.
4601 @kindex S n (Summary)
4602 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4603 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4604 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4607 @kindex S N (Summary)
4608 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4609 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4610 message through mail and include the original message
4611 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4612 the process/prefix convention.
4615 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4616 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4617 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4618 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4619 headers of the forwarded article.
4622 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4623 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4625 @cindex making digests
4626 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4627 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4628 process/prefix convention.
4631 @kindex S u (Summary)
4632 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4633 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4634 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4635 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4638 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4641 @node Summary Message Commands
4642 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4646 @kindex S y (Summary)
4647 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4648 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4649 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4650 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4651 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4656 @node Canceling and Superseding
4657 @subsection Canceling Articles
4658 @cindex canceling articles
4659 @cindex superseding articles
4661 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4662 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4664 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4666 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4668 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4669 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4670 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4671 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4672 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4673 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4675 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4676 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4679 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4680 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4681 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4683 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4684 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4685 your original article.
4687 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4689 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4690 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4691 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4694 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4695 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4696 have posted almost the same article twice.
4698 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4699 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4700 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4701 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4702 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4703 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4704 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4705 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4706 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4707 canceled/superseded.
4709 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4712 @node Marking Articles
4713 @section Marking Articles
4714 @cindex article marking
4715 @cindex article ticking
4718 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4720 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4721 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4722 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4724 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4727 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4728 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4729 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4733 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4737 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4738 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4739 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4743 @node Unread Articles
4744 @subsection Unread Articles
4746 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4751 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4752 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4754 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4755 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4756 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4757 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4758 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4762 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4763 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4765 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4766 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4767 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4770 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4771 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4773 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4778 @subsection Read Articles
4779 @cindex expirable mark
4781 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4786 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4787 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4788 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4791 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4792 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4795 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4796 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4797 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4800 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4801 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4804 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4805 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4808 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4809 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4812 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4813 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4816 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4817 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4820 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4821 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4824 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4825 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4829 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4830 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4831 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4835 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4836 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4838 One more special mark, though:
4842 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4843 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4845 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4846 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4847 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4848 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
4854 @subsection Other Marks
4855 @cindex process mark
4858 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4864 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4865 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4866 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4867 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4868 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4871 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4872 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4873 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4874 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4877 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4878 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4879 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4882 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4883 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4884 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4885 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4888 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4889 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4890 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4891 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4892 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4895 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4896 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4897 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4898 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4899 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4900 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4904 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4905 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4906 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4908 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4909 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4910 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4914 @subsection Setting Marks
4915 @cindex setting marks
4917 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4922 @kindex M c (Summary)
4923 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4924 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4925 @cindex mark as unread
4926 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4927 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4933 @kindex M t (Summary)
4934 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4935 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4936 @xref{Article Caching}.
4941 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4942 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4943 Mark the current article as dormant
4944 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4948 @kindex M d (Summary)
4950 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4951 Mark the current article as read
4952 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4956 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4957 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4958 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4963 @kindex M k (Summary)
4964 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4965 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4966 and then select the next unread article
4967 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4971 @kindex M K (Summary)
4972 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4973 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4974 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4975 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4978 @kindex M C (Summary)
4979 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4980 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4981 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4984 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4985 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4986 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4987 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4990 @kindex M H (Summary)
4991 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4992 Catchup the current group to point
4993 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4996 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4997 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4998 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4999 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5002 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5003 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5004 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5005 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5009 @kindex M e (Summary)
5011 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5012 Mark the current article as expirable
5013 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5016 @kindex M b (Summary)
5017 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5018 Set a bookmark in the current article
5019 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5022 @kindex M B (Summary)
5023 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5024 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5025 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5028 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5029 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5030 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5031 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5034 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5035 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5036 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5037 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5040 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5041 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5042 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5043 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5044 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5047 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5048 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5049 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5050 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5051 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5052 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5053 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5054 The default is @code{t}.
5057 @node Generic Marking Commands
5058 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5060 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5061 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5062 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5063 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5064 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5067 Multiply these five behaviours with five different marking commands, and
5068 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5071 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5072 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5073 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5074 to list in this manual.
5076 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5077 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5078 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5079 article, you could say something like:
5082 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5083 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5084 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5090 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5091 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5095 @node Setting Process Marks
5096 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5097 @cindex setting process marks
5104 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5105 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5106 Mark the current article with the process mark
5107 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5108 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5112 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5113 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5114 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5115 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5118 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5119 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5120 Remove the process mark from all articles
5121 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5124 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5125 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5126 Invert the list of process marked articles
5127 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5130 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5131 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5132 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5133 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5136 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5137 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5138 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5139 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5142 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5143 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5144 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5147 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5148 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5149 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5150 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5153 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5154 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5155 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5156 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5159 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5160 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5161 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5162 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5165 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5166 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5167 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5170 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5171 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5172 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5173 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5176 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5177 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5178 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5181 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5182 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5183 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5184 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5187 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5188 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5189 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5190 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5193 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5194 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5195 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5196 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5199 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5200 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5201 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5202 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5211 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5212 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5213 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5216 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5217 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5218 additional articles.
5224 @kindex / / (Summary)
5225 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5226 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5227 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5230 @kindex / a (Summary)
5231 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5232 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5233 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5236 @kindex / x (Summary)
5237 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5238 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5239 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5240 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5244 @kindex / u (Summary)
5246 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5247 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5248 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5249 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5250 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5253 @kindex / m (Summary)
5254 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5255 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5256 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5259 @kindex / t (Summary)
5260 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5261 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5262 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5263 articles younger than that number of days.
5266 @kindex / n (Summary)
5267 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5268 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5269 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5270 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5273 @kindex / w (Summary)
5274 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5275 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5276 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5280 @kindex / v (Summary)
5281 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5282 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5283 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5287 @kindex M S (Summary)
5288 @kindex / E (Summary)
5289 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5290 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5291 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5294 @kindex / D (Summary)
5295 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5296 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5297 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5300 @kindex / * (Summary)
5301 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5302 Include all cached articles in the limit
5303 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5306 @kindex / d (Summary)
5307 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5308 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5309 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5312 @kindex / M (Summary)
5313 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5314 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5317 @kindex / T (Summary)
5318 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5319 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5322 @kindex / c (Summary)
5323 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5324 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5325 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5328 @kindex / C (Summary)
5329 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5330 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5331 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5332 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5340 @cindex article threading
5342 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5343 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5344 hierarchical fashion.
5346 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5347 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5348 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5349 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
5350 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5351 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5352 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5354 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5358 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5361 A tree-like article structure.
5364 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5367 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5368 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5369 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5370 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5371 called loose threads.
5373 @item thread gathering
5374 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5376 @item sparse threads
5377 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5378 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5384 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5385 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5389 @node Customizing Threading
5390 @subsection Customizing Threading
5391 @cindex customizing threading
5394 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5395 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5396 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5397 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5402 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5405 @cindex loose threads
5408 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5409 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5410 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5411 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5412 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5413 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5415 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
5416 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
5417 There are four possible values:
5421 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5422 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
5423 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5424 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5425 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5430 @cindex adopting articles
5435 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5436 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5437 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5438 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5441 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5442 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5443 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5444 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5445 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5446 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5447 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5450 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5451 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5452 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5456 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5457 display them after one another.
5460 Don't gather loose threads.
5463 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5464 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5465 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5466 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
5467 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5468 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5469 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5470 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5471 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5472 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
5473 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5475 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5476 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
5477 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5480 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5481 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5482 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5483 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5484 simplification is used.
5486 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5487 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5488 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5489 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5491 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5493 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5499 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5500 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5501 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5502 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5507 (mapconcat 'identity
5508 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5510 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5513 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5516 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5517 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5518 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5519 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5520 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5521 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5523 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5526 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5527 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5528 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5530 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5531 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5534 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5535 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5536 Remove excessive whitespace.
5539 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5542 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5543 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5544 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5545 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5546 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5547 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5548 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5549 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5551 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5552 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5553 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5554 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5555 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5556 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5557 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5558 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5559 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5563 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5564 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5565 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5566 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5568 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5569 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5570 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5573 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5577 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5578 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5584 @node Filling In Threads
5585 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5588 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5589 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5590 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5591 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5592 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5593 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5594 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5595 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5596 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5597 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5598 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5599 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
5601 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5602 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5603 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5605 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5606 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5607 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5608 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5609 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5610 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5611 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
5612 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5613 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
5614 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
5615 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5616 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
5617 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5618 @code{nil} by default.
5623 @node More Threading
5624 @subsubsection More Threading
5627 @item gnus-show-threads
5628 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5629 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5630 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5631 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5632 slower and more awkward.
5634 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5635 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5636 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5639 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5640 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5641 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5642 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5643 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5644 threads are expunged.
5646 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5647 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5648 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5651 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5652 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5653 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5654 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5655 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5658 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5659 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5660 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5663 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5664 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5665 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
5666 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
5667 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
5668 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
5669 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
5670 Setting this variable to an alternate value
5671 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
5672 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
5673 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
5678 @node Low-Level Threading
5679 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5683 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5684 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5685 Hook run before parsing any headers.
5687 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5688 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5689 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5690 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5691 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5692 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5693 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5694 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5695 meaningful. Here's one example:
5698 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5700 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5701 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5703 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5705 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5712 @node Thread Commands
5713 @subsection Thread Commands
5714 @cindex thread commands
5720 @kindex T k (Summary)
5721 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5722 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5723 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5724 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5725 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5730 @kindex T l (Summary)
5731 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5732 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5733 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5734 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5737 @kindex T i (Summary)
5738 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5739 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5740 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5743 @kindex T # (Summary)
5744 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5745 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5746 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5749 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5750 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5751 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5752 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5755 @kindex T T (Summary)
5756 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5757 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5760 @kindex T s (Summary)
5761 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5762 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5763 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5766 @kindex T h (Summary)
5767 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5768 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5771 @kindex T S (Summary)
5772 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5773 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5776 @kindex T H (Summary)
5777 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5778 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5781 @kindex T t (Summary)
5782 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5783 Re-thread the current article's thread
5784 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5785 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5788 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5789 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5790 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5791 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5795 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5796 understand the numeric prefix.
5801 @kindex T n (Summary)
5802 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5803 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5806 @kindex T p (Summary)
5807 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5808 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5811 @kindex T d (Summary)
5812 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5813 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5816 @kindex T u (Summary)
5817 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5818 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5821 @kindex T o (Summary)
5822 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5823 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5826 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5827 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5828 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5829 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5830 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5831 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5832 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5833 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5834 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5835 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5836 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5837 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5844 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5845 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5846 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5847 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5848 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5849 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5850 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5851 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5852 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5853 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5854 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5856 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5857 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5858 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5859 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5860 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5862 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5863 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5864 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
5866 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
5867 last function in the list. You should probably always include
5868 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5869 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5870 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5871 ascending article order.
5873 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
5874 by number, you could do something like:
5877 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5878 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5879 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5880 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
5883 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5884 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5885 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5886 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5887 which the articles arrived.
5889 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5893 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5895 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5896 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5899 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5900 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5901 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5902 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5905 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5906 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5907 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5908 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5909 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5910 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5911 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5912 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5913 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5914 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5915 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5916 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5917 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5919 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5923 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5924 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5925 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5930 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5931 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5932 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5933 @cindex article pre-fetch
5936 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5937 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5938 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5939 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5940 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5942 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5943 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
5945 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5946 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5947 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5948 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5949 connection is blocked.
5951 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5952 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5953 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5954 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
5956 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5957 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5958 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5959 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5962 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5965 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5966 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5967 happen automatically.
5969 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5970 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5971 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5972 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5973 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5974 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5975 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5977 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5978 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5979 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5980 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5981 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5982 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5983 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5984 data structure as the only parameter.
5986 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5989 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5990 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5991 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5992 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
5995 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
5998 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
5999 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6000 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6002 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6003 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6004 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6005 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6009 Remove articles when they are read.
6012 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6015 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6017 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6018 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6019 @c from the next group.
6022 @node Article Caching
6023 @section Article Caching
6024 @cindex article caching
6027 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6028 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6029 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6030 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6031 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6033 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6035 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6036 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6037 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6038 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6039 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6040 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6041 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
6042 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6044 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6045 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6046 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6047 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6048 as dormant, and don't worry.
6050 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6052 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6053 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6054 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6055 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6056 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6057 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6058 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6059 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6060 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6061 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6063 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6064 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6065 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6066 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6067 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6068 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6069 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6070 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6071 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6072 not then be downloaded by this command.
6074 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6075 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6076 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6077 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6078 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6079 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6081 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6082 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6083 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6084 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6085 variables, the group is not cached.
6087 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6088 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6089 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6090 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6091 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6092 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6093 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6094 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6095 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6099 @node Persistent Articles
6100 @section Persistent Articles
6101 @cindex persistent articles
6103 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6104 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6105 useful in my opinion.
6107 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6108 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6109 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6110 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6111 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6112 the expiry going on at the news server.
6114 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6115 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6116 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6122 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6123 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6126 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6127 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6128 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6129 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6133 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6135 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6136 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6137 interested in persistent articles:
6140 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6144 @node Article Backlog
6145 @section Article Backlog
6147 @cindex article backlog
6149 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6150 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6151 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6152 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6153 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6154 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6155 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6156 increase memory usage some.
6158 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6159 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6160 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6161 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6162 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6163 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6164 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6166 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6169 @node Saving Articles
6170 @section Saving Articles
6171 @cindex saving articles
6173 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6174 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6175 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6176 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6177 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6179 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6180 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6181 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6183 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6184 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6185 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6186 deleted before saving.
6192 @kindex O o (Summary)
6194 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6195 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6196 Save the current article using the default article saver
6197 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6200 @kindex O m (Summary)
6201 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6202 Save the current article in mail format
6203 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6206 @kindex O r (Summary)
6207 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6208 Save the current article in rmail format
6209 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6212 @kindex O f (Summary)
6213 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6214 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6215 Save the current article in plain file format
6216 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6219 @kindex O F (Summary)
6220 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6221 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6222 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6225 @kindex O b (Summary)
6226 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6227 Save the current article body in plain file format
6228 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6231 @kindex O h (Summary)
6232 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6233 Save the current article in mh folder format
6234 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6237 @kindex O v (Summary)
6238 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6239 Save the current article in a VM folder
6240 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6243 @kindex O p (Summary)
6244 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6245 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6246 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6249 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6250 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6251 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6252 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6253 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6254 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6255 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6256 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6257 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6258 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6259 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6260 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6264 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6265 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6266 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6267 functions below, or you can create your own.
6271 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6272 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6273 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6274 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6275 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6276 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6277 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6279 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6280 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6281 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6282 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6283 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6284 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6286 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6287 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6288 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6289 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6290 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6291 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6292 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6294 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6295 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6296 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6297 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6298 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6300 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6301 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6302 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6303 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6304 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6307 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6308 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6309 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6310 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6311 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6313 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6314 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6315 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6316 reader to use this setting.
6319 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6320 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6321 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6322 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6325 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6326 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6327 available functions that generate names:
6331 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6332 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6333 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6335 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6336 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6337 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6339 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6340 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6341 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6343 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6344 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6345 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6348 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6349 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6350 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6351 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6352 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6356 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6357 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6358 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6359 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6362 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6363 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6364 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6365 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6366 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6367 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6368 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6369 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6370 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6372 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6373 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6374 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6375 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6377 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6378 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6379 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6382 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6383 lots of mail groups called things like
6384 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6385 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6386 following will do just that:
6389 (defun my-save-name (group)
6390 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6391 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6393 (setq gnus-split-methods
6394 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6399 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6400 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6401 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6402 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6403 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6404 all the files in the top level directory
6405 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6406 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6407 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6408 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6410 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6411 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6412 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6413 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6414 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6417 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6421 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6422 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6425 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6426 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6427 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6428 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6431 @node Decoding Articles
6432 @section Decoding Articles
6433 @cindex decoding articles
6435 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6436 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6439 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6440 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6441 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6442 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6443 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6444 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6448 @cindex article series
6449 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6450 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6451 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6452 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6453 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6455 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6456 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6457 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6459 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
6460 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6461 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6463 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6464 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6465 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6468 @node Uuencoded Articles
6469 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6471 @cindex uuencoded articles
6476 @kindex X u (Summary)
6477 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6478 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6479 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6482 @kindex X U (Summary)
6483 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6484 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6485 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6488 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6489 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6490 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6493 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6494 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6495 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6496 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
6500 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
6501 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
6502 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
6503 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
6504 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6506 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
6507 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
6508 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
6509 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
6512 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
6513 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
6514 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
6515 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
6516 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
6517 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6521 @node Shell Archives
6522 @subsection Shell Archives
6524 @cindex shell archives
6525 @cindex shared articles
6527 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6528 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6529 some commands to deal with these:
6534 @kindex X s (Summary)
6535 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6536 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6539 @kindex X S (Summary)
6540 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6541 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6544 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6545 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6546 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6549 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6550 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6551 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6552 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6556 @node PostScript Files
6557 @subsection PostScript Files
6563 @kindex X p (Summary)
6564 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6565 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6568 @kindex X P (Summary)
6569 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6570 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6571 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6574 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6575 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6576 View the current PostScript series
6577 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6580 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6581 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6582 View and save the current PostScript series
6583 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6588 @subsection Other Files
6592 @kindex X o (Summary)
6593 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6594 Save the current series
6595 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6598 @kindex X b (Summary)
6599 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6600 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6601 doesn't really work yet.
6605 @node Decoding Variables
6606 @subsection Decoding Variables
6608 Adjective, not verb.
6611 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6612 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6613 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6617 @node Rule Variables
6618 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6619 @cindex rule variables
6621 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6622 variables are of the form
6625 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6632 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6633 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6635 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6636 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6639 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6640 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6643 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6644 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6645 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6646 user and default view rules.
6648 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6649 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6650 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6655 @node Other Decode Variables
6656 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6659 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6661 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6662 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6663 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6664 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6665 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6669 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6670 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6673 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6674 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6675 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6678 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6679 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6680 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6681 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6682 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6685 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6686 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6687 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6689 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6690 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6691 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6692 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6693 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6696 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6697 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6698 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6700 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6701 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6702 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6703 looking for files to display.
6705 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6706 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6707 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6710 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6711 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6712 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6715 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6716 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6717 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6720 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6721 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6722 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6725 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6726 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6727 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6728 decoded articles as unread.
6730 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6731 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6732 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6733 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6735 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6736 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6737 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6739 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6740 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6742 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6743 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6744 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6745 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6747 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6748 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6749 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6750 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6751 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6752 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
6753 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6754 simply dropped them.
6759 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6760 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6764 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6765 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6766 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6767 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6768 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6769 for you when you post the article.
6771 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6772 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6773 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6774 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6776 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6777 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6778 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6779 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6780 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6781 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6782 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6784 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6785 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6786 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6787 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6788 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6789 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6790 Default is @code{t}.
6796 @subsection Viewing Files
6797 @cindex viewing files
6798 @cindex pseudo-articles
6800 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
6801 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6802 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6803 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
6804 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6805 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6806 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6808 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6809 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6810 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6811 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6813 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6814 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6815 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6817 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6818 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6819 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6820 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6821 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6823 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6824 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6825 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6826 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6827 a list of parameters to that command.
6829 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6830 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6831 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6833 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6834 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6835 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6838 @node Article Treatment
6839 @section Article Treatment
6841 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6842 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6843 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6844 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6845 these articles easier.
6848 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6849 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6850 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6851 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6852 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6853 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6854 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6855 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
6859 @node Article Highlighting
6860 @subsection Article Highlighting
6861 @cindex highlighting
6863 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6864 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6869 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6870 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6871 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6872 Do much highlighting of the current article
6873 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6874 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6877 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6878 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6879 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6880 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6881 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6882 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
6883 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
6884 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6885 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6886 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6887 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6888 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6891 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6892 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6893 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6895 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6898 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6900 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6901 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6902 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6904 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6905 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6906 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6908 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6909 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6910 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6912 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6913 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6914 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6915 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6916 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6917 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6919 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6920 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6921 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6923 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6924 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6925 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6927 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6928 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6929 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6930 that it's a citation.
6932 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6933 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6934 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6936 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6937 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6938 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6940 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6941 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6942 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6943 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6949 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6950 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6951 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6952 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6953 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6954 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6955 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6956 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6961 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
6964 @node Article Fontisizing
6965 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6967 @cindex article emphasis
6969 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6970 @kindex W e (Summary)
6971 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6972 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
6973 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6974 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6976 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
6977 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6978 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
6979 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6980 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6981 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6982 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6983 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6987 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6988 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6989 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
6998 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
6999 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7000 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7001 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7002 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7003 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7004 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7005 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7006 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7007 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7008 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7009 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7010 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7012 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7013 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7014 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7018 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7021 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7023 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7024 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7025 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7026 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7028 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7031 @node Article Hiding
7032 @subsection Article Hiding
7033 @cindex article hiding
7035 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7036 too much cruft in most articles.
7041 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7042 @findex gnus-article-hide
7043 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7044 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7045 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7048 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7049 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7050 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7054 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7055 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7056 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7057 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7060 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7061 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7062 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7066 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7067 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7068 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7069 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}.
7070 These are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of
7071 all @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any
7072 leading @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping.
