10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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282 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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291 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
292 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
295 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
296 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
297 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
298 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
299 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
300 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
301 License'' in the Emacs manual.
303 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
304 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
305 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
307 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
308 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
309 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
310 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
318 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
320 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
321 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
323 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
324 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
325 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
326 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
327 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
328 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
329 License'' in the Emacs manual.
331 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
332 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
333 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
335 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
336 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
337 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
338 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
346 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
349 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
350 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
351 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
353 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
354 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
355 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
356 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
357 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
358 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
359 License'' in the Emacs manual.
361 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
362 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
363 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
365 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
366 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
367 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
368 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
377 @top The Gnus Newsreader
381 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
382 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
383 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
386 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v0.07.
397 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
398 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
400 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
401 being accused of plagiarism:
403 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
404 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
405 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
406 can even read news with it!
408 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
409 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
410 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
411 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
412 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
418 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
419 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
420 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
421 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
422 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
423 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
424 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
425 * Various:: General purpose settings.
426 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
427 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
428 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
429 * Key Index:: Key Index.
432 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
436 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
437 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
438 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
439 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
440 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
441 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
442 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
443 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
444 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
445 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
446 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
450 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
451 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
452 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
456 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
457 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
458 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
459 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
460 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
461 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
462 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
463 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
464 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
465 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
466 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
467 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
468 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
469 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
470 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
471 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
472 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
476 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
477 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
478 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
482 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
483 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
484 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
485 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
486 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
490 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
491 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
492 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
493 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
494 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
498 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
499 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
500 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
501 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
502 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
503 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
504 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
505 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
506 * Threading:: How threads are made.
507 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
508 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
509 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
510 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
511 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
512 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
513 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
514 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
515 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
516 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
517 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
518 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
519 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
520 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
521 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
522 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
523 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
524 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
525 or reselecting the current group.
526 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
527 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
528 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
529 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
531 Summary Buffer Format
533 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
534 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
535 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
536 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
540 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
541 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
543 Reply, Followup and Post
545 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
546 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
547 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
548 * Canceling and Superseding::
552 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
553 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
554 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
556 * Generic Marking Commands::
557 * Setting Process Marks::
561 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
562 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
563 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
567 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
568 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
570 Customizing Threading
572 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
573 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
574 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
575 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
579 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
580 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
581 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
582 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
583 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
584 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
588 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
589 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
590 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
594 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
595 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
596 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
597 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
598 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
599 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
600 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
601 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
602 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
603 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
605 Alternative Approaches
607 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
608 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
610 Various Summary Stuff
612 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
613 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
614 * Summary Generation Commands::
615 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
619 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
620 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
621 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
622 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
623 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
627 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
628 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
629 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
630 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
631 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
632 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
633 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
634 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
638 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
639 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
640 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
641 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
642 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
643 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
644 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
645 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
649 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
650 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
651 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
652 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
653 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
654 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
655 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
659 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
660 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
664 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
665 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
666 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
670 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
671 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
672 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
673 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
674 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
675 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
676 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
677 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
678 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
679 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
680 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
681 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
682 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
686 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
687 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
688 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
690 Choosing a Mail Back End
692 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
693 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
694 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
695 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
696 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
697 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
702 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
703 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
704 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
705 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
706 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
707 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
711 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
712 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
713 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
714 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
715 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
719 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
720 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
721 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
722 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
723 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
727 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
731 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
732 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
733 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
737 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
738 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
742 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
743 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
744 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
745 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
746 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
747 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
748 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
749 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
750 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
751 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
752 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
756 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
757 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
758 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
762 * Group Agent Commands::
763 * Summary Agent Commands::
764 * Server Agent Commands::
768 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
769 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
770 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
771 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
772 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
773 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
774 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
775 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
776 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
777 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
778 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
779 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
780 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
781 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
782 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
783 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
784 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
788 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
789 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
790 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
791 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
795 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
796 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
797 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
801 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
802 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
803 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
804 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
805 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
806 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
807 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
808 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
809 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
810 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
811 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
812 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
813 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
814 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
815 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
816 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
817 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
818 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
819 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
823 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
824 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
825 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
826 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
827 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
828 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
829 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
830 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
834 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
835 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
836 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
837 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
838 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
842 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
843 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
844 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
845 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
846 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
850 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
851 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
852 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
853 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
854 * Filtering Spam Using spam.el::
855 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)::
859 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
860 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
861 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
862 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
863 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
864 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
865 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
866 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
867 * Frequently Asked Questions::
871 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
872 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
873 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
874 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
875 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
876 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
877 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
878 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
879 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
883 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
884 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
885 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
886 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
887 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
891 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
892 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
893 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
894 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
898 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
899 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
900 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
901 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
902 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
903 * Group Info:: The group info format.
904 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
905 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
906 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
910 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
911 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
912 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
913 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
914 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
915 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
919 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
920 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
924 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
925 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
931 @chapter Starting Gnus
936 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
937 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
940 @findex gnus-other-frame
941 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
942 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
943 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
945 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
946 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
947 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
949 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
950 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
953 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
954 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
955 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
956 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
957 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
958 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
959 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
960 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
961 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
962 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
963 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
967 @node Finding the News
968 @section Finding the News
971 @vindex gnus-select-method
973 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
974 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
975 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
976 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
979 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
980 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
983 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
986 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
989 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
992 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
993 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
994 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
996 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
998 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
999 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1000 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1001 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1002 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
1003 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
1005 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1006 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1007 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1008 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1010 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1011 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1012 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1013 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1014 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1015 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1016 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1017 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1018 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1021 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1023 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1024 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1025 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1026 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1027 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1028 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1030 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1032 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1033 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1034 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1035 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1036 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1037 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1040 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1041 you would typically set this variable to
1044 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1048 @node The First Time
1049 @section The First Time
1050 @cindex first time usage
1052 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1053 be subscribed by default.
1055 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1056 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1057 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1058 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1061 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1062 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1063 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1065 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1066 help you with most common problems.
1068 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1069 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1073 @node The Server is Down
1074 @section The Server is Down
1075 @cindex server errors
1077 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1078 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1079 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1081 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1082 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1083 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1084 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1085 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1086 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1087 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1089 @findex gnus-no-server
1090 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1092 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1093 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1094 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1095 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1096 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1097 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1098 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1102 @section Slave Gnusae
1105 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1106 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1107 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1108 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1110 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1111 @code{.newsrc} file.
1113 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1114 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1115 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1116 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1117 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1118 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1119 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1121 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1122 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1123 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1124 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1125 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1126 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1127 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1128 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1130 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1131 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1133 If the @code{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1134 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1135 file. If you answer "yes", the unsaved changes to the master will be
1136 incorporated into the slave. If you answer "no", the slave may see some
1137 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1139 @node Fetching a Group
1140 @section Fetching a Group
1141 @cindex fetching a group
1143 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1144 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1145 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1146 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1147 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1148 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1154 @cindex subscription
1156 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1157 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1158 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1159 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1160 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1161 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1162 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1163 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1164 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1167 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1168 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1169 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1173 @node Checking New Groups
1174 @subsection Checking New Groups
1176 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1177 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1178 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1179 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1180 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1181 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1182 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1183 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1184 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1185 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1187 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1188 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1189 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1190 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1191 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1192 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1193 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1194 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1195 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1196 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1197 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1199 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1200 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1201 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1202 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1203 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1204 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1207 @node Subscription Methods
1208 @subsection Subscription Methods
1210 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1211 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1212 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1214 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1215 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1217 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1221 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1222 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1223 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1224 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1225 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1227 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1228 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1229 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1230 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1232 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1233 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1234 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1236 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1237 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1238 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1239 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1240 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1241 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1242 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1243 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1244 up. Or something like that.
1246 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1247 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1248 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1249 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1250 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1252 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1253 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1254 Kill all new groups.
1256 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1257 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1258 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1259 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1260 topic parameter that looks like
1266 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1269 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1274 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1275 A closely related variable is
1276 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1277 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1278 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1279 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1282 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1283 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1284 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1285 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1288 @node Filtering New Groups
1289 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1291 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1292 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1293 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1296 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1299 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1300 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1301 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1302 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1303 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1304 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1305 subscribing these groups.
1306 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1307 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1309 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1310 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1311 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1312 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1313 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1314 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1315 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1316 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1318 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1319 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1320 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1321 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1322 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1323 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1324 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1325 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1326 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1327 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1330 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1331 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1334 @node Changing Servers
1335 @section Changing Servers
1336 @cindex changing servers
1338 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1339 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1340 very flaky and you want to use another.
1342 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1343 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1347 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1348 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1349 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1350 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1353 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1354 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1355 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1356 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1358 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1359 @findex gnus-change-server
1360 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1361 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1362 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1363 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1364 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1366 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1367 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1368 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1369 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1370 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1372 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1373 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1374 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1375 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1376 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1377 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1379 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1380 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1381 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1382 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1384 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1385 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1386 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1387 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1388 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1389 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1390 cache for all groups).