7076 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7077 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7078 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7079 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7084 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7085 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7086 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7087 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7088 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7089 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7090 articles that have signatures in them do:
7092 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7094 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7096 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7097 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7099 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7102 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7107 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7108 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7109 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7110 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7113 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7114 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7117 @cindex stripping advertisments
7118 @cindex advertisments
7119 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7120 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7121 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7122 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7123 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7124 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7125 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7126 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7127 signature should be removed.
7130 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7131 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7132 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7133 customizing the hiding:
7137 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7138 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7139 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7140 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7141 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7142 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7143 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7148 Starting point of the hidden text.
7150 Ending point of the hidden text.
7152 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7154 Number of lines of hidden text.
7157 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7158 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7159 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7160 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7161 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7166 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7167 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7169 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7170 following two variables:
7173 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7174 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7175 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7176 50), hide the cited text.
7178 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7179 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7180 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7185 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7186 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7187 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7188 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7189 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7190 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7194 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7195 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7196 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7198 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7199 citation customization.
7201 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7205 @node Article Washing
7206 @subsection Article Washing
7208 @cindex article washing
7210 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7211 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7213 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7214 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7220 @kindex W l (Summary)
7221 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7222 Remove page breaks from the current article
7223 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7227 @kindex W r (Summary)
7228 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7229 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7230 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7231 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7232 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7233 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7235 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7236 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7237 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7238 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7241 @kindex W t (Summary)
7242 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
7243 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7244 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
7247 @kindex W v (Summary)
7248 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7249 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7250 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7253 @kindex W o (Summary)
7254 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7255 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7258 @kindex W d (Summary)
7259 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7260 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7262 @cindex M******** sm*rtq**t*s
7264 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7265 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7266 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7267 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7271 @kindex W w (Summary)
7272 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7273 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7275 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7279 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7280 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7281 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7284 @kindex W C (Summary)
7285 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7286 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7287 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7290 @kindex W c (Summary)
7291 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7292 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7293 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7294 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7295 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7298 @kindex W q (Summary)
7299 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
7300 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
7301 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
7302 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
7303 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
7304 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
7305 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
7306 header that says that this encoding has been done.
7309 @kindex W f (Summary)
7311 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7312 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7313 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7314 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7320 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7321 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7322 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7323 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7324 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7325 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7326 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7327 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
7328 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
7329 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7330 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7331 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7332 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
7333 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7337 @kindex W b (Summary)
7338 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7339 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7340 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7343 @kindex W B (Summary)
7344 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7345 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7346 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7349 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7350 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7351 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7352 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7355 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7356 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7357 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7358 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7361 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7362 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7363 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7364 lines with a single empty line.
7365 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7368 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7369 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7370 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7371 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7374 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7375 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7376 Do all the three commands above
7377 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7380 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7381 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7382 Remove all blank lines
7383 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7386 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7387 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7388 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7389 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7392 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7393 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7394 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7395 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7399 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7402 @node Article Buttons
7403 @subsection Article Buttons
7406 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7407 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7408 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7409 button on these references.
7411 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7412 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7413 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7418 @item gnus-button-alist
7419 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7420 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
7423 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7429 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
7430 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
7431 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
7434 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
7435 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
7436 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
7439 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
7440 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
7441 avoid false matches.
7444 This function will be called when you click on this button.
7447 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
7448 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
7452 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
7455 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
7458 @item gnus-header-button-alist
7459 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
7460 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
7461 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
7462 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
7465 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7468 @var{header} is a regular expression.
7470 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
7471 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
7472 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
7473 default values of the variables above.
7475 @item gnus-article-button-face
7476 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
7477 Face used on buttons.
7479 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
7480 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
7481 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
7485 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
7489 @subsection Article Date
7491 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
7492 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
7493 when the article was sent.
7498 @kindex W T u (Summary)
7499 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
7500 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
7501 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
7504 @kindex W T i (Summary)
7505 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
7507 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
7508 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
7511 @kindex W T l (Summary)
7512 @findex gnus-article-date-local
7513 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
7516 @kindex W T s (Summary)
7517 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
7518 @findex gnus-article-date-user
7519 @findex format-time-string
7520 Display the date using a user-defined format
7521 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
7522 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
7523 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
7524 for a list of possible format specs.
7527 @kindex W T e (Summary)
7528 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
7529 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
7530 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
7531 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
7532 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
7535 X-Sent: 9 years, 6 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds ago
7538 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
7539 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
7542 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
7543 into wonderful absurdities.
7545 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
7548 (gnus-start-date-timer)
7551 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
7552 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
7556 @kindex W T o (Summary)
7557 @findex gnus-article-date-original
7558 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
7559 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
7560 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
7561 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
7562 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
7566 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
7567 preferred format automatically.
7570 @node Article Signature
7571 @subsection Article Signature
7573 @cindex article signature
7575 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7576 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7577 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7578 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7579 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7580 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7581 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7582 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7583 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7586 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7587 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7588 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7589 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7590 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7591 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7592 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7593 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7596 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7599 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7600 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7601 signature when displaying articles.
7605 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7608 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7611 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7612 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7614 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7615 in question is not a signature.
7618 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7619 listed above. Here's an example:
7622 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7623 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7626 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7627 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7628 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7629 signature after all.
7632 @node Article Miscellania
7633 @subsection Article Miscellania
7637 @kindex A t (Summary)
7638 @findex gnus-article-babel
7639 Translate the article from one language to another
7640 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
7646 @section @sc{mime} Commands
7647 @cindex MIME decoding
7649 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
7650 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
7656 @kindex K v (Summary)
7657 View the @sc{mime} part.
7660 @kindex K o (Summary)
7661 Save the @sc{mime} part.
7664 @kindex K c (Summary)
7665 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
7668 @kindex K e (Summary)
7669 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
7672 @kindex K i (Summary)
7673 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
7676 @kindex K | (Summary)
7677 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
7680 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
7685 @kindex K b (Summary)
7686 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in from of them. This is
7687 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
7691 @kindex K m (Summary)
7692 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
7693 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
7694 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
7695 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
7696 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
7699 @kindex X m (Summary)
7700 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
7701 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
7702 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
7703 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7706 @kindex M-t (Summary)
7707 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
7708 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
7709 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
7712 @kindex W M w (Summary)
7713 Decode RFC2047-encoded words in the article headers
7714 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
7717 @kindex W M c (Summary)
7718 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
7719 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
7721 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
7722 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
7723 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
7724 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
7725 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
7726 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7729 @kindex W M v (Summary)
7730 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
7731 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
7738 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
7739 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
7740 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7741 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
7744 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
7747 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
7751 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7752 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7753 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7754 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
7755 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
7757 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
7758 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
7759 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
7760 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
7761 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
7762 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
7763 save all jpegs into some directory).
7765 Here's an example function the does the latter:
7768 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
7769 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
7771 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
7772 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
7773 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
7774 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
7775 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
7778 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7779 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7780 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
7789 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
7790 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
7791 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
7792 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
7793 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
7794 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
7795 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
7797 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
7798 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
7799 variable, which is an alist of regexps (to match group names) and
7800 default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
7802 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
7803 aren't. These blitely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
7804 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
7805 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
7806 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
7807 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
7808 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
7809 something some agents insist on having in there.
7811 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
7812 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
7813 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
7814 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
7815 quoted-printable header encoding.
7817 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
7818 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
7819 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
7823 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
7826 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
7827 means encode all charsets),
7829 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
7830 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
7831 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
7838 @cindex coding system aliases
7839 @cindex preferred charset
7841 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
7843 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
7844 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
7847 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
7848 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
7851 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
7852 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
7854 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
7857 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
7860 This will almost do the right thing.
7862 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
7866 (codepage-setup 1251)
7867 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
7871 @node Article Commands
7872 @section Article Commands
7879 @kindex A P (Summary)
7880 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
7881 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
7882 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
7883 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
7884 run just before printing the buffer.
7889 @node Summary Sorting
7890 @section Summary Sorting
7891 @cindex summary sorting
7893 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
7894 can't really see why you'd want that.
7899 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
7900 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
7901 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
7904 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
7905 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
7906 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
7909 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
7910 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
7911 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
7914 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
7915 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
7916 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
7919 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
7920 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
7921 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
7924 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
7925 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
7926 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
7929 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
7930 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
7931 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
7934 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
7935 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
7936 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
7937 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
7938 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
7942 @node Finding the Parent
7943 @section Finding the Parent
7944 @cindex parent articles
7945 @cindex referring articles
7950 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
7951 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
7952 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
7953 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
7954 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
7955 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
7956 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
7957 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
7958 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
7960 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
7961 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
7962 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
7963 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
7964 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
7968 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
7969 @kindex A R (Summary)
7970 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
7971 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
7974 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
7975 @kindex A T (Summary)
7976 Display the full thread where the current article appears
7977 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
7978 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
7979 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
7980 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
7981 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
7982 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
7984 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
7985 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
7986 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
7987 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
7988 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
7989 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
7992 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
7993 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
7995 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
7996 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
7997 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
7998 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
7999 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8000 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8001 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8004 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8005 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8006 by giving this command a prefix.
8008 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8009 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
8010 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8011 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8012 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8013 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8016 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8017 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8018 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8021 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8022 then ask Deja if that fails:
8025 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8027 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8030 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
8031 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
8032 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8033 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
8034 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
8035 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
8038 @node Alternative Approaches
8039 @section Alternative Approaches
8041 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8042 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8045 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8046 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8051 @subsection Pick and Read
8052 @cindex pick and read
8054 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8055 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8056 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8057 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8059 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8060 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8061 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8062 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8063 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8064 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8066 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8071 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8072 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8073 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8074 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8075 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8076 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8077 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8078 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8081 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8082 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8083 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8084 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8088 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8089 Unpick the thread or article
8090 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8091 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8092 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8093 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8094 the thread or article at that line.
8098 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8099 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8100 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8101 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8102 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8103 will still be visible when you are reading.
8107 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8108 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8109 which is mapped to the same function
8110 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8112 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8115 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8118 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8119 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8121 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8122 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8123 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8125 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8126 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8127 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8128 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8129 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8130 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8131 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8135 @subsection Binary Groups
8136 @cindex binary groups
8138 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8139 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8140 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8141 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8142 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8143 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8144 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8147 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8148 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8149 command, when you have turned on this mode
8150 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8152 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8153 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8157 @section Tree Display
8160 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8161 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
8162 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8163 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8166 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8169 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8170 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8171 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8173 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8174 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8175 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8176 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8177 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8179 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8180 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8181 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8182 default is @code{modeline}.
8184 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8185 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8186 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8187 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8188 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8189 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8190 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8196 The name of the poster.
8198 The @code{From} header.
8200 The number of the article.
8202 The opening bracket.
8204 The closing bracket.
8209 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8211 Variables related to the display are:
8214 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8215 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8216 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8217 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8218 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8219 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8221 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8222 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8223 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8224 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8228 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8229 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8230 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
8231 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
8232 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8233 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8234 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8235 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8236 other windows displayed next to it.
8238 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8239 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8240 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8241 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8242 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8243 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8244 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8248 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8251 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8261 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8265 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8266 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8268 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8270 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8275 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8276 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8277 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8280 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8281 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8282 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8283 (gnus-add-configuration
8287 (summary 0.75 point)
8292 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
8295 @node Mail Group Commands
8296 @section Mail Group Commands
8297 @cindex mail group commands
8299 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8300 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8302 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8303 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8308 @kindex B e (Summary)
8309 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8310 Expire all expirable articles in the group
8311 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
8314 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8315 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8316 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8317 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8318 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8319 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8322 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8323 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8324 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8325 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8326 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8327 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8330 @kindex B m (Summary)
8332 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8333 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8334 Move the article from one mail group to another
8335 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8336 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8339 @kindex B c (Summary)
8341 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8342 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8343 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8344 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8345 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8348 @kindex B B (Summary)
8349 @cindex crosspost mail
8350 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8351 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8352 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8353 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8354 be properly updated.
8357 @kindex B i (Summary)
8358 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
8359 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
8360 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
8361 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
8364 @kindex B r (Summary)
8365 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
8366 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
8367 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
8368 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
8369 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
8370 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
8371 (which is the default).
8375 @kindex B w (Summary)
8377 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
8378 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
8379 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
8380 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
8381 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
8382 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
8385 @kindex B q (Summary)
8386 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
8387 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
8388 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
8389 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
8392 @kindex B t (Summary)
8393 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
8394 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
8395 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
8398 @kindex B p (Summary)
8399 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
8400 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
8401 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
8402 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
8403 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
8404 article from your news server (or rather, from
8405 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
8406 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
8407 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
8408 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
8409 just not have arrived yet.
8413 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
8414 @cindex moving articles
8415 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
8416 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
8417 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
8418 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
8419 suggestions you find reasonable.
8422 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
8423 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
8424 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
8425 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
8429 @node Various Summary Stuff
8430 @section Various Summary Stuff
8433 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
8434 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
8435 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
8436 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
8440 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
8441 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
8442 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
8444 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
8445 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
8446 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
8447 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
8448 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
8449 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
8452 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8453 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8454 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
8455 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
8456 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
8458 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8459 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8460 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
8463 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8464 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8465 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
8466 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
8467 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
8468 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
8469 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
8470 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
8471 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
8472 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
8477 @node Summary Group Information
8478 @subsection Summary Group Information
8483 @kindex H f (Summary)
8484 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
8485 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
8486 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
8487 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
8488 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
8489 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
8490 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
8491 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
8492 be used for fetching the file.
8495 @kindex H d (Summary)
8496 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
8497 Give a brief description of the current group
8498 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
8499 rereading the description from the server.
8502 @kindex H h (Summary)
8503 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
8504 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
8505 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
8508 @kindex H i (Summary)
8509 @findex gnus-info-find-node
8510 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
8514 @node Searching for Articles
8515 @subsection Searching for Articles
8520 @kindex M-s (Summary)
8521 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
8522 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
8523 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
8526 @kindex M-r (Summary)
8527 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
8528 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
8529 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
8533 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
8534 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
8535 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
8536 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
8540 @kindex M-& (Summary)
8541 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
8542 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
8543 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
8546 @node Summary Generation Commands
8547 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
8552 @kindex Y g (Summary)
8553 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
8554 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
8557 @kindex Y c (Summary)
8558 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
8559 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
8560 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
8565 @node Really Various Summary Commands
8566 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
8572 @kindex C-d (Summary)
8573 @kindex A D (Summary)
8574 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
8575 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
8576 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
8577 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
8578 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
8579 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
8580 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
8581 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
8585 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
8586 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
8587 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
8588 several documents into one biiig group
8589 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
8590 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
8591 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
8592 command understands the process/prefix convention
8593 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8596 @kindex C-t (Summary)
8597 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
8598 Toggle truncation of summary lines
8599 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
8600 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
8601 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
8605 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
8606 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
8607 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
8610 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
8611 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
8612 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8613 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
8616 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
8617 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
8618 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8619 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
8624 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
8625 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
8626 @cindex summary exit
8627 @cindex exiting groups
8629 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
8630 group and return you to the group buffer.
8636 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
8638 @findex gnus-summary-exit
8639 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
8640 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
8641 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
8642 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
8643 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
8644 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
8645 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
8646 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
8647 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
8648 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
8652 @kindex Z E (Summary)
8654 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
8655 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
8656 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
8660 @kindex Z c (Summary)
8662 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
8663 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
8664 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
8665 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
8668 @kindex Z C (Summary)
8669 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
8670 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
8671 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
8674 @kindex Z n (Summary)
8675 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
8676 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
8677 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
8680 @kindex Z R (Summary)
8681 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
8682 Exit this group, and then enter it again
8683 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
8684 all articles, both read and unread.
8688 @kindex Z G (Summary)
8689 @kindex M-g (Summary)
8690 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
8691 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
8692 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
8693 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
8694 articles, both read and unread.
8697 @kindex Z N (Summary)
8698 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
8699 Exit the group and go to the next group
8700 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
8703 @kindex Z P (Summary)
8704 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
8705 Exit the group and go to the previous group
8706 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
8709 @kindex Z s (Summary)
8710 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
8711 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
8712 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
8713 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
8714 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
8717 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
8718 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
8719 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
8720 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
8722 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
8723 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
8724 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
8725 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
8726 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
8727 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
8728 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
8729 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
8730 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
8731 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
8732 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
8733 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
8735 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
8737 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
8738 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
8739 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
8740 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
8741 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
8742 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
8743 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
8744 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
8745 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
8748 @node Crosspost Handling
8749 @section Crosspost Handling
8753 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
8754 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
8755 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
8756 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
8757 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
8758 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
8761 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
8762 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
8763 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
8764 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
8765 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
8767 @cindex cross-posting
8770 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
8771 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
8772 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
8773 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
8774 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
8775 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
8776 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
8777 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
8778 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
8779 the cross reference mechanism.
8781 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
8782 @cindex overview.fmt
8783 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
8784 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
8785 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
8786 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
8787 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
8788 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
8791 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
8792 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
8793 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
8798 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
8801 @node Duplicate Suppression
8802 @section Duplicate Suppression
8804 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
8805 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
8806 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
8807 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
8812 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
8813 is evil and not very common.
8816 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
8817 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
8820 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
8821 different @sc{nntp} servers.
8824 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
8827 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
8828 well, but these four are the most common situations.
8830 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
8831 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
8832 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
8833 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
8834 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
8835 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
8836 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
8839 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
8840 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
8841 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
8842 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
8843 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
8847 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
8848 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
8849 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
8851 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
8852 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
8853 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
8854 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
8855 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
8856 session are suppressed.
8858 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
8859 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
8860 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
8861 suppression list. The default is 10000.
8863 @item gnus-duplicate-file
8864 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
8865 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
8866 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
8869 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
8870 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
8871 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
8872 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
8873 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
8874 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
8875 to you to figure out, I think.
8878 @node The Article Buffer
8879 @chapter The Article Buffer
8880 @cindex article buffer
8882 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
8883 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
8884 tell Gnus otherwise.
8887 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
8888 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
8889 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
8890 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
8891 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
8895 @node Hiding Headers
8896 @section Hiding Headers
8897 @cindex hiding headers
8898 @cindex deleting headers
8900 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
8901 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
8903 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
8904 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
8905 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
8906 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
8907 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
8908 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
8909 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
8910 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
8911 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
8913 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
8917 @item gnus-visible-headers
8918 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
8919 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
8920 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
8921 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
8923 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
8924 the article and the subject, you'd say:
8927 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
8930 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8933 @item gnus-ignored-headers
8934 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
8935 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
8936 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
8937 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
8938 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
8940 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
8941 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
8944 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
8947 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
8950 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
8951 variable will have no effect.
8955 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
8956 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
8957 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
8958 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
8959 the headers are to be displayed.
8961 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
8962 and then the subject, you might say something like:
8965 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
8968 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
8969 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
8971 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8972 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
8973 You can hide further boring headers by setting
8974 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-header} to @code{head}. What this function
8975 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
8976 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
8977 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
8980 These conditions are:
8983 Remove all empty headers.
8985 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
8986 @code{Newsgroups} header.
8988 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
8991 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
8994 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
8997 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
8999 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9002 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
9005 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9006 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9009 This is also the default value for this variable.
9013 @section Using @sc{mime}
9016 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9017 while people stand around yawning.
9019 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9020 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9022 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9023 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9024 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9026 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
9027 @findex gnus-display-mime
9028 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
9029 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
9030 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
9031 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
9033 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
9037 @findex gnus-article-press-button
9039 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
9040 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
9041 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
9043 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
9044 @item M-RET (Article)
9046 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9047 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
9049 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
9051 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
9052 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
9054 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
9056 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
9057 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
9059 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
9061 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
9062 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
9064 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
9066 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
9068 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
9070 Insert the raw contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
9071 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}).
9075 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
9076 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
9079 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
9080 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
9081 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
9082 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
9083 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
9084 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
9085 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
9086 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
9087 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
9089 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9091 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9094 @node Customizing Articles
9095 @section Customizing Articles
9096 @cindex article customization
9098 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9099 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9100 called automatically when you select the articles.
9102 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9103 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9104 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9105 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9107 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9108 for sensible values.
9112 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9115 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9118 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9121 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9124 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9128 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9129 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9130 regexps in the list.
9133 A list where the first element is not a string:
9135 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9136 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9137 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9141 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9146 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9147 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9148 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9149 considered to contain just a single part.
9151 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9152 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9153 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9154 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9155 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9156 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9157 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9159 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9160 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9161 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9162 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9165 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9166 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9167 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9168 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9169 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9170 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9171 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9172 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9173 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9174 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9175 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9176 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9177 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9178 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9179 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9180 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9181 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9182 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9183 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9184 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9185 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9186 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9187 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9188 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9189 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9190 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9191 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9192 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9193 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9194 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9195 @item gnus-treat-translate
9198 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9199 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9200 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9201 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9202 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9206 @node Article Keymap
9207 @section Article Keymap
9209 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9210 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9211 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9212 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9215 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9220 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9221 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9222 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9225 @kindex DEL (Article)
9226 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9227 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9230 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9231 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9232 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9233 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9234 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9237 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9238 @findex gnus-article-mail
9239 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9240 given a prefix, include the mail.
9244 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9245 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9246 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9250 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9251 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9252 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9255 @kindex TAB (Article)
9256 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9257 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9258 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9261 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9262 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9263 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
9269 @section Misc Article
9273 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
9274 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
9275 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
9276 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
9279 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
9280 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
9282 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
9283 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
9285 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
9286 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
9287 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
9288 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
9289 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
9290 the contents of the article buffer.
9292 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
9293 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
9294 Hook called in article mode buffers.
9296 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9297 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9298 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
9299 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
9301 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
9302 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
9303 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
9304 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
9305 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
9310 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
9311 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
9314 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
9317 @vindex gnus-break-pages
9319 @item gnus-break-pages
9320 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
9321 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
9322 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
9323 paging will not be done.
9325 @item gnus-page-delimiter
9326 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
9327 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
9332 @node Composing Messages
9333 @chapter Composing Messages
9334 @cindex composing messages
9337 @cindex sending mail
9342 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
9343 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
9344 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
9345 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
9346 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
9347 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
9350 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
9351 * Post:: Posting and following up.
9352 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
9353 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
9354 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
9355 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
9356 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
9357 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
9360 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
9361 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
9367 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
9370 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
9371 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
9372 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
9373 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
9375 @item gnus-add-to-list
9376 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
9377 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
9378 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
9386 Variables for composing news articles:
9389 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9390 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9391 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
9392 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
9393 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
9394 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
9395 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
9396 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
9397 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
9400 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9401 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9402 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
9403 file. It is 1000 by default.
9408 @node Posting Server
9409 @section Posting Server
9411 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
9412 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
9414 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
9416 @vindex gnus-post-method
9418 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
9419 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
9420 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
9421 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
9422 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
9425 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
9428 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
9429 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
9430 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
9431 the ``current'' server for posting.
9433 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
9434 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
9436 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
9437 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
9440 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
9441 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
9442 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
9447 @section Mail and Post
9449 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
9453 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
9454 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
9455 @cindex mailing lists
9457 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
9458 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
9459 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
9460 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
9461 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
9462 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
9463 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
9464 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
9465 still a pain, though.
9469 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
9470 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
9471 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
9474 @findex ispell-message
9476 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
9479 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
9480 you're in, you could say something like the following:
9483 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
9486 ((string-match "^de\\." gnus-newsgroup-name)
9487 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
9489 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
9492 Modify to suit your needs.
9495 @node Archived Messages
9496 @section Archived Messages
9497 @cindex archived messages
9498 @cindex sent messages
9500 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
9501 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
9502 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
9503 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
9506 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
9507 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
9508 use to store sent messages. The default is:
9512 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
9513 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
9514 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
9515 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
9518 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
9519 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
9520 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
9521 directory chosen, you could say something like:
9524 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
9525 '(nnfolder "archive"
9526 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
9527 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
9528 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
9531 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
9533 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
9534 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
9535 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
9537 This variable can be used to do the following:
9541 Messages will be saved in that group.
9542 @item a list of strings
9543 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
9544 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
9545 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
9547 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
9552 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
9554 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
9557 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
9559 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
9562 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
9564 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9565 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
9566 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
9567 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
9572 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9573 '((if (message-news-p)
9578 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
9579 messages in one file per month:
9582 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9583 '((if (message-news-p)
9585 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
9588 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
9589 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
9591 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
9592 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
9593 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
9594 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
9595 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
9596 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
9597 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
9598 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
9599 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
9600 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
9602 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
9603 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
9604 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
9605 this will disable archiving.
9608 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
9609 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
9610 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
9611 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
9612 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
9615 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
9616 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
9617 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
9620 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
9621 but the latter is the preferred method.
9625 @node Posting Styles
9626 @section Posting Styles
9627 @cindex posting styles
9630 All them variables, they make my head swim.
9632 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
9633 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
9634 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
9637 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
9638 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
9639 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
9640 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
9641 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
9646 (signature "Peace and happiness")
9647 (organization "What me?"))
9649 (signature "Death to everybody"))
9650 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
9651 (organization "Emacs is it")))
9654 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
9655 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
9656 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
9657 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
9658 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
9659 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
9660 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
9661 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
9663 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
9664 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
9665 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header that
9666 match the next element in the match, and compare that to the last header
9667 in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function will be called
9668 with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
9669 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
9670 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
9673 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
9674 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} . @var{value})} pair. The
9675 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
9676 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
9677 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
9678 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
9679 article. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated,
9680 and the result is thrown away.
9682 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
9683 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
9684 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
9685 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
9686 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
9687 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
9689 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
9690 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
9691 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
9693 @findex message-mail-p
9694 @findex message-news-p
9696 So here's a new example:
9699 (setq gnus-posting-styles
9701 (signature-file "~/.signature")
9703 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
9704 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
9706 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
9707 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
9708 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
9710 (signature my-news-signature))
9711 (header "From.*To" "larsi.*org"
9712 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
9713 ((posting-from-work-p)
9714 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
9715 (address "user@@bar.foo")
9716 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
9717 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
9719 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
9727 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
9728 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
9729 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
9730 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
9731 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
9733 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
9734 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
9735 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
9736 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
9737 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
9741 @vindex nndraft-directory
9742 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
9743 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
9744 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
9745 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
9746 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
9747 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
9749 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
9750 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
9753 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
9754 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
9755 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
9756 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
9757 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
9758 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
9759 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
9760 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
9761 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
9762 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
9763 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
9764 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
9765 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
9766 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
9768 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
9769 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
9770 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
9772 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
9774 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
9775 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
9776 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
9778 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
9781 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
9782 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
9783 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
9784 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
9785 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
9786 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
9787 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
9790 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
9791 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
9792 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
9795 @node Rejected Articles
9796 @section Rejected Articles
9797 @cindex rejected articles
9799 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
9800 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
9801 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
9802 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
9804 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
9805 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
9806 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
9807 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
9808 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
9810 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
9811 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
9812 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
9815 @node Select Methods
9816 @chapter Select Methods
9817 @cindex foreign groups
9818 @cindex select methods
9820 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
9821 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
9822 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
9823 personal mail group.
9825 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
9826 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
9827 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
9828 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
9829 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
9830 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
9832 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
9833 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
9835 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
9838 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
9839 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
9840 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
9841 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
9842 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
9844 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
9847 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
9848 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
9849 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
9850 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
9851 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
9852 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
9853 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
9857 @node The Server Buffer
9858 @section The Server Buffer
9860 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
9861 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
9862 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
9863 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
9864 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
9865 backend represents a virtual server.
9867 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
9868 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
9869 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
9870 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
9872 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
9873 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
9874 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
9875 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
9876 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
9877 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
9878 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
9880 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
9881 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
9884 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
9885 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
9886 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
9887 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
9888 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
9889 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
9890 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
9893 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
9894 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
9897 @node Server Buffer Format
9898 @subsection Server Buffer Format
9899 @cindex server buffer format
9901 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
9902 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
9903 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
9904 variable, with some simple extensions:
9909 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
9912 The name of this server.
9915 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
9918 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
9921 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
9922 The mode line can also be customized by using the
9923 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
9924 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
9934 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
9937 @node Server Commands
9938 @subsection Server Commands
9939 @cindex server commands
9945 @findex gnus-server-add-server
9946 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
9950 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
9951 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
9954 @kindex SPACE (Server)
9955 @findex gnus-server-read-server
9956 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
9960 @findex gnus-server-exit
9961 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
9965 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
9966 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
9970 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
9971 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
9975 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
9976 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
9980 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
9981 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
9985 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
9986 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
9987 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
9992 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
9993 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
9994 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
9995 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
10000 @node Example Methods
10001 @subsection Example Methods
10003 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10006 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10009 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10015 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10016 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10019 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10020 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10022 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10023 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10027 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10030 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
10031 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10033 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10034 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10035 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10039 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10042 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10045 Here's the method for a public spool:
10049 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10050 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10053 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10054 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10055 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10056 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10057 should probably look something like this:
10061 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
10062 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10063 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10064 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10065 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
10068 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10069 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
10070 server that would look something like this:
10074 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
10075 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
10076 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10077 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10078 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10079 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
10082 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10083 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10084 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10085 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10088 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10089 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10091 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10092 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10094 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10095 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10096 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10098 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10100 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10101 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10102 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10103 will contain the following:
10113 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10114 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10115 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10118 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10119 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10120 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10123 @node Server Variables
10124 @subsection Server Variables
10126 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
10127 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10128 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10129 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10130 won't change the "derived" variables.
10132 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10133 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10134 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10135 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10136 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10137 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10138 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10139 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
10140 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10144 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10145 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10146 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10150 @node Servers and Methods
10151 @subsection Servers and Methods
10153 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10154 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10155 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10156 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10160 @node Unavailable Servers
10161 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10163 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10164 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10165 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10166 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10167 actually the case or not.
10169 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10170 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10171 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10172 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10173 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10174 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10175 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10176 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10178 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10179 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10181 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
10182 with the following commands:
10188 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10189 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10190 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10194 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10195 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10196 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10200 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10201 Mark the current server as unreachable
10202 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10205 @kindex M-o (Server)
10206 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10207 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10208 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10211 @kindex M-c (Server)
10212 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
10213 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
10214 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
10218 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
10219 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
10220 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
10226 @section Getting News
10227 @cindex reading news
10228 @cindex news backends
10230 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
10231 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
10232 or it can read from a local spool.
10235 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
10236 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
10241 @subsection @sc{nntp}
10244 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
10245 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
10246 server as the, uhm, address.
10248 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
10249 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
10250 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
10251 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10253 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
10254 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
10255 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
10257 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
10262 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
10263 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
10264 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
10266 @cindex authentification
10267 @cindex nntp authentification
10268 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10269 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
10270 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
10271 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
10272 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
10273 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
10274 present in this hook.
10276 @item nntp-authinfo-function
10277 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
10278 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10279 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
10280 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
10281 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
10282 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
10283 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
10284 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
10285 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
10286 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
10287 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
10291 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
10294 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
10295 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
10296 @samp{default}, @samp{port} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a
10297 valid @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is almost the only way the
10298 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
10303 Here's an example file:
10306 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
10307 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
10310 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
10311 have to be first, for instance.
10313 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
10314 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
10315 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
10316 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
10317 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
10318 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
10319 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
10321 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
10322 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
10328 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
10329 previously mentioned.
10331 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
10333 @item nntp-server-action-alist
10334 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
10335 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
10336 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
10337 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
10340 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
10341 '(("innd" (ding))))
10344 You probably don't want to do that, though.
10346 The default value is
10349 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
10350 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
10353 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
10354 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
10356 @item nntp-maximum-request
10357 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
10358 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
10359 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
10360 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
10361 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
10362 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
10363 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
10365 @item nntp-connection-timeout
10366 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
10367 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
10368 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
10369 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
10370 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
10371 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
10372 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
10373 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
10374 no timeouts are done.
10376 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
10377 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
10378 @c @cindex PPP connections
10379 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
10380 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
10381 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
10382 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
10383 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
10384 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
10385 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
10386 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
10387 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
10388 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
10390 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
10391 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
10392 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
10393 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
10394 @c described above.
10396 @item nntp-server-hook
10397 @vindex nntp-server-hook
10398 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
10401 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
10402 @findex nntp-open-telnet
10403 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
10404 @item nntp-open-connection-function
10405 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
10406 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
10407 functions are supplied:
10410 @item nntp-open-network-stream
10411 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
10414 @item nntp-open-rlogin
10415 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
10416 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
10419 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
10423 @item nntp-rlogin-program
10424 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
10425 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
10426 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
10428 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
10429 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
10430 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
10432 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10433 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10434 User name on the remote system.
10438 @item nntp-open-telnet
10439 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
10440 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
10442 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
10445 @item nntp-telnet-command
10446 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
10447 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
10449 @item nntp-telnet-switches
10450 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
10451 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
10453 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
10454 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
10455 User name for log in on the remote system.
10457 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
10458 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
10459 Password to use when logging in.
10461 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
10462 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
10463 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
10466 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10467 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10468 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
10469 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
10471 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10472 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10473 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
10474 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
10475 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
10479 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
10480 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
10481 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
10482 you must have SSLay installed
10483 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
10484 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
10485 define a server as follows:
10488 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
10490 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
10492 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
10493 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
10494 (nntp-port-number "snews")
10495 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
10500 @item nntp-end-of-line
10501 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
10502 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
10503 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
10504 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
10506 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10507 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10508 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
10512 @vindex nntp-address
10513 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
10515 @item nntp-port-number
10516 @vindex nntp-port-number
10517 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
10520 @item nntp-buggy-select
10521 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
10522 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
10524 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
10525 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
10526 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
10527 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
10530 @item nntp-xover-commands
10531 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
10534 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
10535 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
10539 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
10540 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
10541 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
10542 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
10543 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
10544 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
10545 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
10546 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
10547 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
10548 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
10549 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
10551 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
10552 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
10553 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
10555 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10556 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10557 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
10558 server closes connection.
10560 @item nntp-record-commands
10561 @vindex nntp-record-commands
10562 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
10563 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
10564 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
10565 that doesn't seem to work.
10571 @subsection News Spool
10575 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
10576 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
10577 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
10580 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
10581 anything else) as the address.
10583 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
10584 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
10585 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
10586 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
10590 @item nnspool-inews-program
10591 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
10592 Program used to post an article.
10594 @item nnspool-inews-switches
10595 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
10596 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
10598 @item nnspool-spool-directory
10599 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
10600 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
10601 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
10603 @item nnspool-nov-directory
10604 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
10605 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
10606 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
10608 @item nnspool-lib-dir
10609 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
10610 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
10612 @item nnspool-active-file
10613 @vindex nnspool-active-file
10614 The path to the active file.
10616 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
10617 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
10618 The path to the group descriptions file.
10620 @item nnspool-history-file
10621 @vindex nnspool-history-file
10622 The path to the news history file.
10624 @item nnspool-active-times-file
10625 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
10626 The path to the active date file.
10628 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
10629 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
10630 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
10633 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10634 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10636 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
10637 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
10638 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
10644 @section Getting Mail
10645 @cindex reading mail
10648 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
10652 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
10653 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
10654 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
10655 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
10656 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
10657 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
10658 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
10659 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
10660 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
10661 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
10662 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
10663 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
10664 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
10668 @node Mail in a Newsreader
10669 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
10671 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
10672 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
10673 of a culture shock.
10675 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
10676 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
10678 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
10679 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
10680 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
10681 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
10683 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
10685 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
10686 deleted? How awful!
10688 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
10689 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
10690 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
10691 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
10694 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
10695 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
10696 they want to treat a message.
10698 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
10699 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
10700 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
10701 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
10702 archived somewhere else.
10704 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
10705 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
10706 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
10707 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
10708 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
10710 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
10711 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
10712 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
10714 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
10715 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
10718 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
10719 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
10720 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
10721 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
10722 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
10724 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
10725 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
10726 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
10727 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
10728 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
10729 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
10733 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
10734 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
10736 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
10737 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
10738 and things will happen automatically.
10740 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
10741 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
10744 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
10745 '((nnml "private")))
10748 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
10749 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
10750 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
10751 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
10752 like any other group.
10754 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
10757 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10758 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10759 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10763 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
10764 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
10765 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
10768 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
10769 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
10770 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
10773 @node Splitting Mail
10774 @subsection Splitting Mail
10775 @cindex splitting mail
10776 @cindex mail splitting
10778 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
10779 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
10780 to be split into groups.
10783 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10784 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10785 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10786 ("mail.other" "")))
10789 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
10790 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
10791 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
10792 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
10793 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
10794 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
10795 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
10798 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
10801 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
10802 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
10803 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
10804 mail belongs in that group.
10806 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
10807 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
10808 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
10809 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
10810 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
10811 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
10813 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
10814 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
10815 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
10816 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
10817 thinks should carry this mail message.
10819 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
10820 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
10821 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
10822 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
10824 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
10825 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
10826 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
10827 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
10828 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
10830 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
10833 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
10834 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
10835 links. If that's the case for you, set
10836 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
10837 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
10839 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
10840 @kindex nnmail-split-history
10841 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
10842 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
10844 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
10845 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
10846 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
10847 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
10848 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
10849 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
10850 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
10851 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
10852 month's rent money.
10856 @subsection Mail Sources
10858 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
10859 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
10863 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
10864 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
10865 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
10869 @node Mail Source Specifiers
10870 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
10872 @cindex mail server
10875 @cindex mail source
10877 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
10878 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
10883 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
10886 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
10887 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
10888 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
10891 The following mail source types are available:
10895 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
10901 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
10902 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
10905 An example file mail source:
10908 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
10911 Or using the default path:
10917 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
10918 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not you ange-ftp
10919 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
10922 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
10926 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
10929 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
10933 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
10936 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
10938 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
10941 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
10945 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
10946 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
10952 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
10956 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
10960 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
10961 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
10962 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
10963 predicate are considered.
10967 Script run before/after fetching mail.
10971 An example directory mail source:
10974 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
10979 Get mail from a POP server.
10985 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
10986 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
10989 The port number of the POP server. The default is @samp{pop3}.
10992 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
10996 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11000 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This is should be
11001 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
11004 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
11007 The valid format specifier characters are:
11011 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
11012 included in this string.
11015 The name of the server.
11018 The port number of the server.
11021 The user name to use.
11024 The password to use.
11027 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11028 corresponding keywords.
11031 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11032 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11035 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11036 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11039 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11040 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11043 @item :authentication
11044 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11045 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11050 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11051 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11053 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11054 default user name, and default fetcher:
11060 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11063 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11064 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11067 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11070 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11074 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11075 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11076 contains exactly one mail.
11082 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
11083 @samp{~/Maildir/new}.
11085 If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
11086 them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
11087 @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
11090 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
11091 from locking problems).
11095 Two example maildir mail sources:
11098 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/cur")
11102 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/new")
11106 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap} as
11107 intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for some
11108 reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server and
11109 fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox.
11115 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
11116 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11119 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
11120 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
11123 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
11127 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
11131 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
11132 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
11133 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
11135 @item :authenticator
11136 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
11137 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this
11138 means @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
11142 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
11143 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
11146 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
11147 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
11148 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
11149 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
11150 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
11151 complete list of predicates, see RFC2060 §6.4.4.
11154 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{Deleted}
11155 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{Seen} which
11156 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
11157 but more flags are defined in RFC2060 §2.3.2.
11160 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
11161 after finishing the fetch.
11165 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
11168 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com" :stream kerberos4 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
11172 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
11173 mail.yahoo.com, www.netaddress.com and www.my-deja.com.
11175 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on w3 (url) package, whose version of "WWW
11176 4.0pre.46 1999/10/01" or previous ones may not work.
11178 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
11184 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
11185 alternatives are @code{yahoo}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
11188 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
11192 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
11196 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
11197 folder after finishing the fetch.
11201 An example webmail source:
11204 (webmail :subtype 'yahoo :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11209 @item Common Keywords
11210 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
11216 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
11217 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
11221 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
11226 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
11227 useful when you use local mail and news.
11232 @node Mail Source Customization
11233 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
11235 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
11236 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
11240 @item mail-source-crash-box
11241 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
11242 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
11243 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
11245 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
11246 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
11247 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
11249 @item mail-source-directory
11250 @vindex mail-source-directory
11251 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
11252 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
11253 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
11256 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
11257 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
11258 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
11263 @node Fetching Mail
11264 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
11266 @vindex mail-sources
11267 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
11268 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
11269 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
11270 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
11272 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
11273 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
11276 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
11277 mail server, you'd say something like:
11282 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11283 :password "secret")))
11286 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
11290 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
11291 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11294 :password "secret")))
11298 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
11299 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
11300 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
11301 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
11302 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
11303 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
11307 @node Mail Backend Variables
11308 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
11310 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
11314 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11315 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11316 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
11317 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
11319 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
11320 @item nnmail-split-hook
11321 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
11322 @findex RFC1522 decoding
11323 @findex RFC2047 decoding
11324 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
11325 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
11326 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
11327 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
11328 in the buffer will show up in any files.
11329 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
11332 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11333 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11334 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11335 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11336 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
11337 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
11338 starting to handle the new mail) and
11339 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
11340 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
11341 default file modes the new mail files get:
11344 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11345 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
11347 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
11348 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
11351 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
11352 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
11353 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
11354 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
11355 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
11356 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
11357 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
11359 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
11360 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
11361 @findex delete-file
11362 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
11364 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11365 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11366 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
11367 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
11368 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
11373 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
11374 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
11375 @cindex mail splitting
11376 @cindex fancy mail splitting
11378 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
11379 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
11380 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
11381 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
11382 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
11383 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
11385 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
11388 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
11389 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
11390 ;; from real errors.
11391 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
11393 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
11394 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
11395 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
11396 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
11397 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
11398 ;; Other mailing lists...
11399 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
11400 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
11401 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
11402 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
11403 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
11404 ;; message was really cross-posted.
11405 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
11406 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
11408 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
11409 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
11413 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
11414 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
11415 the five possible split syntaxes:
11420 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
11421 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
11425 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
11426 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
11427 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
11428 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
11429 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
11430 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
11431 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
11432 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
11435 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11436 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
11437 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
11438 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
11441 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11442 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
11445 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
11446 this message. Use with extreme caution.
11449 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
11450 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
11451 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
11452 function should return a @var{split}.