1394 @section Startup Files
1395 @cindex startup files
1400 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1401 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1403 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1404 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1405 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1406 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1407 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1408 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1409 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1411 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1412 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1413 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1414 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1415 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1416 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1418 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1419 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1420 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1421 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1422 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1423 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1424 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1425 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1426 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1427 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1429 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1430 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1431 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1432 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1433 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1434 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1435 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1436 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1437 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1438 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1439 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1440 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1442 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1443 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1444 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1445 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1447 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1448 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1449 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1450 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1451 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1452 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1453 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1454 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1455 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1456 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1459 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1460 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1462 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1463 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1466 @vindex gnus-init-file
1467 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1468 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1469 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1470 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1471 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1472 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1473 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1474 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1475 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1481 @cindex dribble file
1484 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1485 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1486 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1487 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1488 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1491 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1492 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1495 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1496 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1497 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1499 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1500 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1501 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1502 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1503 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1504 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1506 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1507 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1508 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1511 @node The Active File
1512 @section The Active File
1514 @cindex ignored groups
1516 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1517 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1518 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1520 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1521 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1522 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1523 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1524 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1525 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1526 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1529 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1530 @c if you set it to anything else.
1532 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1534 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1535 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1536 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1538 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1539 you actually subscribe to.
1541 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1542 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1543 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1544 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1546 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1547 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1548 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1549 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1550 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1551 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1553 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1554 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1555 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1558 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1559 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1560 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1561 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1562 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1563 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1565 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1566 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1568 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1569 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1571 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1572 secondary select methods.
1575 @node Startup Variables
1576 @section Startup Variables
1580 @item gnus-load-hook
1581 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1582 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1583 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1584 times you start Gnus.
1586 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1587 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1588 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1590 @item gnus-startup-hook
1591 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1592 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1594 @item gnus-started-hook
1595 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1596 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1599 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1600 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1601 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1602 generating the group buffer.
1604 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1605 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1606 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1607 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1608 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1609 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1610 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1611 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1613 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1614 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1615 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1616 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1617 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1618 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1620 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1621 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1622 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1624 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1625 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1626 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1628 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1629 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1630 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1631 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1637 @chapter Group Buffer
1638 @cindex group buffer
1640 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1642 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1643 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1644 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1645 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1646 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1647 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1648 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1649 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1650 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1651 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1652 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1653 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1654 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1655 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1656 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1657 @c human rights at 9...
1660 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1661 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1662 long as Gnus is active.
1666 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1667 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1668 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1669 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1670 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1671 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1672 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1673 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1679 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1680 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1681 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1682 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1683 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1684 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1685 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1686 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1687 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1688 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1689 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1690 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1691 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1692 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1693 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1694 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1695 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1699 @node Group Buffer Format
1700 @section Group Buffer Format
1703 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1704 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1705 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1709 @node Group Line Specification
1710 @subsection Group Line Specification
1711 @cindex group buffer format
1713 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1714 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1716 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1719 25: news.announce.newusers
1720 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1725 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1726 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1727 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1728 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1730 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1731 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1732 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1733 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1734 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1735 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1737 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1739 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1740 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1741 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1742 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1743 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1745 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1746 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1747 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1749 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1754 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1757 Whether the group is subscribed.
1760 Level of subscribedness.
1763 Number of unread articles.
1766 Number of dormant articles.
1769 Number of ticked articles.
1772 Number of read articles.
1775 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1776 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1778 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1779 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1780 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1781 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1782 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1783 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1784 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1785 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1788 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1791 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1800 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1801 comment element in the group parameters.
1804 Newsgroup description.
1807 @samp{m} if moderated.
1810 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1819 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1823 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1826 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1827 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1828 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1829 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1830 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1833 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1835 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1839 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1842 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1846 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1847 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1848 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1849 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1850 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1851 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1856 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1857 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1858 group, or a bogus native group.
1861 @node Group Modeline Specification
1862 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1863 @cindex group modeline
1865 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1866 The mode line can be changed by setting
1867 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1868 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1872 The native news server.
1874 The native select method.
1878 @node Group Highlighting
1879 @subsection Group Highlighting
1880 @cindex highlighting
1881 @cindex group highlighting
1883 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1884 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1885 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1886 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1887 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1889 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1893 (cond (window-system
1894 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1895 (defface my-group-face-1
1896 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1897 (defface my-group-face-2
1898 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1899 (defface my-group-face-3
1900 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1901 (defface my-group-face-4
1902 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1903 (defface my-group-face-5
1904 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1906 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1907 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1908 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1909 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1910 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1911 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1914 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1916 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1923 The number of unread articles in the group.
1927 Whether the group is a mail group.
1929 The level of the group.
1931 The score of the group.
1933 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1935 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1936 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1938 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1939 topic being inserted.
1942 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1943 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1944 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1946 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1947 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1948 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1949 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1950 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1953 @node Group Maneuvering
1954 @section Group Maneuvering
1955 @cindex group movement
1957 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1958 expected, hopefully.
1964 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1965 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1966 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1972 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1973 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1974 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1978 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1979 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1983 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1984 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1988 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1989 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1990 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1994 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1995 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1996 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1999 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2005 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2006 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2007 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2012 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2013 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2014 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2018 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2019 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2020 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2023 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2024 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2025 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2026 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2030 @node Selecting a Group
2031 @section Selecting a Group
2032 @cindex group selection
2037 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2038 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2039 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2040 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2041 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2042 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2043 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2044 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2045 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2046 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2048 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2049 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2050 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2052 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2053 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2058 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2059 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2060 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2061 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2062 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2066 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2067 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2068 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2069 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2070 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2071 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2072 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2073 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2074 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2075 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2078 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2079 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2080 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2081 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2082 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2085 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2086 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2087 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2088 doing any processing of its contents
2089 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2090 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2091 manner will have no permanent effects.
2095 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2096 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2097 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2098 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2099 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2100 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2101 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2102 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2105 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2106 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2107 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2108 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2109 Which article this is is controlled by the
2110 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2116 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2119 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2122 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2124 @item unseen-or-unread
2125 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2126 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2130 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2134 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2135 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2137 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2138 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2139 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2140 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2144 @node Subscription Commands
2145 @section Subscription Commands
2146 @cindex subscription
2154 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2155 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2156 Toggle subscription to the current group
2157 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2163 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2164 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2165 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2166 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2172 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2173 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2174 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2180 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2181 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2184 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2185 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2186 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2187 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2188 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2194 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2195 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2199 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2200 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2203 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2204 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2205 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2206 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2207 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2208 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2209 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2210 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2211 @file{.newsrc} file.
2215 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2225 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2226 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2227 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2228 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2229 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2230 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2235 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2236 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2237 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2241 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2242 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2243 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2245 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2246 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2247 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2248 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2249 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2250 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2257 @section Group Levels
2261 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2262 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2263 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2264 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2265 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2267 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2273 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2274 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2275 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2276 prompted for a level.
2279 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2280 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2281 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2282 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2283 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2284 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2285 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2286 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2287 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2288 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2289 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2290 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2291 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2292 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2293 reasons of efficiency.
2295 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2296 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2298 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2299 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2300 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2301 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2302 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2303 groups are hidden, in a way.
2305 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2306 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2307 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2308 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2309 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2310 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2312 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2313 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2314 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2315 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2316 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2317 list of killed groups.)
2319 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2320 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2321 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2323 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2324 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2325 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2326 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2327 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2328 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2329 relevant valid ranges.
2331 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2332 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2333 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2334 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2335 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2336 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2339 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2340 one with the best level.
2342 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2343 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2344 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2347 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2348 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2349 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2350 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2353 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2354 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2355 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2356 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2358 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2359 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2360 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2361 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2362 to 5. The default is 6.
2366 @section Group Score
2371 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2372 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2373 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2376 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2377 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2378 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2379 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2380 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2381 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2382 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2383 least significant part.))
2385 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2386 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2387 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2388 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2389 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2390 action after each summary exit, you can add
2391 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2392 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2393 slow things down somewhat.
2396 @node Marking Groups
2397 @section Marking Groups
2398 @cindex marking groups
2400 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2401 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2402 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2403 bidding on those groups.
2405 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2406 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2407 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2415 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2416 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2422 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2423 Remove the mark from the current group
2424 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2428 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2429 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2433 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2434 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2438 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2439 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2443 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2444 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2445 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2448 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2450 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2451 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2452 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2453 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2454 the command to be executed.
2457 @node Foreign Groups
2458 @section Foreign Groups
2459 @cindex foreign groups
2461 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2462 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2463 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2464 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2471 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2472 @cindex making groups
2473 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2474 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2475 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2479 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2480 @cindex renaming groups
2481 Rename the current group to something else
2482 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2483 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2489 @findex gnus-group-customize
2490 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2494 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2495 @cindex renaming groups
2496 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2497 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2501 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2502 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2503 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2507 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2508 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2509 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2513 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2515 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2516 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2521 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2522 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2526 @cindex (ding) archive
2527 @cindex archive group
2528 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2529 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2530 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2531 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2532 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2533 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2534 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2538 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2540 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2541 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2542 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2543 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2547 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2549 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2550 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2551 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2555 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2556 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2558 Make a group based on some file or other
2559 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2560 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2561 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2562 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2563 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2564 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2565 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2566 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2567 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2571 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2572 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2573 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2574 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2578 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2582 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2583 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2584 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2585 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2586 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2587 @xref{Web Searches}.
2589 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2590 to a particular group by using a match string like
2591 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2594 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2595 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2596 This function will delete the current group
2597 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2598 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2599 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2600 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2601 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2605 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2606 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2607 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2611 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2612 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2613 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2616 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2619 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2620 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2621 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2622 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2623 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2624 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2628 @node Group Parameters
2629 @section Group Parameters
2630 @cindex group parameters
2632 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2633 Here's an example group parameter list:
2636 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2640 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2641 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2642 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2643 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2645 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2646 is an alist of regexps and values.