11455 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11456 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
11457 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
11461 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
11465 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
11466 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
11467 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
11468 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
11469 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
11471 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
11472 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
11473 are expanded as specified by the variable
11474 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
11475 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
11478 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
11479 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
11480 when all this splitting is performed.
11482 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
11483 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
11484 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
11487 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
11490 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
11491 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
11493 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
11494 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
11495 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
11496 groupings 1 through 9.
11499 @node Group Mail Splitting
11500 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
11501 @cindex mail splitting
11502 @cindex group mail splitting
11504 @findex gnus-group-split
11505 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
11506 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
11507 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
11508 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
11509 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
11510 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
11511 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
11512 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
11514 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
11515 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
11516 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
11517 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
11519 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
11520 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
11521 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
11522 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
11523 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
11524 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
11525 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
11527 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
11528 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
11529 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
11530 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
11531 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
11532 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
11533 @code{gnus-group-split}.
11535 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
11536 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
11537 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
11538 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
11539 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
11540 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
11541 that group is used as the catch-all group. Note that, in this case,
11542 there's no cross-posting, as a @code{|} fancy split encloses the
11543 @code{&} split and the catch-all group.
11545 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
11550 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
11551 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
11553 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
11554 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
11555 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
11556 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
11558 ((split-spec . catch-all))
11561 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
11562 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
11563 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
11566 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
11567 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
11568 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
11572 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
11573 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
11574 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
11578 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
11581 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
11582 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
11583 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
11584 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} may be the name
11585 of a group to be used as the default catch-all group. If
11586 @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
11587 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
11588 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
11589 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
11591 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
11592 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
11593 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
11594 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
11595 used to select @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
11596 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
11597 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
11598 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
11599 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
11601 @findex gnus-group-split-update
11602 However, if you change group parameters, you have to update
11603 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
11604 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
11605 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
11606 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
11609 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
11612 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
11613 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
11614 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
11615 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional),
11616 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
11619 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
11620 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
11621 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
11622 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
11624 @node Incorporating Old Mail
11625 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
11627 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
11628 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
11629 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
11632 Doing so can be quite easy.
11634 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
11635 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
11636 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
11637 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
11638 your @code{nnml} groups.
11644 Go to the group buffer.
11647 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
11648 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11651 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
11654 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
11655 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
11658 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
11659 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
11662 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
11663 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
11664 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
11665 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
11666 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
11668 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
11669 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
11670 using the new mail backend.
11673 @node Expiring Mail
11674 @subsection Expiring Mail
11675 @cindex article expiry
11677 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
11678 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
11679 different approach to mail reading.
11681 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
11682 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
11683 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
11684 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
11685 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
11686 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
11689 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
11690 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
11691 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
11692 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
11693 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
11694 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
11695 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
11696 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
11698 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
11699 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
11700 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
11701 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
11702 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
11703 column in the summary buffer.
11705 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
11706 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
11707 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
11708 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
11711 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
11713 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
11714 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
11715 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
11718 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
11719 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
11720 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
11721 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
11722 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
11724 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
11725 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
11728 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
11729 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
11732 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
11733 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
11735 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
11736 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
11737 don't really mix very well.
11739 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
11740 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
11741 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
11742 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
11745 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
11746 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
11747 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
11748 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
11751 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
11753 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
11755 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
11757 ((string= group "mail.junk")
11759 ((string= group "important")
11765 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
11766 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
11768 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
11769 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
11770 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
11773 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
11774 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
11776 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
11777 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
11778 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
11779 other groups instead of deleting them. The @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
11780 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
11781 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
11782 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
11783 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
11784 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
11785 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
11788 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
11789 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
11790 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
11791 easier for procmail users.
11793 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
11794 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
11795 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
11796 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
11797 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
11798 caution. Even more dangerous is the
11799 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
11800 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
11801 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
11802 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
11803 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
11804 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
11805 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
11808 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
11810 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
11811 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
11812 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
11813 auto-expire turned on.
11817 @subsection Washing Mail
11818 @cindex mail washing
11819 @cindex list server brain damage
11820 @cindex incoming mail treatment
11822 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
11823 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
11824 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
11825 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
11826 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
11827 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
11829 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
11830 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
11831 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
11834 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
11835 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
11836 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
11837 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
11840 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
11841 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
11842 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
11843 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
11844 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
11847 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
11848 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
11849 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
11850 Emacs running on MS machines.
11854 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
11855 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
11856 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
11857 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
11860 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
11861 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
11862 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
11863 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
11865 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
11866 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
11867 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
11868 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
11869 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
11870 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
11871 also be a list of regexp.
11873 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
11874 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
11877 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
11878 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
11881 This can also be done non-destructively with
11882 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
11884 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
11885 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
11886 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
11888 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
11889 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
11891 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
11892 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
11893 @code{References} headers.
11897 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
11898 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
11899 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
11903 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
11904 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
11905 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
11912 @subsection Duplicates
11914 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
11915 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
11916 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
11917 @cindex duplicate mails
11918 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
11919 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
11920 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
11921 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
11922 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
11923 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
11924 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
11925 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
11926 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
11927 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
11928 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
11929 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
11930 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
11932 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
11933 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
11934 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
11935 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
11937 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
11940 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
11941 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
11945 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
11946 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
11947 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
11948 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
11949 (any mail "mail.misc")
11956 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11957 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
11962 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
11963 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
11964 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
11965 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
11966 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
11969 @node Not Reading Mail
11970 @subsection Not Reading Mail
11972 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
11973 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
11974 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
11976 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
11977 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
11978 mail, which should help.
11980 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
11981 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
11982 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
11983 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
11984 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
11985 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
11986 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
11987 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
11988 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
11989 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
11990 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
11992 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
11993 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
11997 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
11998 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
12000 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
12001 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
12002 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
12004 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
12005 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
12006 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
12007 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
12010 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
12011 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
12012 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
12013 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
12014 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
12015 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
12019 @node Unix Mail Box
12020 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
12022 @cindex unix mail box
12024 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12025 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12026 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
12027 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
12028 which group it belongs in.
12030 Virtual server settings:
12033 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
12034 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12035 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
12037 @item nnmbox-active-file
12038 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12039 The name of the active file for the mail box.
12041 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
12042 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12043 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
12049 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
12053 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12054 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12055 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
12056 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
12057 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
12059 Virtual server settings:
12062 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
12063 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12064 The name of the rmail mbox file.
12066 @item nnbabyl-active-file
12067 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12068 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
12070 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12071 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12072 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
12077 @subsubsection Mail Spool
12079 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
12081 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
12082 format. It should be used with some caution.
12084 @vindex nnml-directory
12085 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
12086 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
12087 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
12088 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
12090 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
12093 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
12094 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
12095 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
12096 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
12097 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
12098 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
12099 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
12100 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
12102 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
12103 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
12104 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
12105 backend when it comes to reading mail.
12107 Virtual server settings:
12110 @item nnml-directory
12111 @vindex nnml-directory
12112 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
12114 @item nnml-active-file
12115 @vindex nnml-active-file
12116 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
12118 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
12119 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
12120 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
12123 @item nnml-get-new-mail
12124 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12125 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
12127 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
12128 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
12129 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12131 @item nnml-nov-file-name
12132 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
12133 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
12135 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12136 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12137 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
12141 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
12142 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
12143 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
12144 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
12145 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
12146 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
12147 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
12152 @subsubsection MH Spool
12154 @cindex mh-e mail spool
12156 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
12157 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
12158 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
12159 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
12161 Virtual server settings:
12164 @item nnmh-directory
12165 @vindex nnmh-directory
12166 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
12168 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
12169 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12170 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
12173 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
12174 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
12175 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
12176 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
12177 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
12178 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
12179 to set this variable to @code{t}.
12184 @subsubsection Mail Folders
12186 @cindex mbox folders
12187 @cindex mail folders
12189 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
12190 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
12191 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
12194 Virtual server settings:
12197 @item nnfolder-directory
12198 @vindex nnfolder-directory
12199 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
12201 @item nnfolder-active-file
12202 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
12203 The name of the active file.
12205 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12206 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12207 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
12209 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
12210 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12211 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
12213 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12214 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12215 @cindex backup files
12216 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
12217 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
12218 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
12219 your @file{.emacs} file:
12222 (defun turn-off-backup ()
12223 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
12225 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
12228 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12229 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12230 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
12231 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
12232 extract some information from it before removing it.
12237 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
12238 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
12239 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
12240 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
12241 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
12242 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
12245 @node Comparing Mail Backends
12246 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
12248 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
12249 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
12250 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
12251 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
12252 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
12254 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
12255 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
12256 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
12257 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
12258 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
12259 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
12260 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
12261 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
12264 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
12265 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
12266 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
12267 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
12272 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
12273 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
12274 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
12275 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
12276 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
12277 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
12278 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
12279 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
12280 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
12281 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
12282 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
12283 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
12284 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
12289 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
12290 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
12291 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
12292 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
12293 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
12294 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
12295 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
12296 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
12297 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
12298 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
12299 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
12300 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
12301 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
12302 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
12304 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
12305 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
12310 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
12311 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
12312 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
12313 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
12314 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
12315 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
12316 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
12317 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
12318 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
12319 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
12320 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
12321 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
12322 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
12323 provided by the active file and overviews.
12325 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
12326 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
12327 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
12328 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
12329 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
12332 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
12333 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
12338 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
12339 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
12340 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
12341 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
12342 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
12343 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
12344 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
12348 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
12349 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
12350 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
12351 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
12352 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
12353 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
12354 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
12355 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
12356 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
12358 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
12359 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
12360 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
12361 friendly mail backend all over.
12366 @node Browsing the Web
12367 @section Browsing the Web
12369 @cindex browsing the web
12373 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
12374 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
12375 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
12376 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
12377 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
12378 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
12379 even know what a news group is.
12381 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
12382 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
12383 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
12384 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
12385 you mad in the end.
12387 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
12390 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
12391 interfaces to these sources.
12394 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
12395 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
12396 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
12397 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
12398 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
12401 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
12403 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
12404 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
12405 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
12406 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
12407 though, you should be ok.
12409 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
12410 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
12411 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
12412 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
12413 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
12417 @subsection Web Searches
12421 @cindex InReference
12422 @cindex Usenet searches
12423 @cindex searching the Usenet
12425 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
12426 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
12427 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
12428 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
12429 searches without having to use a browser.
12431 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
12432 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
12433 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
12434 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
12435 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
12437 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
12438 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
12439 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
12440 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
12441 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
12442 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
12443 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
12444 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
12445 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
12446 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
12449 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
12450 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
12451 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
12452 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
12453 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
12454 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
12456 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
12457 to use @code{nnweb}.
12459 Virtual server variables:
12464 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
12465 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
12469 @vindex nnweb-search
12470 The search string to feed to the search engine.
12472 @item nnweb-max-hits
12473 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
12474 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
12477 @item nnweb-type-definition
12478 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
12479 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
12480 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
12485 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
12489 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
12492 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
12495 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
12499 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
12506 @subsection Slashdot
12510 Slashdot (@file{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
12511 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
12512 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
12514 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
12515 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12518 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
12519 '((nnslashdot "")))
12522 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
12523 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
12524 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
12525 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
12526 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
12529 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
12530 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12532 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
12533 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
12534 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
12535 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
12536 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
12537 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
12540 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
12543 @item nnslashdot-threaded
12544 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
12545 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
12546 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
12547 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
12548 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
12549 but much, much slower than untreaded.
12551 @item nnslashdot-login-name
12552 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
12553 The login name to use when posting.
12555 @item nnslashdot-password
12556 @vindex nnslashdot-password
12557 The password to use when posting.
12559 @item nnslashdot-directory
12560 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
12561 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default value is
12562 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
12564 @item nnslashdot-active-url
12565 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
12566 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
12567 news articles and comments. The default is
12568 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
12570 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
12571 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
12572 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
12574 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
12576 @item nnslashdot-article-url
12577 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
12578 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
12580 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
12582 @item nnslashdot-threshold
12583 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
12584 The score threshold. The default is -1.
12586 @item nnslashdot-group-number
12587 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
12588 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
12589 updated. The default is 0.
12596 @subsection Ultimate
12598 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
12600 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@file{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
12601 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
12602 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
12603 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
12605 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
12606 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
12607 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
12608 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
12609 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
12610 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
12611 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
12613 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
12616 @item nnultimate-directory
12617 @vindex nnultimate-directory
12618 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
12619 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
12624 @subsection Web Archive
12626 @cindex Web Archive
12628 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
12629 @file{http://www.egroups.com/} and
12630 @file{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
12631 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
12634 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
12635 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
12636 gnus-group-make-nnwarchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
12637 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
12638 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
12639 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
12640 backend by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
12642 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
12645 @item nnwarchive-directory
12646 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
12647 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
12648 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
12650 @item nnwarchive-login
12651 @vindex nnwarchive-login
12652 The account name on the web server.
12654 @item nnwarchive-passwd
12655 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
12656 The password for your account on the web server.
12660 @node Customizing w3
12661 @subsection Customizing w3
12667 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
12668 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
12669 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
12671 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
12672 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
12673 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
12676 (eval-after-load "w3"
12678 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
12679 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
12680 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
12681 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
12683 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
12686 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
12687 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
12691 @node Other Sources
12692 @section Other Sources
12694 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
12695 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
12699 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
12700 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
12701 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
12702 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
12703 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
12704 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
12708 @node Directory Groups
12709 @subsection Directory Groups
12711 @cindex directory groups
12713 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
12714 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
12717 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
12718 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
12719 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
12720 backend to read directories. Big deal.
12722 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
12723 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
12724 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
12725 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
12726 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
12728 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
12730 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
12731 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
12732 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
12733 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
12736 @node Anything Groups
12737 @subsection Anything Groups
12740 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
12741 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
12742 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
12745 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
12746 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
12747 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
12748 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
12749 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
12750 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
12751 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
12752 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
12753 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
12754 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
12757 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
12758 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
12759 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
12760 in the article buffer, just as usual.
12762 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
12763 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
12764 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
12765 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
12767 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
12768 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
12769 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
12770 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
12771 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
12772 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
12773 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
12774 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
12779 @item nneething-map-file-directory
12780 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
12781 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
12782 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
12784 @item nneething-exclude-files
12785 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
12786 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
12787 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
12789 @item nneething-include-files
12790 @vindex nneething-include-files
12791 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
12792 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
12794 @item nneething-map-file
12795 @vindex nneething-map-file
12796 Name of the map files.
12800 @node Document Groups
12801 @subsection Document Groups
12803 @cindex documentation group
12806 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
12807 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
12814 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
12819 The standard Unix mbox file.
12821 @cindex MMDF mail box
12823 The MMDF mail box format.
12826 Several news articles appended into a file.
12829 @cindex rnews batch files
12830 The rnews batch transport format.
12831 @cindex forwarded messages
12834 Forwarded articles.
12837 Netscape mail boxes.
12840 MIME multipart messages.
12842 @item standard-digest
12843 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
12846 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
12849 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
12850 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
12851 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
12854 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
12855 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
12856 group. And that's it.
12858 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
12859 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
12860 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
12861 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
12862 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
12863 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
12864 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
12865 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
12866 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
12867 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
12869 Virtual server variables:
12872 @item nndoc-article-type
12873 @vindex nndoc-article-type
12874 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
12875 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
12876 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
12877 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
12879 @item nndoc-post-type
12880 @vindex nndoc-post-type
12881 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
12882 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
12887 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
12891 @node Document Server Internals
12892 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
12894 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
12895 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
12896 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
12897 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
12899 First, here's an example document type definition:
12903 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
12904 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
12907 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
12908 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
12909 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
12910 types can be defined with very few settings:
12913 @item first-article
12914 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
12915 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
12918 @item article-begin
12919 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
12920 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
12922 @item head-begin-function
12923 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
12926 @item nndoc-head-begin
12927 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
12930 @item nndoc-head-end
12931 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
12932 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
12934 @item body-begin-function
12935 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
12939 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
12942 @item body-end-function
12943 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
12947 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
12950 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
12951 regexp will be totally ignored.
12955 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
12956 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
12957 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
12958 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
12959 something that's palatable for Gnus:
12962 @item prepare-body-function
12963 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
12964 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
12965 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
12967 @item article-transform-function
12968 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
12969 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
12970 body of the article.
12972 @item generate-head-function
12973 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
12974 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
12975 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
12976 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
12980 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
12985 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
12986 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
12987 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
12988 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
12989 (head-end . "^ ?$")
12990 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
12991 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
12992 (subtype digest guess))
12995 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
12996 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
12997 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
12998 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
12999 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
13001 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
13002 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
13003 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
13004 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
13005 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
13006 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
13007 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
13008 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
13009 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
13010 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
13018 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
13019 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
13020 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
13022 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
13023 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
13024 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
13027 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
13028 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
13029 that interested in doing things properly.
13031 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
13032 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
13035 First some terminology:
13040 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
13041 get news and/or mail from.
13044 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
13045 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
13048 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
13052 @item message packets
13053 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
13054 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
13055 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13057 @item response packets
13058 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
13059 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
13060 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13070 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
13071 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
13072 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
13073 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
13076 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
13079 You put the packet in your home directory.
13082 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
13083 the native or secondary server.
13086 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
13087 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
13090 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
13094 You transfer this packet to the server.
13097 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
13100 You then repeat until you die.
13104 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
13105 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
13108 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
13109 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
13110 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
13114 @node SOUP Commands
13115 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
13117 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
13121 @kindex G s b (Group)
13122 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
13123 Pack all unread articles in the current group
13124 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
13125 process/prefix convention.
13128 @kindex G s w (Group)
13129 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
13130 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
13133 @kindex G s s (Group)
13134 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
13135 Send all replies from the replies packet
13136 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
13139 @kindex G s p (Group)
13140 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
13141 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
13144 @kindex G s r (Group)
13145 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
13146 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
13149 @kindex O s (Summary)
13150 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
13151 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
13152 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
13153 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13158 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
13163 @item gnus-soup-directory
13164 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
13165 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
13166 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
13168 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
13169 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
13170 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
13171 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
13173 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
13174 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
13175 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
13176 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
13178 @item gnus-soup-packer
13179 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
13180 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13181 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
13183 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
13184 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
13185 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13186 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13188 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
13189 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
13190 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
13192 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13193 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13194 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
13195 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
13201 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
13204 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
13205 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
13206 you can read them at leisure.
13208 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
13212 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
13213 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
13214 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
13215 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
13217 @item nnsoup-directory
13218 @vindex nnsoup-directory
13219 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
13220 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
13222 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
13223 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
13224 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
13225 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
13227 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
13228 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
13229 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
13230 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
13231 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
13233 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
13234 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
13235 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
13236 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
13238 @item nnsoup-active-file
13239 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
13240 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
13241 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
13242 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
13243 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
13245 @item nnsoup-packer
13246 @vindex nnsoup-packer
13247 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
13248 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
13250 @item nnsoup-unpacker
13251 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
13252 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
13253 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13255 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
13256 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
13257 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
13260 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
13261 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
13262 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
13265 @item nnsoup-always-save
13266 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
13267 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
13273 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
13275 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
13276 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
13277 more for that to happen.
13279 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
13280 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
13281 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
13284 In specific, this is what it does:
13287 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
13288 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
13291 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
13292 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
13293 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
13296 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
13297 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
13298 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
13301 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
13302 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
13303 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
13305 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
13311 @item nngateway-address
13312 @vindex nngateway-address
13313 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
13315 @item nngateway-header-transformation
13316 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
13317 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
13318 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
13319 transformation should be called, and defaults to
13320 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
13321 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
13324 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
13325 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
13326 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
13329 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
13332 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
13335 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
13338 The following pre-defined functions exist:
13340 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13343 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13344 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13345 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
13347 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13349 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13350 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13351 @code{nngateway-address}.
13356 (setq gnus-post-method
13357 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
13358 (nngateway-header-transformation
13359 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
13367 So, to use this, simply say something like:
13370 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
13376 @subsection @sc{imap}
13380 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
13381 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap} server
13382 is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just specify the
13383 network address of the server.
13385 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
13390 @item nnimap-address
13391 @vindex nnimap-address
13393 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
13394 server name if not specified.
13396 @item nnimap-server-port
13397 @vindex nnimap-server-port
13398 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
13400 @item nnimap-list-pattern
13401 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
13402 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
13403 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
13404 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
13405 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
13406 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
13408 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
13409 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
13410 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
13416 ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*" ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))
13419 @item nnimap-stream
13420 @vindex nnimap-stream
13421 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
13422 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
13423 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
13424 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
13428 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Require the
13429 @samp{imtest} program.
13431 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Require the @samp{imtest} program.
13433 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
13434 SSL). Require the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13437 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Require OpenSSL (the
13438 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
13440 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
13443 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD, nnimap support
13444 both @samp{imtest} version 1.5.x and version 1.6.x.
13446 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
13447 @file{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
13448 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of SSLeay,
13449 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it useless. Earlier
13450 versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to work.
13452 @item nnimap-authenticator
13453 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
13455 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
13456 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
13460 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
13461 external program @code{imtest}.
13463 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
13466 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
13467 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
13469 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
13471 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
13473 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
13476 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
13478 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
13479 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
13480 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
13481 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
13482 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
13483 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
13486 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
13487 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
13488 running in circles yet?