2648 The following group parameters can be used:
2653 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2656 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2659 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2660 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2661 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2662 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2663 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2665 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2666 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2667 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2668 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2669 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2670 list address instead.
2672 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2676 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2679 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2682 It is totally ignored
2683 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2684 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2686 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2687 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2688 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2689 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2690 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2692 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2693 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2694 sending the message.
2696 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2697 @cindex Mail List Groups
2698 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2699 entering summary buffer.
2701 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2706 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2707 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2708 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2709 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2710 headers for your posts to these lists. Look here @pxref{(message)Mailing
2711 Lists} for a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2713 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2714 directly uses this group parameter.
2718 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2719 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2720 of whether it has any unread articles.
2722 @item broken-reply-to
2723 @cindex broken-reply-to
2724 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2725 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2726 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2727 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2728 broken behavior. So there!
2732 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2733 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2737 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2738 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2739 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2744 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2745 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2746 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2747 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2748 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2749 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2750 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2751 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2752 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept artciles.
2756 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2757 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2758 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2760 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2763 @cindex total-expire
2764 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2765 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2766 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2767 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2770 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2774 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2775 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2776 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2777 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2778 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2779 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2780 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2783 @cindex score file group parameter
2784 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2785 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2786 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2789 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2790 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2791 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2792 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2795 @cindex admin-address
2796 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2797 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2798 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2799 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2803 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2804 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2808 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2811 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2812 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2815 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2819 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2821 Here are some examples:
2825 Display only unread articles.
2828 Display everything except expirable articles.
2830 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2831 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2835 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2836 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2837 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2838 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2839 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2843 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2844 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2845 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2849 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2850 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2851 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2855 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2856 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2857 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2859 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2861 @item ignored-charsets
2862 @cindex ignored-charset
2863 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2864 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2865 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2867 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2870 @cindex posting-style
2871 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2872 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2873 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2874 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2875 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2877 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2878 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2879 like this in the group parameters:
2884 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2889 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2890 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2894 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2895 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2896 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2897 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2898 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2902 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2903 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2904 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2905 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2907 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2908 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2909 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2910 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2913 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2914 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2918 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2921 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2922 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2923 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2924 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2925 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2926 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2927 @code{eval}ed there.
2929 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2930 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2931 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2932 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2933 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2934 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2935 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2936 parameters for the group.
2939 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2940 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2941 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2942 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2943 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2947 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2948 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2949 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2950 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2951 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2953 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2954 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2958 (setq gnus-parameters
2960 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2961 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2962 (gnus-summary-line-format
2963 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2967 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2971 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2975 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2978 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2979 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2982 @node Listing Groups
2983 @section Listing Groups
2984 @cindex group listing
2986 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2994 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2995 List all groups that have unread articles
2996 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2997 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2998 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2999 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3006 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3007 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3008 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3009 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3010 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3011 unsubscribed groups).
3015 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3016 List all unread groups on a specific level
3017 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3018 with no unread articles.
3022 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3023 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3024 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3025 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3030 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3031 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3035 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3036 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3037 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3041 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3042 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3046 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3047 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3048 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3049 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3050 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3051 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3052 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3053 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3057 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3058 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3059 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3063 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3064 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3065 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3069 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3070 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3074 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3075 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3079 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3080 List groups limited within the current selection
3081 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3085 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3086 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3090 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3091 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3095 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3096 @cindex visible group parameter
3097 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3098 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3099 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3100 get the same effect.
3102 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3103 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3104 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3105 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3106 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3109 @node Sorting Groups
3110 @section Sorting Groups
3111 @cindex sorting groups
3113 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3114 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3115 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3116 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3117 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3118 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3123 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3124 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3125 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3127 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3128 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3129 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3131 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3132 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3133 Sort by group level.
3135 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3136 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3137 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3139 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3140 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3141 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3142 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3144 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3145 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3146 Sort by number of unread articles.
3148 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3149 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3150 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3152 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3153 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3154 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3159 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3160 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3164 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3165 some sorting criteria:
3169 @kindex G S a (Group)
3170 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3171 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3172 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3175 @kindex G S u (Group)
3176 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3177 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3178 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3181 @kindex G S l (Group)
3182 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3183 Sort the group buffer by group level
3184 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3187 @kindex G S v (Group)
3188 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3189 Sort the group buffer by group score
3190 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3193 @kindex G S r (Group)
3194 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3195 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3196 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3199 @kindex G S m (Group)
3200 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3201 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3202 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3206 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3207 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3209 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3210 commands will sort in reverse order.
3212 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3216 @kindex G P a (Group)
3217 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3218 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3219 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3222 @kindex G P u (Group)
3223 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3224 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3225 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3228 @kindex G P l (Group)
3229 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3230 Sort the groups by group level
3231 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3234 @kindex G P v (Group)
3235 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3236 Sort the groups by group score
3237 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3240 @kindex G P r (Group)
3241 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3242 Sort the groups by group rank
3243 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3246 @kindex G P m (Group)
3247 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3248 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3249 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3252 @kindex G P s (Group)
3253 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3254 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3258 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3262 @node Group Maintenance
3263 @section Group Maintenance
3264 @cindex bogus groups
3269 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3270 Find bogus groups and delete them
3271 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3275 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3276 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3277 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3278 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3279 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3283 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3284 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3285 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3286 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3287 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3288 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3291 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3292 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3293 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3294 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3299 @node Browse Foreign Server
3300 @section Browse Foreign Server
3301 @cindex foreign servers
3302 @cindex browsing servers
3307 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3308 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3309 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3310 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3313 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3314 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3315 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3316 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3318 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3323 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3324 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3328 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3329 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3332 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3333 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3334 Enter the current group and display the first article
3335 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3338 @kindex RET (Browse)
3339 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3340 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3344 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3345 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3346 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3352 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3353 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3357 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3358 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3362 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3363 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3364 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3369 @section Exiting Gnus
3370 @cindex exiting Gnus
3372 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3377 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3378 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3379 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3380 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3384 @findex gnus-group-exit
3385 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3386 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3390 @findex gnus-group-quit
3391 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3392 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3395 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3396 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3397 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3398 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3399 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3404 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3405 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3406 trying to customize meta-variables.
3411 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3412 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3413 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3419 @section Group Topics
3422 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3423 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3424 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3425 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3426 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3427 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3431 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3432 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3443 2: alt.religion.emacs
3446 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3448 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3449 13: comp.sources.unix
3452 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3454 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3455 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3456 is a toggling command.)
3458 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3459 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3460 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3461 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3464 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3465 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3466 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3469 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3473 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3474 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3475 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3476 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3477 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3481 @node Topic Commands
3482 @subsection Topic Commands
3483 @cindex topic commands
3485 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3486 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3487 definitions slightly.
3489 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3490 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3491 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3492 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3493 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3494 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3496 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3503 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3504 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3505 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3509 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3511 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3512 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3513 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3514 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3517 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3518 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3519 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3520 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3524 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3525 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3526 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3527 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3533 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3534 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3535 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3539 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3540 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3541 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3544 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3545 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3546 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3547 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3548 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3550 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3551 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3555 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3556 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3563 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3565 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3566 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3567 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3568 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3569 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3570 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3574 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3580 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3581 Move the current group to some other topic
3582 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3583 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3587 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3588 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3592 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3593 Copy the current group to some other topic
3594 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3595 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3599 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3600 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3601 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3605 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3606 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3607 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3611 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3612 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3613 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3614 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3615 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3616 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3617 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3620 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3621 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3625 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3626 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3627 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3631 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3632 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3633 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3637 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3638 Toggle hiding empty topics
3639 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3643 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3644 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3645 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3648 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3649 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3650 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3651 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3654 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3655 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3656 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3657 expiry process (if any)
3658 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3662 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3663 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3666 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3667 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3668 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3672 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3673 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3674 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3677 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3678 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3679 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3682 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3683 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3684 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3688 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3689 @cindex group parameters
3690 @cindex topic parameters
3692 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3693 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3698 @node Topic Variables
3699 @subsection Topic Variables
3700 @cindex topic variables
3702 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3703 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3705 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3706 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3707 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3720 Number of groups in the topic.
3722 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3724 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3727 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3728 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3729 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3732 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3733 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3735 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3736 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3737 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3741 @subsection Topic Sorting
3742 @cindex topic sorting
3744 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3750 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3751 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3752 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3753 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3756 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3757 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3758 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3759 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3762 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3763 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3764 Sort the current topic by group level
3765 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3768 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3769 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3770 Sort the current topic by group score
3771 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3774 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3775 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3776 Sort the current topic by group rank
3777 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3780 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3781 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3782 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3783 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3786 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3787 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3788 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3789 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3793 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3794 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3795 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3796 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3800 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3801 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3805 @node Topic Topology
3806 @subsection Topic Topology
3807 @cindex topic topology
3810 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3816 2: alt.religion.emacs
3819 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3821 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3822 13: comp.sources.unix
3825 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3826 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3827 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3832 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3833 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3837 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3838 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3839 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3840 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3841 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3842 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3844 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3845 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3846 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3849 @node Topic Parameters
3850 @subsection Topic Parameters
3851 @cindex topic parameters
3853 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3854 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3855 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3857 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3862 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3863 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3864 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3867 @item subscribe-level
3868 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3869 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3870 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3874 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3875 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3876 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3877 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3883 2: alt.religion.emacs
3887 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3889 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3890 13: comp.sources.unix
3894 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3895 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3896 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3897 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3898 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3899 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3901 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3902 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3903 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3904 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3905 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3907 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3908 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3909 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3910 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3911 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3912 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3913 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3914 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3917 @node Misc Group Stuff
3918 @section Misc Group Stuff
3921 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3922 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3923 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3924 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3925 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3932 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3933 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3934 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3938 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3939 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3940 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3941 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3942 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3943 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3944 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3948 @findex gnus-group-mail
3949 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3950 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3951 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3952 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3956 @findex gnus-group-news
3957 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3958 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3959 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3961 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3962 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3963 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3964 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3965 for this to work though.