13490 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
13491 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
13494 The possible options are:
13499 The default behaviour, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
13502 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
13503 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
13504 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
13505 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
13507 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
13514 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
13515 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
13516 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
13521 @node Splitting in IMAP
13522 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
13523 @cindex splitting imap mail
13525 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
13526 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
13527 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
13528 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
13529 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
13533 Here are the variables of interest:
13537 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
13538 @cindex splitting, crosspost
13540 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
13542 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
13543 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
13545 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
13547 @item nnimap-split-inbox
13548 @cindex splitting, inbox
13550 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
13552 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
13553 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
13557 (setq nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
13560 No nnmail equivalent.
13562 @item nnimap-split-rule
13563 @cindex Splitting, rules
13564 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
13566 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
13569 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
13570 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
13571 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
13572 Neither did I, we need examples.
13575 (setq nnimap-split-rule
13576 '(("INBOX.nnimap" "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
13577 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
13578 ("INBOX.private" "")))
13581 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
13582 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
13583 into INBOX.spam and everything else in INBOX.private.
13585 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
13586 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
13590 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
13593 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13594 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
13595 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
13596 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
13598 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
13599 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
13600 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
13601 of your inbox. (This might might affect performance if you keep lots of
13602 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
13603 them every time you fetch new mail.)
13605 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
13606 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
13607 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
13609 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
13610 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
13611 thinks the article should be splitted to.
13613 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
13615 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
13617 @item nnimap-split-predicate
13619 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
13621 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
13622 splitted, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
13624 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
13625 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
13626 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
13629 @item nnimap-split-fancy
13630 @cindex splitting, fancy
13631 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
13632 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
13634 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
13635 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
13636 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
13638 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
13639 nnimap backends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
13640 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
13641 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
13646 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
13647 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
13650 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
13654 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
13655 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
13656 @cindex editing imap acls
13657 @cindex Access Control Lists
13658 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
13660 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
13662 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
13663 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
13664 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
13667 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
13668 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
13669 editing window with detailed instructions.
13671 Some possible uses:
13675 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
13676 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
13677 follow the list without subscribing to it.
13679 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
13680 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
13681 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
13685 @node Expunging mailboxes
13686 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
13690 @cindex Manual expunging
13692 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
13694 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-close},
13695 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
13696 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
13698 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
13703 @node Combined Groups
13704 @section Combined Groups
13706 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
13710 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
13711 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
13715 @node Virtual Groups
13716 @subsection Virtual Groups
13718 @cindex virtual groups
13719 @cindex merging groups
13721 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
13724 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
13725 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
13726 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
13728 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
13729 regexp to match component groups.
13731 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
13732 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
13733 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
13734 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
13735 the virtual group.)
13737 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
13738 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
13741 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
13744 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
13745 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
13747 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
13748 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
13749 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
13750 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
13753 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
13756 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
13757 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
13758 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
13760 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
13761 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
13762 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
13763 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
13764 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
13766 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
13767 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
13768 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
13770 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
13771 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
13772 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
13773 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
13774 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
13775 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
13776 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
13777 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
13778 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
13779 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
13780 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
13782 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
13783 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
13784 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
13785 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
13786 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
13787 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
13788 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
13790 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
13791 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
13795 @node Kibozed Groups
13796 @subsection Kibozed Groups
13800 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
13801 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
13802 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
13803 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
13805 @kindex G k (Group)
13806 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
13809 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
13810 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
13811 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
13812 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
13814 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
13815 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
13816 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
13818 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
13819 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
13820 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
13821 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
13822 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
13823 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
13824 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
13825 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
13827 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
13828 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
13829 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
13830 Stranger things have happened.
13832 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
13833 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
13835 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
13836 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
13837 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
13838 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
13839 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
13840 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
13842 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
13843 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
13846 @node Gnus Unplugged
13847 @section Gnus Unplugged
13852 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
13854 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
13855 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
13856 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
13857 read news. Believe it or not.
13859 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
13860 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
13861 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
13862 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
13863 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
13865 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
13866 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
13867 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
13868 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
13869 reading news on a machine.
13871 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
13875 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
13876 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
13880 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
13881 @file{.gnus.el} file:
13888 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
13890 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
13893 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
13894 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
13895 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
13896 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
13897 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
13898 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
13899 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
13900 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
13901 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
13906 @subsection Agent Basics
13908 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
13910 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
13911 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
13912 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
13913 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
13915 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
13916 connected to the net continuously.
13918 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
13919 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
13921 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
13926 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
13927 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
13928 already fetched while in this mode.
13931 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
13932 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
13933 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
13936 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
13937 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
13938 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
13939 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
13942 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
13943 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
13944 then you read the news offline.
13947 And then you go to step 2.
13950 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
13956 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
13957 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
13958 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
13959 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
13960 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
13961 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
13964 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
13971 @node Agent Categories
13972 @subsection Agent Categories
13974 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
13975 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
13976 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
13977 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
13978 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
13979 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
13980 you're interested in the articles anyway.
13982 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
13983 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
13984 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
13985 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
13986 managing categories.
13989 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
13990 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
13991 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
13995 @node Category Syntax
13996 @subsubsection Category Syntax
13998 A category consists of two things.
14002 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
14003 are eligible for downloading; and
14006 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
14007 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
14008 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
14011 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
14012 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
14013 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
14014 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
14016 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
14017 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
14018 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as descibed below.
14020 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
14021 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
14022 operators sprinkled in between.
14024 Perhaps some examples are in order.
14026 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
14027 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
14033 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
14034 short (for some value of ``short'').
14036 Here's a more complex predicate:
14045 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
14046 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
14049 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
14050 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
14051 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
14053 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
14054 you want to do, you can write your own.
14058 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
14059 lines; default 100.
14062 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
14063 lines; default 200.
14066 True iff the article has a download score less than
14067 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
14070 True iff the article has a download score greater than
14071 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
14074 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
14075 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
14076 checksum and sees whether articles match.
14085 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
14086 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
14087 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
14090 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
14091 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
14092 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
14093 something along the lines of the following:
14096 (defun my-article-old-p ()
14097 "Say whether an article is old."
14098 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
14099 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
14102 with the predicate then defined as:
14105 (not my-article-old-p)
14108 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
14109 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
14110 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
14111 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
14114 (defvar gnus-category-predicate-alist
14115 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
14116 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
14119 and simply specify your predicate as:
14125 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
14126 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
14127 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
14128 just don't give a damm.
14130 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
14131 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
14132 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
14133 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
14134 parameters like so:
14137 (agent-predicate . short)
14140 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
14141 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
14142 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
14144 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
14147 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
14150 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
14151 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
14152 predicate is assumed to be a list.
14155 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
14156 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
14157 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
14158 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
14159 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
14160 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
14162 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
14163 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
14164 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
14165 if it's to be specific to that group.
14167 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
14174 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
14175 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
14181 Category specification
14185 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14191 Group Parameter specification
14194 (agent-score ("from"
14195 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14200 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
14206 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
14213 Category specification
14216 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
14222 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
14226 Group Parameter specification
14229 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
14232 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
14237 Use @code{normal} score files
14239 If you dont want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
14240 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
14241 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
14242 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
14244 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
14245 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
14246 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
14247 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
14251 Category Specification
14258 Group Parameter specification
14261 (agent-score . file)
14266 @node The Category Buffer
14267 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
14269 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
14270 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
14271 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
14273 The following commands are available in this buffer:
14277 @kindex q (Category)
14278 @findex gnus-category-exit
14279 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
14282 @kindex k (Category)
14283 @findex gnus-category-kill
14284 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
14287 @kindex c (Category)
14288 @findex gnus-category-copy
14289 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
14292 @kindex a (Category)
14293 @findex gnus-category-add
14294 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
14297 @kindex p (Category)
14298 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
14299 Edit the predicate of the current category
14300 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
14303 @kindex g (Category)
14304 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
14305 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
14306 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
14309 @kindex s (Category)
14310 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
14311 Edit the download score rule of the current category
14312 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
14315 @kindex l (Category)
14316 @findex gnus-category-list
14317 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
14321 @node Category Variables
14322 @subsubsection Category Variables
14325 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
14326 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
14327 Hook run in category buffers.
14329 @item gnus-category-line-format
14330 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
14331 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
14332 Variables}). Valid elements are:
14336 The name of the category.
14339 The number of groups in the category.
14342 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
14343 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
14344 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
14346 @item gnus-agent-short-article
14347 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
14348 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
14350 @item gnus-agent-long-article
14351 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
14352 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
14354 @item gnus-agent-low-score
14355 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
14356 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
14359 @item gnus-agent-high-score
14360 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
14361 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
14367 @node Agent Commands
14368 @subsection Agent Commands
14370 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
14371 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
14372 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
14376 * Group Agent Commands::
14377 * Summary Agent Commands::
14378 * Server Agent Commands::
14381 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
14382 following incantation:
14384 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14386 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14391 @node Group Agent Commands
14392 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
14396 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
14397 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
14398 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
14399 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
14402 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
14403 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
14404 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
14407 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
14408 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
14409 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
14410 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
14413 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
14414 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
14415 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
14416 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
14419 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
14420 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
14421 Add the current group to an Agent category
14422 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
14423 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14426 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
14427 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
14428 Remove the current group from its category, if any
14429 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
14430 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14435 @node Summary Agent Commands
14436 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
14440 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
14441 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
14442 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
14445 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
14446 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
14447 Remove the downloading mark from the article
14448 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
14451 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
14452 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
14453 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
14456 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
14457 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
14458 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
14463 @node Server Agent Commands
14464 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
14468 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
14469 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
14470 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
14471 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
14474 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
14475 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
14476 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
14477 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
14483 @subsection Agent Expiry
14485 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
14486 @findex gnus-agent-expire
14487 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
14488 @cindex Agent expiry
14489 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
14492 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
14493 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
14494 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
14495 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
14496 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
14497 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
14499 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
14500 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
14501 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
14502 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
14503 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
14506 @node Outgoing Messages
14507 @subsection Outgoing Messages
14509 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
14510 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
14511 after posting, and edit them at will.
14513 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
14514 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
14515 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
14516 messages in the draft group.
14520 @node Agent Variables
14521 @subsection Agent Variables
14524 @item gnus-agent-directory
14525 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
14526 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
14527 @file{~/News/agent/}.
14529 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
14530 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
14531 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
14532 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
14533 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
14536 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
14537 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
14538 Hook run when connecting to the network.
14540 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
14541 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
14542 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
14547 @node Example Setup
14548 @subsection Example Setup
14550 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
14551 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
14552 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
14555 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
14556 ;;; from your ISP's server.
14557 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
14559 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
14560 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
14561 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
14563 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
14564 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
14566 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
14570 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
14571 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
14574 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
14575 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
14576 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
14577 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
14578 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
14581 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
14582 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
14583 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
14584 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
14585 back all the killed groups.)
14587 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
14588 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
14589 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
14592 @node Batching Agents
14593 @subsection Batching Agents
14595 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
14596 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
14597 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
14601 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
14605 @node Agent Caveats
14606 @subsection Agent Caveats
14608 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
14609 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
14613 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
14618 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
14619 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
14625 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
14626 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
14633 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
14634 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
14635 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
14638 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
14639 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
14640 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
14641 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
14642 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
14644 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
14645 before generating the summary buffer.
14647 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
14648 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
14649 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
14651 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
14652 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
14653 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
14654 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
14657 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
14658 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
14659 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
14660 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
14661 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
14662 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
14663 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
14664 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
14665 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
14666 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
14667 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
14668 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
14669 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
14670 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
14671 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
14672 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
14676 @node Summary Score Commands
14677 @section Summary Score Commands
14678 @cindex score commands
14680 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
14681 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
14682 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
14683 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
14684 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
14686 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
14687 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
14688 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
14689 score file the current one.
14691 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
14696 @kindex V s (Summary)
14697 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
14698 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
14701 @kindex V S (Summary)
14702 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
14703 Display the score of the current article
14704 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
14707 @kindex V t (Summary)
14708 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
14709 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
14710 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
14713 @kindex V R (Summary)
14714 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
14715 Run the current summary through the scoring process
14716 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
14717 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
14718 effect you're having.
14721 @kindex V c (Summary)
14722 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
14723 Make a different score file the current
14724 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
14727 @kindex V e (Summary)
14728 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
14729 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
14730 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
14734 @kindex V f (Summary)
14735 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
14736 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
14737 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
14740 @kindex V F (Summary)
14741 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
14742 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
14743 after editing score files.
14746 @kindex V C (Summary)
14747 @findex gnus-score-customize
14748 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
14749 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
14753 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
14758 @kindex V m (Summary)
14759 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
14760 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
14761 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
14764 @kindex V x (Summary)
14765 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
14766 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
14767 expunge all articles below this score
14768 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
14771 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
14772 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
14775 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
14776 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
14780 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
14781 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
14783 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
14784 keys are available:
14788 Score on the author name.
14791 Score on the subject line.
14794 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
14797 Score on the @code{References} line.
14803 Score on the number of lines.
14806 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
14809 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
14810 the followups to this author.
14824 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
14825 what headers you are scoring on.
14837 Substring matching.
14840 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
14869 Greater than number.
14874 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
14875 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
14876 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
14880 Temporary score entry.
14883 Permanent score entry.
14886 Immediately scoring.
14891 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
14892 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
14893 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
14894 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
14896 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
14897 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
14898 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
14899 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
14900 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
14902 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
14903 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
14904 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
14905 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
14906 current score file.
14908 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
14909 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
14910 pretend they are keymaps or not.
14913 @node Group Score Commands
14914 @section Group Score Commands
14915 @cindex group score commands
14917 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
14922 @kindex W f (Group)
14923 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
14924 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
14925 all the time. This command will flush the cache
14926 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
14930 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
14932 @findex gnus-batch-score
14933 @cindex batch scoring
14935 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
14939 @node Score Variables
14940 @section Score Variables
14941 @cindex score variables
14945 @item gnus-use-scoring
14946 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
14947 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
14948 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
14950 @item gnus-kill-killed
14951 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
14952 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
14953 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
14954 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
14955 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
14956 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
14957 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
14959 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
14960 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
14961 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
14962 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
14963 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
14965 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
14966 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
14967 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
14968 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
14970 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
14971 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
14972 @cindex score cache
14973 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
14974 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
14975 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
14976 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
14977 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
14978 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
14981 @item gnus-save-score
14982 @vindex gnus-save-score
14983 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
14984 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
14985 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
14987 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
14988 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
14989 across group visits.
14991 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
14992 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
14993 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
14994 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
14995 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
14996 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
14997 manually entered data.
14999 @item gnus-summary-default-score
15000 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
15001 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
15003 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
15004 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
15005 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
15006 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
15007 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
15008 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
15010 @item gnus-score-over-mark
15011 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
15012 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
15013 default. Default is @samp{+}.
15015 @item gnus-score-below-mark
15016 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
15017 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
15018 default. Default is @samp{-}.
15020 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15021 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15022 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
15023 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
15025 Predefined functions available are:
15028 @item gnus-score-find-single
15029 @findex gnus-score-find-single
15030 Only apply the group's own score file.
15032 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
15033 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
15034 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
15035 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
15036 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
15037 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
15038 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
15039 then a regexp match is done.
15041 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
15042 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
15044 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
15045 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
15046 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
15047 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
15049 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15050 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15051 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
15052 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
15053 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
15056 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
15057 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
15058 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
15059 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
15060 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
15061 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
15064 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
15065 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
15066 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
15067 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
15068 are expired. It's 7 by default.
15070 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15071 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15072 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
15073 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
15074 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
15075 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
15076 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
15079 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15080 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15081 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
15083 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
15084 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
15085 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
15086 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
15087 threading---according to the current value of
15088 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
15089 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
15090 simplified in this manner.
15095 @node Score File Format
15096 @section Score File Format
15097 @cindex score file format
15099 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
15100 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
15101 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
15103 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
15107 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
15109 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
15111 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
15113 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
15118 (mark-and-expunge -10)
15122 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
15123 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
15124 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
15125 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
15129 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
15130 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
15132 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
15133 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
15134 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
15136 Six keys are supported by this alist:
15141 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
15142 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
15143 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
15144 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
15145 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
15146 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
15147 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
15148 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
15149 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
15150 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
15151 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
15152 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
15153 to articles that matches these score entries.
15155 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
15156 score entry has one to four elements.
15160 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
15161 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
15165 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
15166 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
15167 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
15168 is successful. If this element is not present, the
15169 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
15170 instead. This is 1000 by default.
15173 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
15174 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
15175 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
15176 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
15177 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
15180 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
15181 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
15182 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
15183 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
15186 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
15187 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
15188 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
15189 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
15190 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
15191 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
15192 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
15193 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
15194 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
15195 instead, if you feel like.
15198 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
15199 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
15201 These predicates are true if
15204 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
15207 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
15208 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
15215 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
15216 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
15217 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
15218 it's not. I think.)
15220 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
15221 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
15222 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
15223 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
15226 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
15227 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
15228 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
15229 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
15230 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
15231 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
15232 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
15236 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
15237 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
15238 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
15239 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
15240 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
15241 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
15242 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
15243 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
15246 @item Head, Body, All
15247 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
15251 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
15252 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
15253 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
15254 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
15255 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
15256 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
15257 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
15261 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
15262 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
15263 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
15264 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
15265 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
15266 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
15267 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
15268 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
15269 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
15270 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
15271 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
15275 @cindex Score File Atoms
15277 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15278 lower than this number will be marked as read.
15281 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15282 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
15284 @item mark-and-expunge
15285 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15286 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
15289 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
15290 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
15291 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
15292 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
15293 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
15296 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
15297 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
15300 @item exclude-files
15301 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
15302 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
15306 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
15307 ignored when handling global score files.
15310 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
15311 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
15312 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
15313 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
15316 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
15317 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
15318 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
15319 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
15321 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
15325 (mark-and-expunge -100)
15328 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
15329 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
15330 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
15331 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
15332 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
15334 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
15335 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
15336 ordinary scoring rules.
15339 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
15340 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
15341 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
15342 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
15343 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
15344 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
15345 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15346 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
15347 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
15348 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
15349 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
15353 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
15354 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
15355 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
15356 file for a number of groups.
15359 @cindex local variables
15360 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
15361 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
15362 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
15363 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
15364 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
15368 @node Score File Editing
15369 @section Score File Editing
15371 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
15372 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
15373 with a mode for that.
15375 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
15376 additional commands:
15381 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
15382 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
15383 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
15384 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
15387 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
15388 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
15389 Insert the current date in numerical format
15390 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
15391 you were wondering.
15394 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
15395 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
15396 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
15397 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
15398 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
15403 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
15405 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
15406 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
15408 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
15409 e} to begin editing score files.
15412 @node Adaptive Scoring
15413 @section Adaptive Scoring
15414 @cindex adaptive scoring
15416 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
15417 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
15418 stupidity, to be precise.
15420 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
15421 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
15422 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
15423 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
15424 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15425 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
15426 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
15427 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
15428 variable to @code{(word line)}.
15430 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
15431 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
15432 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
15433 might look something like this:
15436 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
15437 '((gnus-unread-mark)
15438 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
15439 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
15440 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
15441 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
15442 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
15443 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
15444 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
15445 (gnus-ancient-mark)
15446 (gnus-low-score-mark)
15447 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
15450 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
15451 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
15452 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
15453 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
15454 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
15455 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
15458 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
15459 will be applied to each article.
15461 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
15462 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
15463 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
15464 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
15466 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
15467 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
15468 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
15469 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
15471 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
15472 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
15473 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
15474 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
15476 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
15477 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
15478 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
15479 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
15480 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
15481 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
15483 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
15484 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
15485 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
15486 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
15487 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
15488 aspirins afterwards.)
15490 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
15491 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
15492 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
15494 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
15495 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
15496 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
15498 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
15499 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
15500 let you use different rules in different groups.
15502 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
15503 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
15504 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
15507 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
15508 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
15509 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
15510 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
15511 the length of the match is less than
15512 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
15513 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
15516 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
15517 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
15518 headers. If you adapt on words, the
15519 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
15520 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
15523 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
15524 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
15525 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
15526 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
15527 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
15530 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
15531 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
15532 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
15533 score with 30 points.
15535 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
15536 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
15537 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
15538 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
15539 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
15541 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
15542 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
15543 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
15544 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
15546 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
15547 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
15548 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
15549 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
15551 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
15552 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
15553 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
15554 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
15555 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
15557 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
15558 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
15559 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
15561 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
15562 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
15563 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
15564 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
15567 @node Home Score File
15568 @section Home Score File
15570 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
15571 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
15572 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
15573 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
15575 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
15576 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
15577 could perhaps use the same home score file.
15579 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
15580 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
15585 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
15589 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
15590 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
15594 A list. The elements in this list can be:
15598 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
15599 group name, the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
15602 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
15603 the home score file.
15606 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
15609 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
15614 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
15617 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15618 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
15621 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
15622 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
15624 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
15626 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15627 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
15630 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
15631 Other functions include
15634 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
15635 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
15636 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
15637 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
15641 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
15642 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
15643 their own home score files:
15646 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15647 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
15648 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
15649 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
15650 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
15653 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
15654 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
15655 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
15656 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
15657 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
15659 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
15660 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
15661 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
15662 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
15663 precedence over this variable.