3969 Variables for the group buffer:
3973 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3974 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3975 is called after the group buffer has been
3978 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3979 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3980 is called after the group buffer is
3981 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3984 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3985 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3986 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3987 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3989 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3990 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3991 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3992 whether they are empty or not.
3994 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3995 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3996 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3997 non-ASCII group names.
4001 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4002 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4005 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4006 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4007 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4008 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4009 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
4010 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
4014 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4015 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4020 @node Scanning New Messages
4021 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4022 @cindex new messages
4023 @cindex scanning new news
4029 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4030 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4031 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4032 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4033 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4034 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4039 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4040 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4041 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4042 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4043 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4044 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4045 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4047 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4048 @cindex activating groups
4050 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4051 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4056 @findex gnus-group-restart
4057 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4058 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4059 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4063 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4064 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4066 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4067 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4071 @node Group Information
4072 @subsection Group Information
4073 @cindex group information
4074 @cindex information on groups
4081 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4082 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4085 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4086 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4087 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4088 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4089 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4090 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4091 for fetching the file.
4093 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4094 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4098 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4099 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4101 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4102 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4105 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4106 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4107 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4111 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4112 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4113 @cindex control message
4114 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4115 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4116 group if given a prefix argument.
4118 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-nil, Gnus
4119 will open the control messages in a browser using @code{browse-url}.
4120 Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp} and displayed in an
4123 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4124 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode}
4125 (@pxref{(emacs)Compressed Files}).
4129 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4131 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4132 @cindex describing groups
4133 @cindex group description
4134 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4135 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4136 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4140 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4141 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4142 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4149 @findex gnus-version
4150 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4154 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4155 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4158 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4161 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4162 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4166 @node Group Timestamp
4167 @subsection Group Timestamp
4169 @cindex group timestamps
4171 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4172 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4173 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4176 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4179 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4181 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4182 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4185 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4186 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4189 This will result in lines looking like:
4192 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4193 0: custom 19961002T012713
4196 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4197 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4201 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4202 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4205 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4206 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4210 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4211 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4212 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4213 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4215 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4221 @subsection File Commands
4222 @cindex file commands
4228 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4229 @vindex gnus-init-file
4230 @cindex reading init file
4231 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4232 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4236 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4237 @cindex saving .newsrc
4238 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4239 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4240 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4243 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4244 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4245 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4250 @node Sieve Commands
4251 @subsection Sieve Commands
4252 @cindex group sieve commands
4254 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4255 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4256 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4257 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4258 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4260 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4261 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4262 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4263 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4264 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4265 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4266 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4267 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4268 regenerate the Sieve script.
4270 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4271 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4272 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4273 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4274 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4275 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4276 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4277 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4278 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4279 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4282 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4283 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4288 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4294 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4295 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4296 @cindex generating sieve script
4297 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4298 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4302 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4303 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4304 @cindex updating sieve script
4305 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4306 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4307 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4312 @node Summary Buffer
4313 @chapter Summary Buffer
4314 @cindex summary buffer
4316 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4317 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4319 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4320 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4322 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4325 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4326 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4327 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4328 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4329 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4330 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4331 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4332 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4333 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4334 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4335 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4336 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4337 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4338 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4339 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4340 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4341 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4342 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4343 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4344 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4345 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4346 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4347 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4348 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4349 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4350 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4351 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4352 or reselecting the current group.
4353 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4354 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4355 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4356 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4360 @node Summary Buffer Format
4361 @section Summary Buffer Format
4362 @cindex summary buffer format
4366 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4367 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4368 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4374 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4375 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4376 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4377 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4380 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4381 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4382 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4383 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4384 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4385 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4386 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4387 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4388 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4389 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4390 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4393 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4394 'mail-extract-address-components)
4397 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4398 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4399 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4400 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4403 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4404 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4406 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4407 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4408 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4409 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4410 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4412 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4413 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4414 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4415 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4416 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4417 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4419 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4421 The following format specification characters and extended format
4422 specification(s) are understood:
4428 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4429 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4431 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4432 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4433 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4435 Full @code{From} header.
4437 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4439 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4442 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4443 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4444 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4445 may be more thorough.
4447 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4450 Number of lines in the article.
4452 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4453 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4455 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4456 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4458 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4460 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4463 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4464 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4466 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4467 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4469 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4470 for adopted articles.
4472 One space for each thread level.
4474 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4476 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4479 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4480 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4481 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4484 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4486 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4487 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4488 default level. If the difference between
4489 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4490 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4498 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4500 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4506 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4507 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4509 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4510 article has any children.
4516 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4517 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4519 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4520 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4521 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4522 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4523 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4524 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4527 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4528 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4529 There can only be one such area.
4531 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4532 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4533 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4534 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4535 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4536 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4538 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4539 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4541 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4544 @node To From Newsgroups
4545 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4549 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4550 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4551 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4552 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4553 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4557 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4558 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4559 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4563 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4564 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4567 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4568 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4571 @findex gnus-extra-header
4572 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4573 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4574 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4577 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4581 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4582 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4583 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4584 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4585 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4586 headers are used instead.
4590 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4591 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4592 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4593 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4594 this variable, by entering the server buffer using `^', and then `g' on
4595 the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause regeneration.
4597 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4598 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4599 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4600 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4602 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4606 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4608 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4609 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4610 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4611 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4615 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4618 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4619 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4622 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4623 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4624 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4630 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4631 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4634 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4635 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4637 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4638 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4639 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4640 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4642 Here are the elements you can play with:
4648 Unprefixed group name.
4650 Current article number.
4652 Current article score.
4656 Number of unread articles in this group.
4658 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4661 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4662 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4663 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4664 and no unselected ones.
4666 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4667 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4669 Subject of the current article.
4671 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4673 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4675 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4677 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4679 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4681 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4685 @node Summary Highlighting
4686 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4690 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4691 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4692 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4693 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4694 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4696 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4697 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4698 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4699 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4701 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4702 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4703 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4704 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4706 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4707 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4708 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4709 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4710 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4711 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4714 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4715 ((> score default) . bold))
4717 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4718 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4722 @node Summary Maneuvering
4723 @section Summary Maneuvering
4724 @cindex summary movement
4726 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4727 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4729 None of these commands select articles.
4734 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4735 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4736 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4737 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4738 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4742 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4743 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4744 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4745 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4746 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4749 @kindex G g (Summary)
4750 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4751 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4752 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4755 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4756 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4757 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4758 to the group buffer.
4760 Variables related to summary movement:
4764 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4765 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4766 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4767 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4768 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4769 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4770 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4771 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4772 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4773 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4774 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4775 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4776 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4777 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4779 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4780 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4781 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4782 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4783 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4784 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4785 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4787 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4789 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4790 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4791 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4792 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4793 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4795 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4796 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4797 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4798 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4799 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4800 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4801 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4802 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4805 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4806 the given number of lines from the top.
4811 @node Choosing Articles
4812 @section Choosing Articles
4813 @cindex selecting articles
4816 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4817 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4821 @node Choosing Commands
4822 @subsection Choosing Commands
4824 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4825 and they all select and display an article.
4827 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4828 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4832 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4833 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4834 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4835 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4840 @kindex G n (Summary)
4841 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4842 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4843 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4848 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4849 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4850 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4855 @kindex G N (Summary)
4856 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4857 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4862 @kindex G P (Summary)
4863 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4864 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4867 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4868 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4869 Go to the next article with the same subject
4870 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4873 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4874 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4875 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4876 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4880 @kindex G f (Summary)
4882 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4883 Go to the first unread article
4884 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4888 @kindex G b (Summary)
4890 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4891 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4892 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4893 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4898 @kindex G l (Summary)
4899 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4900 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4903 @kindex G o (Summary)
4904 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4906 @cindex article history
4907 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4908 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4909 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4910 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4911 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4912 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4917 @kindex G j (Summary)
4918 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4919 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4920 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4925 @node Choosing Variables
4926 @subsection Choosing Variables
4928 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4931 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4932 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4933 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4934 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4935 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4936 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4938 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4939 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4940 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4941 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4943 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4944 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4945 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4946 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4947 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4948 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4949 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4950 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4951 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4952 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4953 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4954 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4955 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4956 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4961 @node Paging the Article
4962 @section Scrolling the Article
4963 @cindex article scrolling
4968 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4969 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4970 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4971 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4972 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4975 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4976 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4977 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4980 @kindex RET (Summary)
4981 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4982 Scroll the current article one line forward
4983 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4986 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4987 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4988 Scroll the current article one line backward
4989 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4993 @kindex A g (Summary)
4995 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4996 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4997 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4998 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4999 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5000 the way it came from the server.