15666 @node Followups To Yourself
15667 @section Followups To Yourself
15669 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
15670 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
15671 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
15672 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
15673 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
15674 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
15678 @item gnus-score-followup-article
15679 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
15680 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
15683 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
15684 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
15685 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
15689 @vindex message-sent-hook
15690 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
15691 @code{message-sent-hook}.
15693 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
15694 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
15698 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
15699 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
15702 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
15703 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
15708 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
15712 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
15713 is system-dependent.
15717 @section Scoring Tips
15718 @cindex scoring tips
15724 @cindex scoring crossposts
15725 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
15726 the @code{Xref} header.
15728 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
15731 @item Multiple crossposts
15732 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
15733 more than, say, 3 groups:
15735 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
15738 @item Matching on the body
15739 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
15740 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
15741 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
15742 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
15743 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
15744 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
15745 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
15748 @item Marking as read
15749 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
15750 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
15751 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
15755 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
15757 @item Negated character classes
15758 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
15759 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
15760 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
15764 @node Reverse Scoring
15765 @section Reverse Scoring
15766 @cindex reverse scoring
15768 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
15769 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
15770 like this in your score file:
15774 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
15779 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
15780 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
15783 @node Global Score Files
15784 @section Global Score Files
15785 @cindex global score files
15787 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
15788 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
15789 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
15791 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
15792 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
15793 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
15795 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
15796 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
15797 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
15798 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
15799 files are applicable to which group.
15801 Say you want to use the score file
15802 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
15803 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
15806 (setq gnus-global-score-files
15807 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
15808 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
15811 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
15812 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
15813 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
15814 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
15815 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
15817 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
15818 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
15820 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
15821 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
15822 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
15823 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
15824 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
15825 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
15827 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
15833 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
15835 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
15837 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
15839 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
15840 lowered out of existence.
15842 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
15843 articles completely.
15846 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
15847 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
15848 old articles for a long time.
15851 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
15852 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
15853 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
15854 holding our breath yet?
15858 @section Kill Files
15861 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
15862 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
15863 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
15865 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
15866 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
15867 files into score files.
15869 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
15870 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
15871 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
15872 that isn't a very good idea.
15874 Normal kill files look like this:
15877 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
15878 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
15882 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
15883 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
15885 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
15886 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
15889 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
15894 @kindex M-k (Summary)
15895 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
15896 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
15899 @kindex M-K (Summary)
15900 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
15901 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
15904 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
15909 @kindex M-k (Group)
15910 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
15911 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
15914 @kindex M-K (Group)
15915 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
15916 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
15919 Kill file variables:
15922 @item gnus-kill-file-name
15923 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
15924 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
15925 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
15926 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
15927 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
15928 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
15930 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
15931 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
15932 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
15933 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
15936 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
15937 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
15938 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
15939 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
15940 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
15941 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
15942 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
15943 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
15944 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
15946 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
15947 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
15948 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
15953 @node Converting Kill Files
15954 @section Converting Kill Files
15956 @cindex converting kill files
15958 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
15959 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
15960 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
15963 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
15964 You can fetch it from
15965 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
15967 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
15968 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
15969 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
15977 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
15978 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
15979 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
15981 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
15982 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
15983 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
15984 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
15985 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
15986 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
15987 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
15988 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
15992 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
15993 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
15994 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
15995 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
15999 @node Using GroupLens
16000 @subsection Using GroupLens
16002 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
16004 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
16005 better bit in town at the moment.
16007 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
16011 @item gnus-use-grouplens
16012 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
16013 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
16014 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
16016 @item grouplens-pseudonym
16017 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
16018 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
16019 with the Better Bit Bureau.
16021 @item grouplens-newsgroups
16022 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
16023 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
16027 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
16028 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
16029 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
16030 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
16031 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
16032 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
16035 @node Rating Articles
16036 @subsection Rating Articles
16038 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
16039 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
16040 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
16041 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
16044 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
16049 @kindex r (GroupLens)
16050 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
16051 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
16054 @kindex k (GroupLens)
16055 @findex grouplens-score-thread
16056 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
16057 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
16058 threads in rec.humor.
16062 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
16063 the score of the article you're reading.
16068 @kindex n (GroupLens)
16069 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
16070 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
16073 @kindex , (GroupLens)
16074 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
16075 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
16079 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
16080 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
16083 @node Displaying Predictions
16084 @subsection Displaying Predictions
16086 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
16087 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
16088 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
16089 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
16090 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
16092 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
16093 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
16094 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
16095 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
16096 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
16097 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
16098 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
16099 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
16100 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
16101 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
16102 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
16103 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
16104 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
16106 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
16107 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
16108 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
16109 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
16111 The following are valid values for that variable.
16114 @item prediction-spot
16115 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
16118 @item confidence-interval
16119 A numeric confidence interval.
16121 @item prediction-bar
16122 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
16124 @item confidence-bar
16125 Numerical confidence.
16127 @item confidence-spot
16128 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
16130 @item prediction-num
16131 Plain-old numeric value.
16133 @item confidence-plus-minus
16134 Prediction +/- confidence.
16139 @node GroupLens Variables
16140 @subsection GroupLens Variables
16144 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
16145 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
16146 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
16147 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
16150 @item grouplens-bbb-host
16151 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
16154 @item grouplens-bbb-port
16155 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
16157 @item grouplens-score-offset
16158 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
16159 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
16162 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
16163 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
16164 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
16169 @node Advanced Scoring
16170 @section Advanced Scoring
16172 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
16173 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
16174 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
16175 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
16176 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
16178 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
16182 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
16183 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
16184 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
16188 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
16189 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
16191 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
16192 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
16193 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
16194 non-@code{nil} value.
16196 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
16197 operator, and various match operators.
16204 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16205 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
16206 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
16211 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16212 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
16213 then this operator will return @code{false}.
16218 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
16219 logical negation of the value of its argument.
16223 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
16224 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
16225 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
16226 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
16227 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
16228 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
16229 the ancestry you want to go.
16231 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
16232 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
16233 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
16234 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
16235 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
16238 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
16239 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
16241 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
16242 when he's talking about Gnus:
16246 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16247 ("subject" "Gnus"))
16253 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
16257 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16264 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
16265 really don't want to read what he's written:
16269 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16270 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
16274 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
16275 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
16276 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
16283 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
16284 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
16285 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
16286 ("body" "white.*socks"))
16290 The possibilities are endless.
16293 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
16294 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
16296 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
16297 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
16298 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
16299 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
16300 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
16301 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
16302 @samp{subject}) first.
16304 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
16305 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
16316 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
16317 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
16323 ("subject" "Gnus")))
16330 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
16331 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
16336 @section Score Decays
16337 @cindex score decays
16340 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
16341 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
16342 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
16343 use them in any sensible way.
16345 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
16346 @findex gnus-decay-score
16347 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
16348 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
16349 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
16350 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
16351 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
16352 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
16353 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
16354 definition of that function:
16357 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
16359 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
16360 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
16363 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
16365 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
16367 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
16370 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
16371 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
16372 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
16373 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
16377 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
16380 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
16383 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
16387 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
16388 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
16389 the new score, which should be an integer.
16391 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
16392 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
16399 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
16400 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
16401 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
16402 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
16403 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
16404 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
16405 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
16406 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
16407 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
16408 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
16409 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
16410 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
16411 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
16412 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
16413 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
16414 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
16415 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
16416 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
16420 @node Process/Prefix
16421 @section Process/Prefix
16422 @cindex process/prefix convention
16424 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
16425 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
16427 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
16428 command to be performed on.
16432 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
16433 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
16434 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
16435 with the current one.
16437 @vindex transient-mark-mode
16438 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
16439 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
16441 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
16442 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
16445 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
16446 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
16448 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
16451 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
16452 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
16453 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
16454 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16456 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
16457 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
16458 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
16459 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
16460 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
16461 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
16462 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
16463 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
16465 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
16466 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
16467 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
16468 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
16469 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
16473 @section Interactive
16474 @cindex interaction
16478 @item gnus-novice-user
16479 @vindex gnus-novice-user
16480 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
16481 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
16482 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
16483 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
16486 @item gnus-expert-user
16487 @vindex gnus-expert-user
16488 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
16489 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
16490 matter how strange.
16492 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
16493 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
16494 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
16495 is @code{t} by default.
16497 @item gnus-interactive-exit
16498 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
16499 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
16504 @node Symbolic Prefixes
16505 @section Symbolic Prefixes
16506 @cindex symbolic prefixes
16508 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
16509 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
16510 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
16511 rule of 900 to the current article.
16513 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
16514 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
16515 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
16516 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
16517 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
16518 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
16519 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
16521 @kindex M-i (Summary)
16522 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
16523 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
16524 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
16525 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
16526 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
16527 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
16528 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
16529 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
16531 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
16532 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
16533 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
16535 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
16539 @node Formatting Variables
16540 @section Formatting Variables
16541 @cindex formatting variables
16543 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
16544 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
16545 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
16546 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
16547 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
16550 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
16551 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
16552 lots of percentages everywhere.
16555 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
16556 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
16557 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
16558 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
16559 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
16562 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
16563 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
16564 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
16565 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
16566 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
16567 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
16568 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
16569 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
16571 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
16572 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
16574 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
16575 @findex gnus-update-format
16576 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
16577 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
16578 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
16579 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
16583 @node Formatting Basics
16584 @subsection Formatting Basics
16586 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
16587 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
16588 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
16590 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
16591 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
16592 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
16593 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
16594 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
16597 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
16598 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
16599 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
16600 less than 4 characters wide.
16603 @node Mode Line Formatting
16604 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
16606 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
16607 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
16608 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
16609 with the following two differences:
16614 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
16617 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
16618 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
16619 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
16620 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
16621 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
16622 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
16623 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
16628 @node Advanced Formatting
16629 @subsection Advanced Formatting
16631 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
16632 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
16633 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
16634 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
16636 These are the valid modifiers:
16641 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
16645 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
16650 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
16653 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
16658 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
16661 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
16664 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
16667 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
16671 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
16672 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
16673 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
16674 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
16675 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
16676 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
16677 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
16679 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
16680 last operation, padding.
16682 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
16683 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
16684 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
16685 @xref{Compilation}.
16688 @node User-Defined Specs
16689 @subsection User-Defined Specs
16691 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
16692 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
16693 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
16694 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
16695 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
16696 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
16697 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
16698 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
16699 should protect against that.
16701 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
16702 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
16703 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
16704 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
16708 @node Formatting Fonts
16709 @subsection Formatting Fonts
16711 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
16712 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
16713 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
16714 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
16717 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
16718 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
16719 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
16720 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
16721 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
16722 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
16724 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
16725 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
16726 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
16727 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
16728 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
16729 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
16730 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
16731 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
16733 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
16736 ;; Create three face types.
16737 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
16738 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
16740 ;; We want the article count to be in
16741 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
16742 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
16743 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
16745 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
16746 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
16748 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
16749 (setq gnus-group-line-format
16750 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
16753 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
16754 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
16756 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
16757 mode-line variables.
16760 @node Windows Configuration
16761 @section Windows Configuration
16762 @cindex windows configuration
16764 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
16766 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
16767 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
16768 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
16769 @code{t} by default.
16771 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
16772 glitches. Use at your own peril.
16774 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
16775 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
16776 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
16779 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
16780 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
16781 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
16785 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
16786 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
16787 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
16788 possible names is listed below.
16790 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
16791 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
16794 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
16798 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
16799 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
16800 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
16801 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
16802 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
16803 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
16804 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
16805 size spec per split.
16807 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
16808 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
16809 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
16810 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
16811 present) gets focus.
16813 Here's a more complicated example:
16816 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
16817 (summary 0.25 point)
16818 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
16822 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
16823 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
16824 occupy, not a percentage.
16826 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
16827 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
16828 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
16829 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
16830 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
16833 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
16836 (article (horizontal 1.0
16841 (summary 0.25 point)
16846 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
16847 @code{horizontal} thingie?
16849 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
16850 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
16851 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
16852 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
16853 the screen is to be given to this strip.
16855 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
16856 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
16857 lines from the splits.
16859 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
16863 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
16864 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
16865 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
16866 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
16867 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
16868 size = number | frame-params
16869 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
16872 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
16873 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
16874 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
16875 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
16877 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
16878 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
16879 @cindex window height
16880 @cindex window width
16881 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
16882 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
16883 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
16884 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
16885 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
16886 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
16888 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
16889 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
16890 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
16891 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
16893 @findex gnus-configure-frame
16894 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
16895 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
16896 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
16897 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
16898 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
16899 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
16900 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
16901 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
16902 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
16903 configuration list.
16906 (gnus-configure-frame
16910 (article 0.3 point))
16918 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
16919 @code{frame} split:
16922 (gnus-configure-frame
16925 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
16927 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
16928 (user-position . t)
16929 (left . -1) (top . 1))
16934 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
16935 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
16936 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
16937 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
16938 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
16939 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
16940 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
16941 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
16943 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
16944 be found in its default value.
16946 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
16947 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
16948 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
16952 (message (horizontal 1.0
16953 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
16955 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
16960 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
16961 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
16962 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
16965 (message (frame 1.0
16966 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
16967 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
16968 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
16969 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
16970 (name . "Message"))
16971 (message 1.0 point))))
16974 @findex gnus-add-configuration
16975 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
16976 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
16977 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
16978 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
16981 (gnus-add-configuration
16982 '(article (vertical 1.0
16984 (summary .25 point)
16988 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
16989 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
16990 Gnus has been loaded.
16992 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
16993 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
16994 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
16995 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
16996 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
16998 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
16999 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
17000 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
17004 @node Faces and Fonts
17005 @section Faces and Fonts
17010 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
17011 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
17012 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
17017 @section Compilation
17018 @cindex compilation
17019 @cindex byte-compilation
17021 @findex gnus-compile
17023 Remember all those line format specification variables?
17024 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
17025 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
17026 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
17027 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
17028 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
17031 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
17032 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
17033 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
17034 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
17035 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
17036 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
17037 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
17041 @section Mode Lines
17044 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
17045 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
17046 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
17047 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
17048 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
17049 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
17050 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
17053 @cindex display-time
17055 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
17056 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
17057 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
17058 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
17059 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
17060 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
17061 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
17062 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
17065 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
17067 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
17068 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
17070 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
17071 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
17072 (length display-time-string)))))
17075 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
17076 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
17077 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
17078 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
17079 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
17082 @node Highlighting and Menus
17083 @section Highlighting and Menus
17085 @cindex highlighting
17088 @vindex gnus-visual
17089 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
17090 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
17091 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
17094 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
17095 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
17098 @item group-highlight
17099 Do highlights in the group buffer.
17100 @item summary-highlight
17101 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
17102 @item article-highlight
17103 Do highlights in the article buffer.
17105 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
17107 Create menus in the group buffer.
17109 Create menus in the summary buffers.
17111 Create menus in the article buffer.
17113 Create menus in the browse buffer.
17115 Create menus in the server buffer.
17117 Create menus in the score buffers.
17119 Create menus in all buffers.
17122 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
17123 buffers, you could say something like:
17126 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
17129 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
17132 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
17135 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
17136 in all Gnus buffers.
17138 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
17141 @item gnus-mouse-face
17142 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
17143 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
17144 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
17148 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
17152 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
17153 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
17154 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
17156 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
17157 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
17158 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
17160 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
17161 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
17162 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
17164 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
17165 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
17166 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
17168 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
17169 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
17170 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
17172 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
17173 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
17174 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
17185 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
17186 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
17187 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
17188 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
17189 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
17193 @vindex gnus-carpal
17194 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
17195 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
17196 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
17201 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17202 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17203 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
17205 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
17206 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
17207 Face used on buttons.
17209 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
17210 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
17211 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
17213 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17214 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17215 Buttons in the group buffer.
17217 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17218 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17219 Buttons in the summary buffer.
17221 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17222 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17223 Buttons in the server buffer.
17225 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17226 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17227 Buttons in the browse buffer.
17230 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
17231 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
17232 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
17240 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
17241 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
17242 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
17243 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
17244 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
17246 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
17247 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
17248 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
17250 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
17251 been idle for thirty minutes:
17254 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
17257 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
17261 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
17264 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
17265 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
17266 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17268 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
17269 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
17270 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
17271 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17273 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
17274 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
17275 @var{idle} minutes.
17277 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
17278 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
17281 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
17282 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
17283 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
17285 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
17286 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
17287 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
17288 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
17290 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
17291 your @file{.gnus} file:
17293 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
17295 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
17298 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
17299 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
17300 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
17301 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
17302 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
17303 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
17304 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
17305 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
17306 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
17307 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
17308 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
17310 @findex gnus-demon-init
17311 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
17312 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
17313 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
17314 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
17315 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
17317 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
17318 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
17319 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
17328 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
17329 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
17331 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
17332 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
17333 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
17334 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
17337 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
17338 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
17339 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
17340 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
17342 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
17343 this will make spam disappear.
17345 There are some variables to customize, of course:
17348 @item gnus-use-nocem
17349 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
17350 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
17353 @item gnus-nocem-groups
17354 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
17355 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
17356 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
17357 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
17359 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
17360 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
17361 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
17362 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
17363 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
17364 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
17365 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
17367 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
17370 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
17371 @cindex Chris Lewis
17372 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
17373 usenet abuse than anybody else.
17376 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
17377 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
17378 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
17380 @item jem@@xpat.com;
17382 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
17385 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
17386 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
17387 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
17390 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
17391 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
17392 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
17393 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
17394 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
17395 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
17396 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
17397 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
17398 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
17399 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
17401 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
17402 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
17405 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
17408 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
17409 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
17412 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
17415 The specs are applied left-to-right.
17418 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
17419 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
17421 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
17422 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
17423 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
17424 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
17426 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
17427 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
17430 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
17432 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
17440 This might be dangerous, though.
17442 @item gnus-nocem-directory
17443 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
17444 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
17445 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
17447 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
17448 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
17449 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
17450 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
17451 might then see old spam.
17455 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
17456 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
17457 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
17458 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
17465 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
17466 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
17467 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
17469 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
17470 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
17471 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
17472 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
17473 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
17474 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
17475 @code{undo} function.
17477 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
17478 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
17479 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
17480 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
17481 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
17482 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
17483 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
17484 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
17485 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
17486 never be totally undoable.
17488 @findex gnus-undo-mode
17489 @vindex gnus-use-undo
17491 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
17492 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
17493 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
17494 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
17499 @section Moderation
17502 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
17503 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
17504 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
17507 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
17511 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
17514 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17516 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
17521 You split your incoming mail by matching on
17522 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
17523 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
17526 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
17527 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
17530 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
17531 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
17535 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
17538 (setq gnus-moderated-list
17539 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
17543 @node XEmacs Enhancements
17544 @section XEmacs Enhancements
17547 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
17551 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
17552 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
17553 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
17554 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
17567 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
17568 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
17569 over your shoulder as you read news.
17572 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
17573 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
17574 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
17575 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
17576 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
17581 @subsubsection Picon Basics
17583 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
17592 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
17593 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
17594 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
17595 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
17596 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
17597 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
17598 @code{GIF} formats.
17601 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17602 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
17603 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
17604 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
17605 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
17607 @vindex gnus-picons-database
17608 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
17609 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
17610 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
17611 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
17612 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
17615 @node Picon Requirements
17616 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
17618 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
17619 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
17622 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
17623 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
17624 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
17626 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17627 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
17628 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
17629 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
17630 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
17634 @subsubsection Easy Picons
17636 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
17637 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
17640 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
17641 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
17644 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
17645 containing the Picons databases.
17647 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
17650 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17651 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
17656 @subsubsection Hard Picons
17664 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
17665 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
17666 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
17667 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
17668 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
17673 @item gnus-picons-database
17674 @vindex gnus-picons-database
17675 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
17676 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
17677 subdirectories. This is only useful if
17678 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
17679 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
17681 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17682 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17683 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
17684 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
17685 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
17686 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
17687 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
17689 @item gnus-picons-display-where
17690 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
17691 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
17692 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
17693 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
17694 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
17695 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
17696 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
17698 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
17699 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
17700 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
17705 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
17706 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
17708 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
17709 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
17712 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
17714 @item gnus-article-display-picons
17715 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
17716 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
17717 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
17719 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
17720 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
17721 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
17727 @node Picon Useless Configuration
17728 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
17736 The following variables offer further control over how things are
17737 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
17738 don't need to worry about.
17742 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
17743 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
17744 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
17745 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
17747 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
17748 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
17749 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
17750 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
17752 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
17753 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
17754 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
17755 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
17756 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
17758 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17759 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17760 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
17761 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
17762 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
17763 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
17764 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
17766 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
17767 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
17768 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
17769 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
17771 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
17772 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
17773 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
17774 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
17775 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
17776 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
17777 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
17779 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
17780 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
17781 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
17782 Defaults to @code{nil}.
17784 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
17785 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
17786 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
17787 Defaults to @code{t}.
17789 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
17790 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
17791 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
17792 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
17794 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
17795 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
17796 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
17798 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
17799 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
17800 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
17801 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
17803 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
17804 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the defailt.
17806 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
17807 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
17808 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
17809 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
17810 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
17811 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
17812 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
17813 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
17824 @subsection Smileys
17829 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
17834 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
17835 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
17837 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
17838 @file{.gnus.el} file:
17841 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
17844 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
17845 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
17846 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
17847 text and maps that to file names.