5002 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5003 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5004 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5007 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5012 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5017 @kindex A < (Summary)
5018 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5019 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5020 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5025 @kindex A > (Summary)
5026 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5027 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5031 @kindex A s (Summary)
5033 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5034 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5035 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5039 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5040 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5045 @node Reply Followup and Post
5046 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5049 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5050 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5051 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5052 * Canceling and Superseding::
5056 @node Summary Mail Commands
5057 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5059 @cindex composing mail
5061 Commands for composing a mail message:
5067 @kindex S r (Summary)
5069 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5070 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5071 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5072 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5073 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5078 @kindex S R (Summary)
5079 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5080 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5081 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5082 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5083 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5086 @kindex S w (Summary)
5087 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5088 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5089 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5090 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5091 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5094 @kindex S W (Summary)
5095 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5096 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5097 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5098 the process/prefix convention.
5101 @kindex S v (Summary)
5102 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5103 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5104 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5105 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5106 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5107 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5110 @kindex S V (Summary)
5111 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5112 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5113 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5114 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5117 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5118 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5119 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5120 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5123 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5124 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5125 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5126 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5127 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5131 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5132 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5133 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5134 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5135 Forward the current article to some other person
5136 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5137 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5138 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5139 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5140 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5141 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5142 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5143 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5144 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime}
5150 @kindex S m (Summary)
5151 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5152 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5153 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5154 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5155 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5160 @kindex S i (Summary)
5161 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5162 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5163 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5164 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5166 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5167 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5168 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5169 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5170 for this to work though.
5173 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5174 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5175 @cindex bouncing mail
5176 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5177 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5178 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5179 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5180 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5181 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5182 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5183 very well fail, though.
5186 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5187 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5188 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5189 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5190 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5191 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5192 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5193 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5194 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5195 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5197 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5198 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5199 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5200 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5201 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5203 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5204 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5207 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5208 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5209 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5210 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5211 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5214 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5215 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5216 @cindex crossposting
5217 @cindex excessive crossposting
5218 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5219 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5221 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5222 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5223 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5224 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5225 command understands the process/prefix convention
5226 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5230 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5231 Manual}, for more information.
5234 @node Summary Post Commands
5235 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5237 @cindex composing news
5239 Commands for posting a news article:
5245 @kindex S p (Summary)
5246 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5247 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5248 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5249 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5250 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5255 @kindex S f (Summary)
5256 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5257 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5258 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5262 @kindex S F (Summary)
5264 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5265 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5266 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5267 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5268 process/prefix convention.
5271 @kindex S n (Summary)
5272 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5273 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5274 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5277 @kindex S N (Summary)
5278 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5279 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5280 message through mail and include the original message
5281 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5282 the process/prefix convention.
5285 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5286 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5287 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5288 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5289 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5290 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5291 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5292 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5293 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5294 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5295 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5296 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5297 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section.
5300 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5301 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5303 @cindex making digests
5304 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5305 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5306 process/prefix convention.
5309 @kindex S u (Summary)
5310 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5311 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5312 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5313 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5316 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5317 Manual}, for more information.
5320 @node Summary Message Commands
5321 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5325 @kindex S y (Summary)
5326 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5327 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5328 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5329 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5330 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5335 @node Canceling and Superseding
5336 @subsection Canceling Articles
5337 @cindex canceling articles
5338 @cindex superseding articles
5340 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5341 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5343 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5345 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5347 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5348 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5349 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5350 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5351 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5352 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5354 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5355 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5358 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5359 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5360 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5362 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5363 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5364 your original article.
5366 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5368 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5369 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5370 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5373 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5374 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5375 have posted almost the same article twice.
5377 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5378 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5379 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5380 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5381 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5382 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5383 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5384 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5385 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5386 canceled/superseded.
5388 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5390 @node Delayed Articles
5391 @section Delayed Articles
5392 @cindex delayed sending
5393 @cindex send delayed
5395 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5396 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5397 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5398 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5401 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5404 @findex gnus-delay-article
5405 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5406 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5407 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5408 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5412 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5413 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5414 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5415 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5418 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5419 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5420 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5423 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5424 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5425 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5426 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5427 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5428 that means a time tomorrow.
5431 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5432 couple of variables:
5435 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5436 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5437 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5438 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5440 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5441 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5442 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5443 formats described above.
5445 @item gnus-delay-group
5446 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5447 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5448 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5449 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5451 @item gnus-delay-header
5452 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5453 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5454 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5455 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5458 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5459 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5460 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5461 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5462 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5464 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5465 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5466 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5467 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5468 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5469 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5472 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5473 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5474 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5475 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5476 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-nil,
5477 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5478 argument is ignored.
5480 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5481 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5482 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5486 @node Marking Articles
5487 @section Marking Articles
5488 @cindex article marking
5489 @cindex article ticking
5492 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5494 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5495 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5496 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5498 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5501 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5502 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5503 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5507 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5511 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5512 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5513 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5517 @node Unread Articles
5518 @subsection Unread Articles
5520 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5525 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5526 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5528 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5529 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5530 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5531 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5532 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5533 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5534 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5537 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5538 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5540 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5541 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5542 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5543 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5547 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5548 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5550 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5555 @subsection Read Articles
5556 @cindex expirable mark
5558 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5563 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5564 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5565 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5568 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5569 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5572 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5573 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5574 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5577 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5578 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5581 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5582 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5585 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5586 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5589 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5590 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5593 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5594 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5597 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5598 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5601 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5602 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5606 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5607 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5608 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5612 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5613 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5615 One more special mark, though:
5619 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5620 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5622 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5623 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5624 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5625 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5631 @subsection Other Marks
5632 @cindex process mark
5635 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5641 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5642 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5643 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5644 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5645 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5648 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5649 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5650 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5651 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5654 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5655 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5656 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5659 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5660 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5661 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5664 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5665 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5666 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5667 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5670 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5671 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5672 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5673 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5674 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5675 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5678 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5679 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5680 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5681 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5684 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5685 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, some articles might not
5686 have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you are
5687 offline (unplugged). These articles get the @samp{@@} mark in the
5688 first column. (The variable @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls
5689 which character to use.)
5692 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5693 The Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics} downloads some articles
5694 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5695 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5696 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5697 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5701 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5702 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5703 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5704 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5705 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5708 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5709 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5710 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5711 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5712 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5713 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5717 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5718 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5719 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5721 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5722 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5723 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5727 @subsection Setting Marks
5728 @cindex setting marks
5730 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5735 @kindex M c (Summary)
5736 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5737 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5738 @cindex mark as unread
5739 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5740 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5746 @kindex M t (Summary)
5747 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5748 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5749 @xref{Article Caching}.
5754 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5755 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5756 Mark the current article as dormant
5757 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5761 @kindex M d (Summary)
5763 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5764 Mark the current article as read
5765 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5769 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5770 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5771 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5776 @kindex M k (Summary)
5777 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5778 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5779 and then select the next unread article
5780 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5784 @kindex M K (Summary)
5785 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5786 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5787 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5788 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5791 @kindex M C (Summary)
5792 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5793 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5794 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5797 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5798 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5799 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5800 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5803 @kindex M H (Summary)
5804 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5805 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5806 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5809 @kindex M h (Summary)
5810 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5811 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5812 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5815 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5816 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5817 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5818 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5821 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5822 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5823 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5824 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5828 @kindex M e (Summary)
5830 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5831 Mark the current article as expirable
5832 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5835 @kindex M b (Summary)
5836 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5837 Set a bookmark in the current article
5838 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5841 @kindex M B (Summary)
5842 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5843 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5844 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5847 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5848 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5849 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5850 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5853 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5854 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5855 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5856 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5859 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5860 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5861 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5862 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5863 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5866 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5867 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5868 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5869 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5870 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5871 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5872 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5873 The default is @code{t}.
5876 @node Generic Marking Commands
5877 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5879 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5880 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5881 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5882 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5883 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5886 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5887 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5890 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5891 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5892 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5893 to list in this manual.
5895 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5896 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5897 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5898 article, you could say something like:
5901 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5902 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5903 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5909 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5910 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5914 @node Setting Process Marks
5915 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5916 @cindex setting process marks
5923 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5924 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5925 Mark the current article with the process mark
5926 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5927 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5931 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5932 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5933 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5934 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5937 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5938 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5939 Remove the process mark from all articles
5940 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5943 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5944 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5945 Invert the list of process marked articles
5946 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5949 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5950 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5951 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5952 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5955 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5956 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5957 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5958 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5961 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5962 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5963 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5967 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
5968 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
5971 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5972 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5973 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5974 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5977 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5978 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5979 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5980 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5983 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5984 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5985 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5986 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5989 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5990 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5991 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5994 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5995 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5996 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5997 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6000 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6001 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6002 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6005 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6006 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6007 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6008 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6011 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6012 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6013 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6014 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6017 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6018 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6019 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6020 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6023 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6024 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6025 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6026 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6030 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
6031 set process marks based on article body contents.
6038 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6039 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6040 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6043 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6044 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6045 additional articles.
6051 @kindex / / (Summary)
6052 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6053 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6054 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6058 @kindex / a (Summary)
6059 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6060 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6061 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6065 @kindex / x (Summary)
6066 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6067 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6068 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6069 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6074 @kindex / u (Summary)
6076 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6077 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6078 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6079 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6080 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6083 @kindex / m (Summary)
6084 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6085 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6086 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6089 @kindex / t (Summary)
6090 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6091 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6092 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6093 articles younger than that number of days.