17849 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
17850 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
17851 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
17852 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
17853 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
17854 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
17856 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
17857 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
17859 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
17860 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
17861 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
17863 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
17864 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
17868 @item smiley-data-directory
17869 @vindex smiley-data-directory
17870 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
17872 @item smiley-flesh-color
17873 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
17874 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
17876 @item smiley-features-color
17877 @vindex smiley-features-color
17878 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
17880 @item smiley-tongue-color
17881 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
17882 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
17884 @item smiley-circle-color
17885 @vindex smiley-circle-color
17886 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
17888 @item smiley-mouse-face
17889 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
17890 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
17896 @subsection Toolbar
17906 @item gnus-use-toolbar
17907 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
17908 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
17909 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
17910 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
17912 @item gnus-group-toolbar
17913 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
17914 The toolbar in the group buffer.
17916 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
17917 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
17918 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
17920 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
17921 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
17922 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
17928 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
17931 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
17932 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
17933 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
17934 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
17935 unusual directory structure.
17937 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
17938 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
17939 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
17940 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
17942 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
17943 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
17944 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
17945 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
17946 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
17947 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
17949 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
17950 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
17951 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
17965 @node Fuzzy Matching
17966 @section Fuzzy Matching
17967 @cindex fuzzy matching
17969 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
17970 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
17972 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
17973 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
17974 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
17976 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
17977 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
17978 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
17979 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
17980 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
17983 @node Thwarting Email Spam
17984 @section Thwarting Email Spam
17988 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
17990 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
17991 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
17992 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
17993 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
17994 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
17995 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
17996 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
17997 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
18000 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
18001 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
18002 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
18003 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
18004 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
18005 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
18009 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
18010 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
18012 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
18013 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
18014 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
18015 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
18016 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
18017 part of the mail address.)
18020 (setq message-default-news-headers
18021 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
18024 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
18025 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
18030 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
18031 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
18032 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
18038 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
18039 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
18040 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
18041 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
18043 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
18044 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
18045 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
18046 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
18047 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
18048 your fancy split rule in this way:
18053 (to "larsi" "misc")
18057 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
18058 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
18059 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
18060 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
18061 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
18063 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
18064 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
18065 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
18066 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
18067 cosmic balance somewhat.
18069 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
18070 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
18071 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
18072 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
18075 @node Various Various
18076 @section Various Various
18082 @item gnus-home-directory
18083 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
18084 defaults to @file{~/}.
18086 @item gnus-directory
18087 @vindex gnus-directory
18088 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
18089 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
18090 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
18092 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
18093 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
18094 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
18095 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
18097 @item gnus-default-directory
18098 @vindex gnus-default-directory
18099 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
18100 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
18101 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
18102 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
18103 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
18104 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
18107 @vindex gnus-verbose
18108 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
18109 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
18110 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
18111 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
18112 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
18114 @item gnus-verbose-backends
18115 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
18116 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
18117 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
18119 @item nnheader-max-head-length
18120 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
18121 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
18122 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
18123 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
18124 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
18125 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
18126 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
18127 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
18128 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
18130 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
18131 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
18132 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
18133 read when doing the operation described above.
18135 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18136 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18138 @cindex invalid characters in file names
18139 @cindex characters in file names
18140 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
18141 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
18142 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
18145 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18149 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
18150 Windows (phooey) systems.
18152 @item gnus-hidden-properties
18153 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
18154 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
18155 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
18156 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
18158 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
18159 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
18160 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
18161 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
18162 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
18164 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
18165 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
18166 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
18175 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
18176 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
18178 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
18180 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
18186 Not because of victories @*
18189 but for the common sunshine,@*
18191 the largess of the spring.
18195 but for the day's work done@*
18196 as well as I was able;@*
18197 not for a seat upon the dais@*
18198 but at the common table.@*
18203 @chapter Appendices
18206 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
18207 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
18208 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
18209 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
18210 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
18211 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
18212 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
18213 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
18221 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
18222 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
18224 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
18225 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
18226 @file{http://quimby.gnus.org/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
18227 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
18228 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
18230 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
18231 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
18232 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
18233 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
18234 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
18235 appropriate name, don't you think?)
18237 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
18238 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
18239 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
18240 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
18243 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
18244 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
18245 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
18246 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
18247 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
18248 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
18249 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
18250 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
18251 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
18252 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
18256 @node Gnus Versions
18257 @subsection Gnus Versions
18258 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
18260 @cindex September Gnus
18261 @cindex Quassia Gnus
18263 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
18264 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
18265 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
18267 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
18268 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
18270 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
18271 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
18273 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
18274 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
18276 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
18277 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
18280 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
18281 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
18282 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
18283 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
18284 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
18288 @node Other Gnus Versions
18289 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
18292 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
18293 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
18294 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
18295 @sc{mime} capabilities.
18297 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
18298 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
18299 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
18300 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
18307 What's the point of Gnus?
18309 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
18310 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
18311 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
18312 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
18313 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
18314 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
18315 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
18316 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
18317 keep track of millions of people who post?
18319 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
18320 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
18321 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
18322 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
18323 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
18324 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
18325 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
18326 every one of you to explore and invent.
18328 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
18329 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
18332 @node Compatibility
18333 @subsection Compatibility
18335 @cindex compatibility
18336 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
18337 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
18338 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
18343 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
18347 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
18350 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
18353 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
18354 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
18355 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
18356 important variables have their values copied into their global
18357 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
18358 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
18360 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
18361 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
18362 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
18363 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
18364 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
18368 @cindex highlighting
18369 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
18370 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
18371 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
18372 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
18373 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
18374 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
18377 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
18378 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
18379 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
18380 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
18382 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
18383 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
18384 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
18385 to stop doing it the old way.
18387 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
18389 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
18391 @cindex reporting bugs
18393 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
18394 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
18395 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
18397 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
18398 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
18399 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
18400 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
18405 @subsection Conformity
18407 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
18408 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
18415 There are no known breaches of this standard.
18419 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
18421 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
18422 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
18423 We do have some breaches to this one.
18429 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
18430 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
18431 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
18432 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
18433 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
18438 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
18439 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
18440 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
18441 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
18445 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
18446 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
18451 @subsection Emacsen
18457 Gnus should work on :
18465 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
18469 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
18470 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
18473 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
18474 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
18475 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
18479 @node Gnus Development
18480 @subsection Gnus Development
18482 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
18483 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
18484 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
18485 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
18486 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
18487 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
18488 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
18489 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
18491 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
18492 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
18493 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
18494 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
18495 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
18498 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
18499 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
18500 In particular, @code{nnmail-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
18501 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
18502 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
18504 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
18505 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
18506 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
18507 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
18508 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
18509 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
18510 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
18511 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
18512 usually keep up with these rapid changes, whille people on the newsgroup
18513 can't be assumed to do so.
18518 @subsection Contributors
18519 @cindex contributors
18521 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
18522 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
18523 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
18524 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
18525 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
18526 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
18527 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
18528 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
18529 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
18530 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
18532 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
18538 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
18541 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
18542 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
18543 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
18544 functionality and stuff.
18547 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
18548 well as numerous other things).
18551 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
18554 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
18557 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
18560 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
18561 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
18564 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
18567 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
18568 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
18571 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
18574 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
18577 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
18580 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
18583 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
18584 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
18587 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
18590 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
18593 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
18596 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
18600 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
18603 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
18606 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
18609 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
18610 well as autoconf support.
18614 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
18615 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
18617 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
18626 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
18630 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
18640 Alexei V. Barantsev,
18655 Massimo Campostrini,
18660 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
18661 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
18665 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
18668 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
18674 Michael Welsh Duggan,
18679 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
18683 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
18691 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
18693 Michelangelo Grigni,
18697 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
18699 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
18701 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
18708 François Felix Ingrand,
18709 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
18710 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
18712 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
18723 Peter Skov Knudsen,
18724 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
18726 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
18727 Thor Kristoffersen,
18730 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
18748 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
18749 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
18756 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
18761 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
18765 John McClary Prevost,
18771 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
18776 Christian von Roques,
18779 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
18786 Philippe Schnoebelen,
18788 Randal L. Schwartz,
18802 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
18807 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
18823 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
18828 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
18829 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
18830 (550kB and counting).
18832 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
18835 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
18836 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
18840 @subsection New Features
18841 @cindex new features
18844 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
18845 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
18846 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
18847 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
18850 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
18851 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
18852 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
18856 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
18858 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
18863 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
18864 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
18867 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
18868 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
18871 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
18874 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
18875 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
18876 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
18879 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
18880 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
18881 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
18882 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
18885 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
18886 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
18889 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
18890 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
18891 (@pxref{The Active File}).
18894 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
18895 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
18898 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
18899 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
18900 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
18903 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
18904 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
18905 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
18908 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
18909 the @file{.emacs} file.
18912 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
18913 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18916 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
18917 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
18920 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
18921 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
18924 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
18925 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
18928 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
18929 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
18932 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
18935 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
18936 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
18939 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
18940 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
18943 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
18944 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
18947 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
18950 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
18951 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
18954 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
18958 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
18962 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
18963 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
18966 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
18972 @node September Gnus
18973 @subsubsection September Gnus
18977 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
18981 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
18986 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
18987 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
18991 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
18992 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
18996 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
19000 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
19001 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
19004 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
19008 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19011 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
19014 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
19017 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
19021 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
19022 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
19025 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
19029 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
19033 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
19037 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
19041 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
19044 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
19045 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
19048 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
19052 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
19053 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
19056 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
19059 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
19060 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
19061 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19064 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
19068 The Gnus cache is much faster.
19071 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
19075 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
19076 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19079 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
19080 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
19083 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
19084 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19087 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
19088 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
19089 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
19092 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
19093 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
19096 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
19099 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19102 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
19105 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
19108 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
19109 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
19112 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
19116 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
19119 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
19124 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
19127 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
19131 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19134 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
19138 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
19141 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
19144 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
19145 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19148 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
19149 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
19153 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
19154 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
19157 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
19161 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
19162 buffer to allow easier treatment.
19165 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
19168 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
19172 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
19176 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
19177 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
19180 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
19184 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
19185 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19188 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
19189 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19192 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
19196 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19199 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
19202 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
19208 @subsubsection Red Gnus
19210 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
19214 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
19221 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
19224 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
19225 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19228 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
19229 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
19233 Article washing status can be displayed in the
19234 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
19237 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
19240 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
19241 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
19244 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
19248 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
19249 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
19253 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
19254 Server Internals}).
19257 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
19261 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
19264 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
19265 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
19268 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
19269 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
19270 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
19273 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
19274 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19277 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
19278 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
19281 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
19285 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
19286 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19289 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
19290 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19293 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
19297 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
19300 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
19304 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
19305 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19308 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
19309 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19312 A new command for reading collections of documents
19313 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
19314 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
19317 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
19321 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
19322 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
19325 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
19326 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
19327 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
19330 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
19331 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
19335 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
19339 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
19343 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
19348 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
19352 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
19356 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
19357 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
19360 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
19366 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
19368 New features in Gnus 5.6:
19373 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
19374 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
19375 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
19378 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
19379 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
19380 group, which is created automatically.
19383 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
19387 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
19390 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
19391 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
19394 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
19398 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
19401 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
19402 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
19405 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
19408 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
19409 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
19412 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
19413 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
19416 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
19417 control over simplification.
19420 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
19423 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
19427 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
19430 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
19433 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
19434 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
19435 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
19438 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
19439 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
19442 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
19446 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
19447 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
19450 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
19451 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
19454 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
19458 A history of where mails have been split is available.
19461 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
19464 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
19465 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
19468 A new function for citing in Message has been
19469 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
19472 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
19475 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
19479 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
19480 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
19483 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
19484 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
19487 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
19490 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
19495 @node Newest Features
19496 @subsection Newest Features
19499 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
19502 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
19504 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
19505 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
19508 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
19513 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
19514 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
19517 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
19520 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
19523 facep is not declared.
19526 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
19527 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
19530 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
19535 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
19536 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
19537 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
19538 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
19539 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
19540 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
19541 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
19546 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
19549 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
19552 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
19554 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
19555 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
19557 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
19559 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
19561 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
19562 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
19564 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
19566 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
19567 be marked as unread.
19569 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
19571 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
19573 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
19574 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
19576 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
19578 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
19580 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
19581 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
19583 topics that contain just groups with ticked
19584 articles aren't displayed.
19586 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
19588 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
19589 make the mail groups killed.
19591 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
19593 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
19594 and articles have to be removed.
19596 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
19599 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
19601 finding short score file names takes forever.
19603 canceling articles in foreign groups.
19605 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
19607 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
19609 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
19611 nnweb doesn't work properly.
19613 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
19615 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
19616 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
19620 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
19622 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
19623 bar and the Gnus bar.
19626 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
19627 `(canonize-message-id id)'
19628 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
19629 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
19630 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
19631 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
19636 nnml .overview directory with splits.
19640 postponed commands.
19642 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
19644 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
19647 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
19648 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
19650 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
19651 inherit copy prompts and save files.
19653 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
19655 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
19656 for backends that support that.
19658 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
19660 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
19661 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
19663 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
19664 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
19666 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
19668 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
19670 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
19672 server mode command: close/open all connections
19674 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
19675 has been changed before using it.
19677 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
19679 hide (sub)threads with low score.
19681 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
19683 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
19685 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
19686 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
19688 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
19689 contain groups that match a regexp.
19691 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
19694 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
19697 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
19698 from subject lines.
19700 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
19702 nntp-ping-before-connect
19704 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
19706 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
19707 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
19709 message annotations.
19711 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
19713 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
19714 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
19716 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
19721 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
19723 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
19725 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
19727 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
19728 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
19730 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
19732 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
19734 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
19735 finds and generate proper active ranges.
19737 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
19738 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
19740 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
19742 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
19744 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
19745 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
19747 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
19749 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
19751 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
19752 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
19755 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
19757 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
19759 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
19760 `C-c C-c' when posting.
19762 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
19765 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
19766 should be marker as expirable.
19768 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
19770 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
19771 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
19773 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
19774 Also consult Date headers.
19776 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
19778 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
19780 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
19781 Message-ID, delete the "original".
19783 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
19784 into a See-Also header.
19786 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
19788 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
19790 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
19791 should be listed as such and not as "K".
19793 generate font names dynamically.
19795 score file mode auto-alist.
19797 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
19798 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
19800 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
19801 absolutely all headers there is.
19803 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
19804 and pipe them to the process.
19806 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
19807 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
19808 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
19810 function for starting to edit a file to put into
19811 the current mail group.
19813 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
19815 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
19816 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
19818 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
19819 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
19821 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
19823 when replying to several process-marked articles,
19824 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
19826 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
19827 groups it has been mailed to.
19829 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
19831 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
19833 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
19835 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
19836 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
19838 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
19839 newlines) should be ignored.
19841 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
19842 groups in subtopics as well.
19844 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
19846 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
19849 add edit and forward secondary marks.
19851 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
19853 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
19855 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
19857 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
19859 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
19861 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
19862 or the formatted article.
19864 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
19866 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
19867 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
19869 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
19871 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
19873 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
19875 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
19876 even unread articles.
19878 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
19880 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
19882 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
19884 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
19886 canceling articles in foreign groups.
19888 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
19891 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
19892 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
19894 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
19895 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
19897 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
19899 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
19901 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
19902 from a particular server? Hm.
19904 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
19905 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
19907 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
19909 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
19910 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
19912 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
19913 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
19915 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
19916 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
19917 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
19920 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
19921 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
19923 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
19925 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
19927 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
19929 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
19932 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
19935 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
19936 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
19938 command to show and edit group scores
19940 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
19943 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
19945 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
19947 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
19948 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
19951 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
19952 that are of that length.
19954 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
19956 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
19958 asynchronous posting under nntp.
19960 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
19962 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
19964 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
19966 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
19967 a score lower than this number.
19969 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
19971 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
19973 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
19974 so that each copy can be edited separately.
19976 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
19978 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
19979 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
19981 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
19984 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
19985 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
19986 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
19987 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
19989 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
19992 command to remove all topic stuff.
19994 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
19995 and splitting the resulting digests.
19997 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
19999 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
20001 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
20002 matches an alist -- before saving.
20004 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
20006 variable to activate each group before entering them
20007 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
20009 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
20010 starting Gnus first if necessary.
20012 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
20013 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
20015 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
20017 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
20018 of several groups at once.
20020 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
20021 matches some regexp(s).
20023 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
20025 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
20027 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
20029 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
20031 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
20033 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
20035 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
20037 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
20038 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
20039 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
20040 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
20042 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
20043 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
20045 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
20047 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
20048 recently cited text.
20050 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
20052 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
20055 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
20056 server and just read the articles in the server
20058 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
20059 value of nnoo variables.
20061 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
20063 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
20064 listed in each group info.
20066 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
20069 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
20070 should only be applied to some groups.
20072 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
20073 mail-copies-to: never.
20075 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
20076 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
20078 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
20080 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
20083 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
20086 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
20088 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
20091 group user-defined meta-parameters.
20095 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
20097 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
20098 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
20099 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
20100 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
20101 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
20103 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
20104 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
20111 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
20112 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
20114 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
20115 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
20117 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
20118 "Return the date the group was last read."
20119 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
20124 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
20125 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
20126 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
20127 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
20131 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
20132 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
20134 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
20137 They could be used like this:
20141 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
20142 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
20143 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
20145 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
20147 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
20150 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
20153 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
20154 affect the summary line format.
20158 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
20160 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
20161 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
20163 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
20166 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
20168 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
20170 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
20172 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
20174 - For other files, just find them normally.
20176 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
20177 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
20180 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
20181 tell him what you are doing.
20184 Currently, I get prompted:
20188 decend into sci.something ?
20192 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
20193 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
20194 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
20195 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
20198 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
20199 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
20200 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
20201 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
20204 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
20205 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
20211 more than n blank lines
20213 more than m identical lines
20214 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
20216 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
20220 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
20221 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
20222 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
20223 "same" subject for threading purposes.
20226 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
20227 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
20228 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
20229 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
20232 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
20235 soup - bowl of soup
20236 score below - dim light bulb
20237 score over - bright light bulb
20240 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
20245 show-list-of-articles-in-group
20246 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20247 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
20248 if (articles-selected)
20249 start-reading-selected-articles;
20250 junk-unread-articles;
20255 else if (key-pressed = '.')
20256 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
20257 select-thread-under-cursor;
20259 select-article-under-cursor;
20263 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20264 if (more-pages-in-article)
20266 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
20273 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
20274 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
20275 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
20278 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
20279 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
20280 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
20281 the wildcard expression).
20284 It would be nice if it also handled
20286 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
20288 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
20293 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
20294 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
20295 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
20296 article versions) variable.
20298 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
20300 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
20301 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
20305 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
20308 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
20309 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
20310 (message-sent-hook).
20312 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
20315 * Enhancements to Gnus:
20319 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
20320 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
20323 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
20324 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
20325 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
20328 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
20329 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
20333 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
20336 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
20340 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
20341 the nnmail duplicate checking.
20344 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
20345 value of the signature file.
20348 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
20349 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
20352 (setq message-tab-alist
20353 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
20354 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
20356 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
20360 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
20363 a command to import a buffer into a group.
20366 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
20369 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
20370 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
20373 a command to process mark all unread articles.
20376 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
20377 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
20378 do more gathering by subject.
20381 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
20382 article numerical order.
20385 (gnus-thread-total-score
20386 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
20390 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
20393 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
20394 in the summary buffer.
20397 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
20398 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
20401 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
20402 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
20403 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
20404 and/or newsgroup name.
20407 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
20410 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
20413 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
20416 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
20417 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
20418 will automatically get the process mark.
20421 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
20422 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
20423 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
20426 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
20430 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
20431 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
20434 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
20435 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
20439 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
20440 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
20443 be able to post via DejaNews.
20446 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
20449 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
20450 allow them to be displayed separately.
20453 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
20454 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
20457 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
20458 articles that match a certain From header.
20461 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
20462 saving living summary buffers.
20465 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
20466 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
20469 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
20470 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
20473 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
20474 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
20477 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
20478 (goto-char (point-min))
20479 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
20480 (replace-match "`" t t))
20481 (goto-char (point-min))
20482 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
20483 (replace-match "'" t t))
20484 (goto-char (point-min))
20485 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
20486 (replace-match "\"" t t))
20487 (goto-char (point-min))
20488 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
20489 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
20494 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
20496 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
20497 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
20498 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
20499 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
20503 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
20506 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
20507 numbers and match on the age of the article.
20511 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
20512 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
20513 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
20515 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
20516 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
20518 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
20519 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
20524 all commands that react to the process mark should push
20525 the current process mark set onto the stack.
20528 gnus-article-hide-pgp
20529 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
20531 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
20533 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
20534 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
20537 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
20538 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
20541 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
20545 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
20546 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
20549 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
20552 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
20555 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
20558 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
20562 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
20568 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
20571 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
20575 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
20576 X characters in the body.
20579 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
20582 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
20585 format spec to "tab" to a position.
20588 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
20591 command to display all dormant articles.
20594 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
20597 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
20598 to something someone else has said.
20601 Read Netscape discussion groups:
20602 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
20605 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
20606 the displayed version.