6096 @kindex / n (Summary)
6097 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6098 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6099 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6100 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6103 @kindex / w (Summary)
6104 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6105 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6106 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6110 @kindex / . (Summary)
6111 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6112 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6113 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6116 @kindex / v (Summary)
6117 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6118 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6119 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6122 @kindex / p (Summary)
6123 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6124 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6125 group parameter predicate
6126 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6127 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6131 @kindex M S (Summary)
6132 @kindex / E (Summary)
6133 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6134 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6135 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6138 @kindex / D (Summary)
6139 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6140 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6141 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6144 @kindex / * (Summary)
6145 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6146 Include all cached articles in the limit
6147 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6150 @kindex / d (Summary)
6151 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6152 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6153 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6156 @kindex / M (Summary)
6157 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6158 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6161 @kindex / T (Summary)
6162 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6163 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6166 @kindex / c (Summary)
6167 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6168 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6169 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6172 @kindex / C (Summary)
6173 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6174 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6175 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6176 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6179 @kindex / N (Summary)
6180 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6181 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6182 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6185 @kindex / o (Summary)
6186 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6187 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6188 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6196 @cindex article threading
6198 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6199 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6200 hierarchical fashion.
6202 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6203 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6204 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6205 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6206 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6207 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6208 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6210 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6214 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6217 A tree-like article structure.
6220 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6223 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6224 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6225 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6226 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6227 called loose threads.
6229 @item thread gathering
6230 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6232 @item sparse threads
6233 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6234 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6240 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6241 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6245 @node Customizing Threading
6246 @subsection Customizing Threading
6247 @cindex customizing threading
6250 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6251 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6252 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6253 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6258 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6261 @cindex loose threads
6264 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6265 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6266 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6267 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6268 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6269 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6271 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6272 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6273 There are four possible values:
6277 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6278 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6279 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6280 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6281 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6286 @cindex adopting articles
6291 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6292 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6293 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6294 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6297 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6298 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6299 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6300 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6301 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6302 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6303 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6306 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6307 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6308 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6312 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6313 display them after one another.
6316 Don't gather loose threads.
6319 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6320 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6321 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6322 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6323 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6324 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6325 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6326 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6327 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6328 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6329 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6331 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6332 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6333 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6336 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6337 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6338 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6339 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6340 simplification is used.
6342 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6343 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6344 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6345 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6347 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6349 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6355 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6356 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6357 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6358 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6363 (mapconcat 'identity
6364 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6366 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6369 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6372 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6373 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6374 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6375 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6376 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6377 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6379 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6382 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6383 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6384 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6386 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6387 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6390 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6391 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6392 Remove excessive whitespace.
6394 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6395 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6396 Remove all whitespace.
6399 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6402 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6403 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6404 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6405 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6406 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6407 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6408 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6409 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6411 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6412 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6413 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6414 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6415 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6416 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6417 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6418 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6419 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6423 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6424 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6425 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6426 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6428 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6429 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6430 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6433 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6437 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6438 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6444 @node Filling In Threads
6445 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6448 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6449 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6450 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6451 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6452 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6453 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6454 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6455 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6456 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6457 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6458 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6459 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6462 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6463 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6464 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6466 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6467 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6468 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6469 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6470 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6471 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6472 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6473 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6474 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6475 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6476 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6477 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6478 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6479 @code{nil} by default.
6481 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6482 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6483 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6484 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6485 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6486 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6487 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6489 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6490 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6491 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6496 @node More Threading
6497 @subsubsection More Threading
6500 @item gnus-show-threads
6501 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6502 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6503 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6504 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6505 slower and more awkward.
6507 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6508 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6509 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6512 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6513 Avaliable predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6514 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6519 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6520 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6521 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6524 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6525 unread, but you get my drift.)
6528 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6529 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6530 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6531 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6532 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6533 threads are expunged.
6535 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6536 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6537 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6540 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6541 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6542 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6543 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6544 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6545 result in a new thread.
6547 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6548 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6549 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6552 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6553 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6554 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6555 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6556 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6557 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6558 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6559 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6560 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6561 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6562 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6567 @node Low-Level Threading
6568 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6572 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6573 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6574 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6576 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6577 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6578 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6579 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6580 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6581 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6582 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6583 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6584 meaningful. Here's one example:
6587 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6589 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6590 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6592 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6594 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6601 @node Thread Commands
6602 @subsection Thread Commands
6603 @cindex thread commands
6609 @kindex T k (Summary)
6610 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6611 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6612 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6613 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6614 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6619 @kindex T l (Summary)
6620 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6621 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6622 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6623 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6626 @kindex T i (Summary)
6627 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6628 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6629 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6632 @kindex T # (Summary)
6633 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6634 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6635 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6638 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6639 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6640 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6641 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6644 @kindex T T (Summary)
6645 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6646 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6649 @kindex T s (Summary)
6650 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6651 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6652 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6655 @kindex T h (Summary)
6656 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6657 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6660 @kindex T S (Summary)
6661 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6662 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6665 @kindex T H (Summary)
6666 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6667 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6670 @kindex T t (Summary)
6671 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6672 Re-thread the current article's thread
6673 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6674 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6677 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6678 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6679 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6680 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6684 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6685 understand the numeric prefix.
6690 @kindex T n (Summary)
6692 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6694 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6695 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6696 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6699 @kindex T p (Summary)
6701 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6703 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6704 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6705 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6708 @kindex T d (Summary)
6709 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6710 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6713 @kindex T u (Summary)
6714 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6715 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6718 @kindex T o (Summary)
6719 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6720 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6723 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6724 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6725 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6726 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6727 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6728 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6729 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6730 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6731 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6732 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6733 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6734 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6738 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6739 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6741 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6742 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6743 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6744 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6745 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6746 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6747 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6748 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6749 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6750 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6751 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6752 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6753 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6755 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6756 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6757 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6758 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6759 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6760 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6761 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6762 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6764 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6765 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6766 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6768 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6769 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6770 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6771 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6772 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6773 ascending article order.
6775 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6776 by number, you could do something like:
6779 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6780 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6781 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6782 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6785 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6786 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6787 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6788 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6789 which the articles arrived.
6791 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6795 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6797 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6798 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6801 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6802 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6803 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6804 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6807 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6808 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6809 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6810 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6811 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6812 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
6813 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6814 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
6815 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
6816 variable. It is very similar to the
6817 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
6818 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
6819 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6820 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
6821 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
6822 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
6823 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6825 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6829 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6830 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6831 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6836 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6837 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6838 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6839 @cindex article pre-fetch
6842 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6843 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6844 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6845 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6846 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6848 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6849 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6851 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6852 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6853 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6854 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6855 connection is blocked.
6857 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6858 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6859 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6860 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6862 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6863 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6864 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6865 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6868 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6871 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6872 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6873 happen automatically.
6875 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6876 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6877 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6878 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6879 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6880 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6881 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6883 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6884 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6885 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6886 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6887 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6888 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6889 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6890 data structure as the only parameter.
6892 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6895 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6896 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6897 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6898 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6901 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6904 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6905 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6906 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6908 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6909 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6910 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6911 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6915 Remove articles when they are read.
6918 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6921 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6923 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6924 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6925 @c from the next group.
6928 @node Article Caching
6929 @section Article Caching
6930 @cindex article caching
6933 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6934 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6935 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6936 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6937 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6939 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6941 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6942 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6943 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6944 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6945 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6946 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6947 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6948 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6950 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6951 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6952 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6953 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6954 as dormant, and don't worry.
6956 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6958 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6959 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6960 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6961 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6962 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6963 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6964 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6965 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6966 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6967 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6969 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6970 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6971 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6972 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6973 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6974 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6975 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6976 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6977 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6978 not then be downloaded by this command.
6980 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6981 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6982 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6983 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6984 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6985 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6987 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6988 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6989 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6990 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6991 variables, the group is not cached.
6993 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6994 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6995 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6996 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6997 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6998 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6999 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7000 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
7001 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7004 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7005 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7006 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7007 where, isn't that cool?
7009 @node Persistent Articles
7010 @section Persistent Articles
7011 @cindex persistent articles
7013 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7014 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7015 useful in my opinion.
7017 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7018 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7019 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7020 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7021 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7022 the expiry going on at the news server.
7024 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7025 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7026 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7032 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7033 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7036 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7037 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7038 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7039 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7043 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7045 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7046 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7047 interested in persistent articles:
7050 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7054 @node Article Backlog
7055 @section Article Backlog
7057 @cindex article backlog
7059 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7060 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7061 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7062 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7063 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7064 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7065 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7066 increase memory usage some.
7068 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7069 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7070 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7071 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7072 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7073 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7074 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7076 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
7079 @node Saving Articles
7080 @section Saving Articles
7081 @cindex saving articles
7083 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7084 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7085 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7086 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7087 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7089 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7090 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7091 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7093 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7094 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7095 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7097 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7098 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7099 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7100 deleted before saving.
7106 @kindex O o (Summary)
7108 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7109 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7110 Save the current article using the default article saver
7111 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7114 @kindex O m (Summary)
7115 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7116 Save the current article in mail format
7117 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7120 @kindex O r (Summary)
7121 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7122 Save the current article in rmail format
7123 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7126 @kindex O f (Summary)
7127 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7128 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7129 Save the current article in plain file format
7130 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7133 @kindex O F (Summary)
7134 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7135 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7136 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7139 @kindex O b (Summary)
7140 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7141 Save the current article body in plain file format
7142 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7145 @kindex O h (Summary)
7146 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7147 Save the current article in mh folder format
7148 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7151 @kindex O v (Summary)
7152 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7153 Save the current article in a VM folder
7154 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7158 @kindex O p (Summary)
7160 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7161 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7162 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7165 @kindex O P (Summary)
7166 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7167 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7168 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7169 external program Muttprint (see
7170 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7171 options to use is controlled by the variable
7172 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7176 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7177 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7178 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7179 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7180 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7181 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7182 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7183 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7184 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7185 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7186 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7187 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7191 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7192 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7193 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7194 functions below, or you can create your own.