20609 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
20613 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
20616 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
20617 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
20618 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
20622 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
20623 in the head or body.
20626 Allow breaking lengthy @sc{nntp} commands.
20629 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
20632 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
20633 in a special, unique buffer.
20636 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
20639 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
20640 is less than a certain number of days old.
20643 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
20646 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
20649 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
20650 file, for instance.
20653 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
20654 in any other dummy thread will make Gnus highlight the
20655 dummy root instead of the first article.
20658 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
20659 topics for displaying.
20662 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
20663 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
20666 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
20669 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
20670 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
20671 summary buffer for each article.
20674 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
20677 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
20681 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
20684 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
20688 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
20691 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
20694 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
20695 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
20698 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
20699 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
20702 A spec for the group line format to display the number of
20703 agent-downloaded articles in the group.
20706 Some nntp servers never respond when posting, so there should be a
20707 timeout for all commands.
20710 When stading on a topic line and `t'-ing, point goes to the last line.
20711 It should go somewhere else.
20714 I'm having trouble accessing a newsgroup with a "+" in its name with
20715 Gnus. There is a new newsgroup on msnews.microsoft.com named
20716 "microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time" that I'm trying to
20718 "nntp+msnews.microsoft.com:microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time"
20719 but it gives an error that it cant access the group.
20721 Is the "+" character illegal in newsgroup names? Is there any way in
20722 Gnus to work around this? (gnus 5.6.45 - XEmacs 20.4)
20729 Subject: Answer to your mails 01.01.1999-01.05.1999
20730 --text follows this line--
20731 Sorry I killfiled you...
20733 Under the subject "foo", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
20735 Under the subject "foo1", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
20740 Allow "orphan" scores in the Agent scoring.
20744 - Edit article's summary line.
20746 - Sort lines in buffer by subject
20748 --> the old subject line appears in Summary buffer, not the one that was
20754 Remove list identifiers from the subject in the summary when doing `^'
20758 Have the Agent write out articles, one by one, as it retrieves them,
20759 to avoid having to re-fetch them all if Emacs should crash while
20763 Be able to forward groups of messages as MIME digests.
20766 nnweb should include the "get whole article" article when getting articles.
20769 When I type W W c (gnus-article-hide-citation) in the summary
20770 buffer, the citations are revealed, but the [+] buttons don't turn
20771 into [-] buttons. (If I click on one of the [+] buttons, it does
20772 turn into a [-] button.)
20775 Perhaps there should be a command to "attach" a buffer of comments to
20776 a message? That is, `B WHATEVER', you're popped into a buffer, write
20777 something, end with `C-c C-c', and then the thing you've written gets
20778 to be the child of the message you're commenting.
20781 Solve the halting problem.
20790 @section The Manual
20794 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
20795 either @code{texi2dvi}
20797 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
20798 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
20800 to get what you hold in your hands now.
20802 The following conventions have been used:
20807 This is a @samp{string}
20810 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
20813 This is a @file{file}
20816 This is a @code{symbol}
20820 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
20824 (setq flargnoze "yes")
20827 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
20830 (setq flumphel 'yes)
20833 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
20834 ever get them confused.
20838 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
20839 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
20840 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
20841 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
20842 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
20843 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
20844 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
20850 @node On Writing Manuals
20851 @section On Writing Manuals
20853 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
20854 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
20855 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
20856 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
20857 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
20858 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
20861 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
20862 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
20863 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
20866 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
20867 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
20872 @section Terminology
20874 @cindex terminology
20879 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
20880 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
20881 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
20882 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
20883 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
20887 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
20888 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
20889 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
20890 not posting, and replying is not following up.
20894 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
20898 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
20903 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
20904 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
20905 is all done by the backends.
20909 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
20910 default, way of getting news.
20914 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
20915 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
20920 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
20921 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
20925 A message that has been posted as news.
20928 @cindex mail message
20929 A message that has been mailed.
20933 A mail message or news article
20937 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
20942 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
20947 A line from the head of an article.
20951 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
20952 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
20956 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
20957 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
20958 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
20959 normal @sc{head} format.
20963 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
20964 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
20965 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
20966 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
20967 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
20968 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
20970 @item killed groups
20971 @cindex killed groups
20972 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
20973 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
20975 @item zombie groups
20976 @cindex zombie groups
20977 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
20980 @cindex active file
20981 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
20982 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
20983 is rather large, as you might surmise.
20986 @cindex bogus groups
20987 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
20988 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
20989 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
20992 @cindex activating groups
20993 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
20994 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
20995 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
20999 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21001 @item select method
21002 @cindex select method
21003 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
21006 @item virtual server
21007 @cindex virtual server
21008 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21009 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21010 whole is a virtual server.
21014 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21015 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21018 @item ephemeral groups
21019 @cindex ephemeral groups
21020 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21021 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21022 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21025 @cindex solid groups
21026 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21027 group buffer are solid groups.
21029 @item sparse articles
21030 @cindex sparse articles
21031 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21032 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21036 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21037 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21041 @cindex thread root
21042 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21043 articles in the thread.
21047 An article that has responses.
21051 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21055 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21056 specified by RFC1153.
21062 @node Customization
21063 @section Customization
21064 @cindex general customization
21066 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21067 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21068 for some quite common situations.
21071 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21072 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21073 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21074 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21078 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21079 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21081 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21082 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21083 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21087 @item gnus-read-active-file
21088 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21089 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21090 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21091 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21092 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21094 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21095 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21096 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21097 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21101 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21102 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21104 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21105 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21106 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21110 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21111 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21112 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21113 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21114 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21116 @item gnus-visible-headers
21117 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21118 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21119 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21120 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21122 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21124 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21125 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21126 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21129 @item gnus-use-full-window
21130 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21131 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21132 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21133 want to read them anyway.
21135 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21136 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21139 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21140 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21141 lines, which might save some time.
21145 @node Little Disk Space
21146 @subsection Little Disk Space
21149 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21150 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21154 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21155 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21156 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21157 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21160 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21161 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21162 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21163 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21166 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21167 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21168 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21169 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21170 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21176 @subsection Slow Machine
21177 @cindex slow machine
21179 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21180 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21182 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21183 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21185 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21186 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21187 summary buffer faster.
21191 @node Troubleshooting
21192 @section Troubleshooting
21193 @cindex troubleshooting
21195 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21203 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21206 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21207 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21211 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21212 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
21213 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
21214 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21217 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21221 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21222 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21223 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21224 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21225 something like that.
21228 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21231 @cindex reporting bugs
21233 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21235 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21236 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21237 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21238 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21240 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21241 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21242 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21243 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21246 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21247 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21248 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21249 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21250 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21251 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21253 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21254 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21255 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21258 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21259 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21261 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21262 @cindex ding mailing list
21263 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21264 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21268 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21269 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21271 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21272 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21273 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21274 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21277 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21278 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21279 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21280 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21281 and general methods of operation.
21284 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21285 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21286 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21287 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21288 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21289 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21290 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21291 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21292 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21296 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21297 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21298 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21299 @cindex utility functions
21301 @cindex internal variables
21303 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21304 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21305 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21309 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21310 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21311 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21313 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21314 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21315 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21317 @item gnus-group-real-name
21318 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21319 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21322 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21323 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21324 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21325 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21327 @item gnus-get-info
21328 @findex gnus-get-info
21329 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21331 @item gnus-group-unread
21332 @findex gnus-group-unread
21333 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
21337 @findex gnus-active
21338 The active entry for @var{group}.
21340 @item gnus-set-active
21341 @findex gnus-set-active
21342 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
21344 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21345 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21346 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
21349 @item gnus-continuum-version
21350 @findex gnus-continuum-version
21351 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
21352 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
21355 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
21356 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
21357 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
21359 @item gnus-news-group-p
21360 @findex gnus-news-group-p
21361 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
21363 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21364 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21365 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
21367 @item gnus-server-to-method
21368 @findex gnus-server-to-method
21369 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
21371 @item gnus-server-equal
21372 @findex gnus-server-equal
21373 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
21375 @item gnus-group-native-p
21376 @findex gnus-group-native-p
21377 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
21379 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
21380 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
21381 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
21383 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
21384 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
21385 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
21387 @item group-group-find-parameter
21388 @findex group-group-find-parameter
21389 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
21390 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
21392 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
21393 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
21394 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
21396 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
21397 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
21398 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
21400 @item gnus-check-backend-function
21401 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
21402 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
21403 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
21406 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
21410 @item gnus-read-method
21411 @findex gnus-read-method
21412 Prompts the user for a select method.
21417 @node Backend Interface
21418 @subsection Backend Interface
21420 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
21421 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
21422 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
21423 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
21424 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
21425 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
21427 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
21428 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
21429 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
21430 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
21431 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
21432 been opened, the function should fail.
21434 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
21435 name. Take this example:
21439 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
21440 (nntp-port-number 4324))
21443 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
21444 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
21446 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
21447 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
21448 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
21450 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
21451 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
21452 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
21454 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
21455 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
21456 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
21457 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
21458 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
21459 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
21462 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
21463 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
21464 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
21465 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
21468 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
21471 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
21474 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
21475 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
21476 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
21477 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
21478 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
21479 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
21483 @node Required Backend Functions
21484 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
21488 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
21490 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
21491 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
21492 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
21493 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
21495 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
21496 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
21497 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
21498 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
21500 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
21501 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
21502 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
21503 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
21504 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
21505 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
21506 number, do maximum fetches.
21508 Here's an example HEAD:
21511 221 1056 Article retrieved.
21512 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
21513 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
21514 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
21515 Subject: Re: Something very droll
21516 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
21517 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
21519 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
21520 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
21521 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
21525 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
21526 these in the data buffer.
21528 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
21532 head = error / valid-head
21533 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
21534 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
21535 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
21536 header = <text> eol
21539 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
21540 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
21544 nov-buffer = *nov-line
21545 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
21546 field = <text except TAB>
21549 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
21553 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
21555 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
21556 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
21558 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
21559 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
21560 server. In fact, it should do so.
21562 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
21563 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
21566 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
21568 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
21569 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
21572 There should be no data returned.
21575 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
21577 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
21578 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
21579 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
21580 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
21582 There should be no data returned.
21585 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
21587 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
21588 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
21589 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
21590 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
21592 There should be no data returned.
21595 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
21597 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
21599 There should be no data returned.
21602 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
21604 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
21605 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
21606 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
21607 it would be nice if that were possible.
21609 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
21610 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
21611 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
21612 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
21613 into its article buffer.
21615 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
21616 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
21617 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
21618 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
21619 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
21620 on successful article retrieval.
21623 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
21625 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
21626 making @var{group} the current group.
21628 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
21631 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
21634 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
21637 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
21638 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
21639 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
21640 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
21641 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
21642 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
21643 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
21644 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
21647 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
21648 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
21649 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
21653 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21655 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
21656 a no-op on most backends.
21658 There should be no data returned.
21661 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
21663 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
21666 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
21669 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
21670 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
21673 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
21674 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
21677 active-file = *active-line
21678 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
21680 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
21683 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
21684 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
21685 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
21688 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
21690 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
21691 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
21692 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
21693 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
21694 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
21695 clear if the posting could not be completed.
21697 There should be no result data from this function.
21702 @node Optional Backend Functions
21703 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
21707 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
21709 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
21710 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
21711 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
21713 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
21714 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
21715 former is in the same format as the data from
21716 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
21717 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
21720 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
21724 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
21726 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
21727 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
21728 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
21729 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
21730 should return the (altered) group info.
21732 There should be no result data from this function.
21735 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
21737 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
21738 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
21739 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
21740 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
21741 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
21742 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
21743 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
21744 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
21746 There should be no result data from this function.
21749 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
21751 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
21752 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
21753 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
21754 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
21755 propagate the mark information to the server.
21757 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
21760 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
21763 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
21764 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
21765 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
21766 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
21767 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a symbol.
21768 Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
21769 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
21770 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
21771 not limit itself to these.
21773 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
21774 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
21775 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
21776 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
21778 An example action list:
21781 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
21782 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
21783 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
21786 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
21787 mark on (currently not used for anything).
21789 There should be no result data from this function.
21791 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
21793 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
21794 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
21795 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
21796 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
21797 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
21799 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
21800 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
21801 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
21804 There should be no result data from this function.
21807 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
21809 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
21810 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
21811 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
21812 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
21813 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
21814 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
21815 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
21817 There should be no result data from this function.
21820 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
21822 The result data from this function should be a description of
21826 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
21828 description = <text>
21831 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
21833 The result data from this function should be the description of all
21834 groups available on the server.
21837 description-buffer = *description-line
21841 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
21843 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
21844 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
21845 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
21848 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21850 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
21852 There should be no return data.
21855 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
21857 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
21858 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
21859 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
21860 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
21861 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
21864 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
21867 There should be no result data returned.
21870 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
21873 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
21874 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
21876 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
21877 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
21878 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
21879 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
21880 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
21881 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
21883 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
21884 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
21887 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21888 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21890 There should be no data returned.
21893 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
21895 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
21896 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
21897 this function in short order.
21899 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21900 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21902 There should be no data returned.
21905 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
21907 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
21908 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
21910 There should be no data returned.
21913 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
21915 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
21916 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
21917 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
21919 There should be no data returned.
21922 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
21924 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
21925 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
21927 There should be no data returned.
21932 @node Error Messaging
21933 @subsubsection Error Messaging
21935 @findex nnheader-report
21936 @findex nnheader-get-report
21937 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
21938 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
21939 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
21940 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
21941 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
21942 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
21945 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
21947 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
21950 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
21951 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
21952 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
21953 takes one argument---the server symbol.
21955 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
21956 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
21957 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
21960 @node Writing New Backends
21961 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
21963 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
21964 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
21965 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
21966 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
21967 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
21970 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
21971 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
21972 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
21974 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
21975 package called @code{nnoo}.
21977 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
21978 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
21984 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
21985 parameters. For instance:
21988 (nnoo-declare nndir
21992 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
21993 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
21996 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
21997 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
21998 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22000 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22001 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
22002 a function in those backends.
22005 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22006 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22007 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22010 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22011 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22012 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22014 @item nnoo-define-basics
22015 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
22019 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22023 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22024 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22025 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
22027 @item nnoo-map-functions
22028 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
22029 functions from the parent backends.
22032 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22033 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22034 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22037 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22038 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22039 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22040 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22043 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
22044 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22045 haven't already been defined.
22051 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22055 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22056 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22057 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22062 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
22065 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22066 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22070 (require 'nnheader)
22074 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22076 (nnoo-declare nndir
22079 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22080 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22081 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22083 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22084 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22087 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22088 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22089 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22091 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22092 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22094 ;;; Interface functions.
22096 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22098 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22099 (setq nndir-directory
22100 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22102 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22103 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22104 (push `(nndir-current-group
22105 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22107 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22108 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22110 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22112 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22113 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22114 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22115 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22116 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22120 nnmh-status-message
22122 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22128 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22129 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22131 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22132 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
22133 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22134 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22136 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
22137 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22142 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22145 The abilities can be:
22149 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22151 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
22153 This backend supports both mail and news.
22155 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
22158 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22159 articles and groups.
22161 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22162 true for almost all backends.
22163 @item prompt-address
22164 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22165 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
22166 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22170 @node Mail-like Backends
22171 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
22173 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
22174 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
22175 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22176 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22179 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22180 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22181 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22184 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22185 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22188 This function takes four parameters.
22192 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
22195 @item exit-function
22196 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22198 @item temp-directory
22199 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22202 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22203 performed for one group only.
22206 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
22207 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22208 find the article number assigned to this article.
22210 The function also uses the following variables:
22211 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22212 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
22213 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22214 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22218 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22219 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22223 @node Score File Syntax
22224 @subsection Score File Syntax
22226 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22227 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22228 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22230 Here's a typical score file:
22234 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22241 BNF definition of a score file:
22244 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22245 element = rule / atom
22246 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22247 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22248 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22249 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22251 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22252 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22253 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22254 date-header = "date"
22255 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22256 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22257 score = "nil" / <integer>
22258 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22259 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22260 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22261 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22262 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22263 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22264 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22265 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22266 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22267 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22268 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22269 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22270 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22271 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22272 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22273 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22274 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22275 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22276 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22277 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22278 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22279 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22280 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22281 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22282 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22283 eval = "eval" space <form>
22284 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22287 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22290 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22291 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22292 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22293 one looong line, then that's ok.
22295 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22296 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22300 @subsection Headers
22302 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22303 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22304 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
22305 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
22307 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
22308 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
22309 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
22310 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
22311 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
22312 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
22313 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
22315 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
22316 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
22317 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
22318 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
22319 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
22321 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
22322 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
22328 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
22329 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
22331 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
22332 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
22333 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
22334 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
22336 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
22340 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
22343 is transformed into
22346 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
22349 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
22350 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
22353 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
22356 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
22357 is slightly tricky:
22360 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
22366 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
22369 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
22375 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
22382 and is equal to the previous range.
22384 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
22385 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
22386 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
22390 range = simple-range / normal-range
22391 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
22392 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
22393 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
22394 number *[ " " contents ]
22397 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
22398 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
22399 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
22400 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
22401 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
22406 @subsection Group Info
22408 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
22409 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
22410 describes the group.
22412 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
22413 second is a more complex one:
22416 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
22418 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
22419 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
22421 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
22424 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
22425 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
22426 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
22427 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
22428 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
22429 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
22430 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
22431 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
22432 this section is about.
22434 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
22435 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
22436 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
22438 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
22441 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
22442 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
22443 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22444 group = quote <string> quote
22445 ralevel = rank / level
22446 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22447 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
22448 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22450 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
22451 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
22452 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
22453 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
22456 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
22457 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
22460 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
22461 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
22464 @item gnus-info-group
22465 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
22466 @findex gnus-info-group
22467 @findex gnus-info-set-group
22468 Get/set the group name.
22470 @item gnus-info-rank
22471 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
22472 @findex gnus-info-rank
22473 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
22474 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
22476 @item gnus-info-level
22477 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
22478 @findex gnus-info-level
22479 @findex gnus-info-set-level
22480 Get/set the group level.
22482 @item gnus-info-score
22483 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
22484 @findex gnus-info-score
22485 @findex gnus-info-set-score
22486 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
22488 @item gnus-info-read
22489 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
22490 @findex gnus-info-read
22491 @findex gnus-info-set-read
22492 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
22494 @item gnus-info-marks
22495 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
22496 @findex gnus-info-marks
22497 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
22498 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
22500 @item gnus-info-method
22501 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
22502 @findex gnus-info-method
22503 @findex gnus-info-set-method
22504 Get/set the group select method.
22506 @item gnus-info-params
22507 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
22508 @findex gnus-info-params
22509 @findex gnus-info-set-params
22510 Get/set the group parameters.
22513 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
22514 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
22516 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
22517 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
22518 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
22519 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
22522 @node Extended Interactive
22523 @subsection Extended Interactive
22524 @cindex interactive
22525 @findex gnus-interactive
22527 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
22528 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
22529 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
22532 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
22533 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
22538 The best thing to do would have been to implement
22539 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
22540 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
22541 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
22542 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
22543 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
22544 @code{interactive}.
22546 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
22551 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
22552 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
22556 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
22557 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
22558 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
22561 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
22565 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
22569 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
22575 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
22576 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
22580 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
22581 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
22582 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
22584 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
22585 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
22586 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
22587 Gnus, that's very useful.
22589 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
22590 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
22591 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
22592 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
22593 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
22594 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
22595 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
22596 following function:
22599 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
22603 (,function ,@@args))
22607 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
22608 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
22609 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
22612 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
22613 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
22614 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
22616 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
22617 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
22618 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
22621 @node Various File Formats
22622 @subsection Various File Formats
22625 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
22626 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
22630 @node Active File Format
22631 @subsubsection Active File Format
22633 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
22634 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
22637 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
22640 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
22641 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
22642 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
22643 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
22644 no.general 1000 900 y
22647 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
22650 active = *group-line
22651 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
22652 group = <non-white-space string>
22654 high-number = <non-negative integer>
22655 low-number = <positive integer>
22656 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
22659 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
22660 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
22663 @node Newsgroups File Format
22664 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
22666 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
22667 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
22668 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
22671 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
22672 Here's the definition:
22676 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
22677 group = <non-white-space string>
22679 description = <string>
22684 @node Emacs for Heathens
22685 @section Emacs for Heathens
22687 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
22688 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
22689 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
22690 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
22691 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
22692 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
22693 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
22697 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
22698 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
22703 @subsection Keystrokes
22707 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
22710 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
22713 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
22714 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
22715 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
22716 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
22717 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
22718 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
22720 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
22721 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
22722 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
22723 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
22724 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
22725 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
22726 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
22728 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
22729 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
22730 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
22731 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
22732 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
22733 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
22734 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
22736 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
22737 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
22738 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
22739 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
22740 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
22746 @subsection Emacs Lisp
22748 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
22749 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
22750 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
22751 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
22753 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
22754 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
22755 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
22756 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
22757 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
22758 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
22759 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
22762 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
22763 write the following:
22766 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
22769 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
22770 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
22771 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
22774 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
22775 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
22776 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
22777 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
22778 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
22780 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
22781 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
22782 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
22786 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
22790 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
22793 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
22794 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
22797 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
22800 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
22801 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
22804 @include gnus-faq.texi