7198 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7199 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7200 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7201 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7202 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7203 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7204 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7206 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7207 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7208 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7209 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7210 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7211 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7213 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7214 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7215 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7216 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7217 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7218 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7219 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7221 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7222 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7223 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7224 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7225 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7226 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7228 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7229 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7230 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7231 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7232 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7234 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7235 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7236 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7237 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7238 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7241 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7242 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7243 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7244 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7245 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7247 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7248 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7249 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7250 reader to use this setting.
7253 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7254 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7255 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7256 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7259 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7260 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7261 available functions that generate names:
7265 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7266 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7267 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7269 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7270 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7271 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7273 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7274 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7275 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7277 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7278 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7279 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7281 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7282 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7283 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7286 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7287 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7288 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7289 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7290 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7294 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7295 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7296 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7297 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7300 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7301 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7302 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7303 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7304 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7305 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7306 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7307 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7308 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7310 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7311 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7312 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7313 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7315 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7316 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7317 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7320 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7321 lots of mail groups called things like
7322 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7323 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7324 following will do just that:
7327 (defun my-save-name (group)
7328 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7329 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7331 (setq gnus-split-methods
7332 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7337 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7338 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7339 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7340 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7341 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7342 all the files in the top level directory
7343 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7344 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7345 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7346 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7348 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7349 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7350 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7351 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7352 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7355 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7359 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7360 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7361 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7364 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7365 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7366 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7367 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7370 @node Decoding Articles
7371 @section Decoding Articles
7372 @cindex decoding articles
7374 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7375 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7378 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7379 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7380 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7381 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7382 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7383 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7387 @cindex article series
7388 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7389 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7390 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7391 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7392 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7394 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7395 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7396 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7398 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7399 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7400 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7402 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7403 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7404 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7407 @node Uuencoded Articles
7408 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7410 @cindex uuencoded articles
7415 @kindex X u (Summary)
7416 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7417 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7418 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7421 @kindex X U (Summary)
7422 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7423 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7424 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7427 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7428 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7429 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7432 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7433 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7434 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7435 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7439 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7440 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7441 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7442 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7443 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7445 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7446 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7447 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7448 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7451 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7452 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7453 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7454 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7455 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7456 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7460 @node Shell Archives
7461 @subsection Shell Archives
7463 @cindex shell archives
7464 @cindex shared articles
7466 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7467 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7468 some commands to deal with these:
7473 @kindex X s (Summary)
7474 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7475 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7478 @kindex X S (Summary)
7479 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7480 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7483 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7484 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7485 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7488 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7489 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7490 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7491 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7495 @node PostScript Files
7496 @subsection PostScript Files
7502 @kindex X p (Summary)
7503 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7504 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7507 @kindex X P (Summary)
7508 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7509 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7510 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7513 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7514 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7515 View the current PostScript series
7516 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7519 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7520 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7521 View and save the current PostScript series
7522 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7527 @subsection Other Files
7531 @kindex X o (Summary)
7532 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7533 Save the current series
7534 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7537 @kindex X b (Summary)
7538 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7539 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7540 doesn't really work yet.
7544 @node Decoding Variables
7545 @subsection Decoding Variables
7547 Adjective, not verb.
7550 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7551 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7552 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7556 @node Rule Variables
7557 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7558 @cindex rule variables
7560 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7561 variables are of the form
7564 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7571 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7572 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7574 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7575 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7578 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7579 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7582 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7583 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7584 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7585 user and default view rules.
7587 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7588 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7589 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7594 @node Other Decode Variables
7595 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7598 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7600 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7601 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7602 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7603 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7604 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7608 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7609 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7612 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7613 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7614 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7617 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7618 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7619 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7620 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7621 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7624 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7625 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7626 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7628 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7629 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7630 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7631 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7632 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7635 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7636 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7637 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7639 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7640 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7641 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7642 looking for files to display.
7644 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7645 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7646 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7649 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7650 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7651 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7654 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7655 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7656 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7659 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7660 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7661 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7664 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7665 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7666 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7667 decoded articles as unread.
7669 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7670 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7671 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7672 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7674 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7675 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7676 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7678 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7679 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7681 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7682 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7683 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7684 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7686 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7687 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7688 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7689 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7690 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7691 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7692 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7693 simply dropped them.
7698 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7699 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7703 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7704 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7705 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7706 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7707 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7708 for you when you post the article.
7710 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7711 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7712 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7713 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7715 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7716 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7717 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7718 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7719 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7720 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7721 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7723 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7724 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7725 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7726 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7727 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7728 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7729 Default is @code{t}.
7735 @subsection Viewing Files
7736 @cindex viewing files
7737 @cindex pseudo-articles
7739 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7740 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7741 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7742 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7743 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7744 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7745 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7747 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7748 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7749 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7750 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7752 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7753 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7754 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7756 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7757 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7758 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7759 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7760 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7762 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7763 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7764 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7765 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7766 a list of parameters to that command.
7768 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7769 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7770 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7772 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7773 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7774 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7777 @node Article Treatment
7778 @section Article Treatment
7780 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7781 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7782 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7783 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7784 these articles easier.
7787 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7788 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7789 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7790 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7791 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7792 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7793 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7794 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7795 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7796 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7800 @node Article Highlighting
7801 @subsection Article Highlighting
7802 @cindex highlighting
7804 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7805 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7810 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7811 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7812 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7813 Do much highlighting of the current article
7814 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7815 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7818 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7819 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7820 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7821 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7822 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7823 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7824 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7825 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7826 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7827 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7828 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7829 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7832 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7833 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7834 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7836 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7839 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7841 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7842 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7843 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7845 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7846 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7847 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7849 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7850 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7851 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7852 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7853 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7854 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7856 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7857 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7858 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7860 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7861 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7862 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7864 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7865 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7866 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7867 that it's a citation.
7869 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7870 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7871 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7873 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7874 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7875 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7877 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7878 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7879 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7880 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7886 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7887 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7888 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7889 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7890 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7891 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7892 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7893 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7898 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7901 @node Article Fontisizing
7902 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7904 @cindex article emphasis
7906 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7907 @kindex W e (Summary)
7908 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7909 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7910 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7911 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7913 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7914 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7915 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7916 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7917 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7918 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7919 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7920 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7924 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7925 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7926 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7935 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7936 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7937 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7938 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7939 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7940 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7941 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7942 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7943 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7944 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7945 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7946 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7947 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7949 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7950 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7951 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7955 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7958 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7960 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7961 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7962 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7963 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7965 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7968 @node Article Hiding
7969 @subsection Article Hiding
7970 @cindex article hiding
7972 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7973 too much cruft in most articles.
7978 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7979 @findex gnus-article-hide
7980 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7981 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7982 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7985 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7986 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7987 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7991 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7992 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7993 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7994 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7997 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7998 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7999 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8003 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8004 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8005 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8006 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8007 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8008 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8009 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8010 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8014 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8015 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8016 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8017 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8022 @kindex W W p (Summary)
8023 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
8024 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
8025 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
8026 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
8027 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
8028 articles that have signatures in them do:
8030 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
8032 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
8034 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
8035 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
8037 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
8040 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
8045 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8046 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8047 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8048 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8051 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8052 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8053 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8054 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8057 @cindex stripping advertisements
8058 @cindex advertisements
8059 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8060 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8061 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8062 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8063 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8064 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8065 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8066 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8067 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8068 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8071 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8072 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8073 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8077 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8078 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8079 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8080 @code{(ADDRESS . BANNER)}, where ADDRESS is a regexp matching a mail
8081 address in the From header, BANNER is one of a symbol @code{signature},
8082 an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}, a regexp and @code{nil}.
8083 If ADDRESS matches author's mail address, it will remove things like
8084 advertisements. For example, if a sender has the mail address
8085 @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a banner something like
8086 @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he sends, you can use the
8087 following element to remove them:
8090 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" . "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8096 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8097 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8098 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8099 customizing the hiding:
8103 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8104 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8105 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8106 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8107 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8108 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8109 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8114 Starting point of the hidden text.
8116 Ending point of the hidden text.
8118 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8120 Number of lines of hidden text.
8123 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8124 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8125 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8126 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8127 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8132 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8133 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8135 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8136 following two variables:
8139 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8140 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8141 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8142 50), hide the cited text.
8144 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8145 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8146 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8151 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8152 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8153 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8154 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8155 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8156 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8160 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8161 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8162 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8164 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8165 citation customization.
8167 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8171 @node Article Washing
8172 @subsection Article Washing
8174 @cindex article washing
8176 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8177 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8179 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8180 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8183 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8184 articles by default.
8189 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8190 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8194 @kindex W l (Summary)
8195 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8196 Remove page breaks from the current article
8197 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8201 @kindex W r (Summary)
8202 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8203 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8204 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8205 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8206 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8207 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8209 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8210 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8211 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8212 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8215 @kindex W m (Summary)
8216 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8217 @c @icon{gnus-summary-morse-message}
8218 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8222 @kindex W t (Summary)
8224 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8225 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8226 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8229 @kindex W v (Summary)
8230 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8231 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8232 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8235 @kindex W o (Summary)
8236 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8237 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8240 @kindex W d (Summary)
8241 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8242 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8244 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8246 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8247 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8248 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8249 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8252 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8253 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8254 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8255 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8258 @kindex W k (Summary)
8259 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8260 @cindex Outlook Express
8261 Deuglify broken Outlook (Express) articles and redisplay
8262 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8265 @kindex W w (Summary)
8266 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8267 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8269 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8273 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8274 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8275 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8278 @kindex W C (Summary)
8279 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8280 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8281 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8284 @kindex W c (Summary)
8285 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8286 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8287 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8288 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8289 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8292 @kindex W q (Summary)
8293 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8294 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8295 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
8296 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
8297 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
8298 readable to me. Note that this is usually done automatically by
8299 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
8300 header that says that this encoding has been done.
8301 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8304 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8305 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8306 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8307 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8308 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is usually done
8309 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8310 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8312 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8315 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8316 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8317 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8318 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8319 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8322 @kindex W u (Summary)
8323 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8324 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8325 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8326 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8327 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8330 @kindex W h (Summary)
8331 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8332 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8333 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8334 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8336 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8338 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8339 The default is to use the function specified by
8340 @code{mm-inline-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Customization, , , emacs-mime})
8341 to convert the @sc{html}, but this is controlled by the
8342 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8350 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8354 Use Links (see @uref{http://artax.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~mikulas/links/}).
8357 Use Lynx (see @uref{http://lynx.browser.org/}).
8360 Use html2text -- a simple @sc{html} converter included with Gnus.
8365 @kindex W b (Summary)
8366 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8367 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8368 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8371 @kindex W B (Summary)
8372 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8373 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8374 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8377 @kindex W p (Summary)
8378 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8379 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8380 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8381 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8382 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8383 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8384 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8387 @kindex W s (Summary)
8388 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8389 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8390 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8393 @kindex W a (Summary)
8394 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8395 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8396 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8399 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8400 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8401 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8402 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8405 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8406 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8407 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8408 lines with a single empty line.
8409 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8412 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8413 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8414 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8415 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8418 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8419 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8420 Do all the three commands above
8421 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8424 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8425 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8426 Remove all blank lines
8427 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8430 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8431 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8432 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8433 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8436 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8437 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8438 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8439 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8443 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8446 @node Article Header
8447 @subsection Article Header
8449 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8454 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8455 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8456 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8459 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8460 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8461 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8462 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8465 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8466 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8467 Fold all the message headers
8468 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8472 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8473 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8474 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8479 @node Article Buttons
8480 @subsection Article Buttons
8483 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8484 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8485 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8486 button on these references.
8488 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8489 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8490 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links and man pages.
8491 This is controlled by two variables, one that handles article bodies and
8492 one that handles article heads:
8496 @item gnus-button-alist
8497 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8498 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8501 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8507 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8508 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8509 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a variable containing a
8510 regexp, useful variables to use include @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}.
8513 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8514 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8515 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8518 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8519 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8520 avoid false matches.
8523 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8526 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8527 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8531 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8534 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8537 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8538 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8539 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8540 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8541 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8544 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8547 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8549 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8550 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8551 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8552 default values of the variables above.
8554 @item gnus-article-button-face
8555 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8556 Face used on buttons.
8558 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8559 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8560 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8564 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8568 @subsection Article Date
8570 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8571 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8572 when the article was sent.
8577 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8578 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8579 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8580 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8583 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8584 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8586 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8587 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8590 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8591 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8592 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8595 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8596 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8597 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8598 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8601 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8602 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8603 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8604 @findex format-time-string
8605 Display the date using a user-defined format
8606 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8607 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8608 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8609 for a list of possible format specs.
8612 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8613 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8614 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8615 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8616 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8617 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8620 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8623 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8624 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8627 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8628 into wonderful absurdities.
8630 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8633 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8636 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8637 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8641 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8642 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8643 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8644 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8645 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8646 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8647 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8651 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8652 preferred format automatically.
8655 @node Article Display
8656 @subsection Article Display
8661 These commands add various frivolous display gimmics to the article
8662 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8664 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8665 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8667 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8668 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8670 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8671 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8673 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8678 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8679 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8680 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8681 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8684 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8685 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8686 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8689 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8690 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8691 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8694 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8695 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8696 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8697 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8700 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8701 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8702 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8703 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
8706 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8707 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8708 Remove all images from the article buffer
8709 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8715 @node Article Signature
8716 @subsection Article Signature
8718 @cindex article signature
8720 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8721 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8722 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8723 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8724 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8725 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8726 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8727 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8728 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8731 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8732 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8733 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8734 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8735 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8736 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8737 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8738 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8741 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8744 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8745 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8746 signature when displaying articles.
8750 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8753 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8756 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8757 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8759 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8760 in question is not a signature.
8763 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8764 listed above. Here's an example:
8767 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8768 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8771 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8772 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8773 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8774 signature after all.
8777 @node Article Miscellania
8778 @subsection Article Miscellania
8782 @kindex A t (Summary)
8783 @findex gnus-article-babel
8784 Translate the article from one language to another
8785 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8791 @section MIME Commands
8792 @cindex MIME decoding
8794 @cindex viewing attachments
8796 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8797 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8803 @kindex K v (Summary)
8804 View the @sc{mime} part.
8807 @kindex K o (Summary)
8808 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8811 @kindex K c (Summary)
8812 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8815 @kindex K e (Summary)
8816 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8819 @kindex K i (Summary)
8820 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8823 @kindex K | (Summary)
8824 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8827 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8832 @kindex K b (Summary)
8833 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8834 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8838 @kindex K m (Summary)
8839 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8840 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8841 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8842 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8843 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8846 @kindex X m (Summary)
8847 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8848 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8849 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8850 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8853 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8854 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
8855 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8856 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8859 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8860 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
8861 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8862 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8865 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8866 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
8867 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8868 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8870 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8871 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8872 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8873 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
8874 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
8875 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8878 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8879 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
8880 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8881 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8888 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8889 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8890 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8891 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8894 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8897 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8901 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8902 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8903 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8904 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8905 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8906 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8909 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8910 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8911 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8912 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8913 displayed. This variable overrides
8914 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8916 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8917 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8918 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8920 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8921 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8922 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8923 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8924 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8925 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8926 save all jpegs into some directory).
8928 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8931 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8932 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8934 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8935 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8936 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8937 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8938 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8941 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8942 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8943 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8945 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8946 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8947 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8948 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8950 Ready-made functions include@*
8951 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8952 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8953 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8954 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8955 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8956 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8957 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8958 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8959 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8960 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8961 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8962 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8964 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8965 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8967 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8968 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8969 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8972 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8973 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8974 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8975 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8979 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8988 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8989 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8990 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8991 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8992 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8993 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8994 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8996 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8997 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8998 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8999 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9001 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
9002 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9003 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9004 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9005 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9006 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9007 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9008 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9010 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9011 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9012 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
9013 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9014 quoted-printable header encoding.
9016 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9017 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9018 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9022 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9025 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9026 means encode all charsets),
9028 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9029 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9030 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9037 @cindex coding system aliases
9038 @cindex preferred charset
9040 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9042 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9043 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9046 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9047 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9050 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9051 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
9053 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9056 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9059 This will almost do the right thing.
9061 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9065 (codepage-setup 1251)
9066 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9070 @node Article Commands
9071 @section Article Commands
9078 @kindex A P (Summary)
9079 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9080 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9081 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9082 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9083 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9084 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9089 @node Summary Sorting
9090 @section Summary Sorting
9091 @cindex summary sorting
9093 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9094 can't really see why you'd want that.
9099 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9100 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9101 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9104 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9105 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9106 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9109 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9110 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9111 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9114 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9115 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9116 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9119 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9120 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9121 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9124 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9125 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9126 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9129 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9130 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9131 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9134 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9135 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9136 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9139 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9140 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9141 Sort using the default sorting method
9142 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9145 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9146 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9147 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9148 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9149 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9153 @node Finding the Parent
9154 @section Finding the Parent
9155 @cindex parent articles
9156 @cindex referring articles
9161 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9162 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9163 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9164 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
9165 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9166 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9167 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9168 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9169 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9171 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9172 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9173 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
9174 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9175 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9179 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9180 @kindex A R (Summary)
9181 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9182 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9185 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9186 @kindex A T (Summary)
9187 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9188 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9189 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9190 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9191 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9192 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9193 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9195 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9196 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9197 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9198 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9199 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9200 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9203 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9204 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9206 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9207 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9208 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9209 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9210 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9211 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9212 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9215 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9216 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9217 by giving this command a prefix.
9219 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9220 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9221 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9222 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9223 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9224 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9227 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9228 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9229 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9232 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9233 then ask Google if that fails:
9236 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9238 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type google))))
9241 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9242 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9243 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9244 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9245 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9246 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9247 support this at all.
9250 @node Alternative Approaches
9251 @section Alternative Approaches
9253 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9254 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9257 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9258 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9263 @subsection Pick and Read
9264 @cindex pick and read
9266 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9267 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9268 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9269 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9271 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9272 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9273 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9274 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9275 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9276 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9278 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9283 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9284 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9285 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9286 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9287 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9288 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9289 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9290 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9293 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9294 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9295 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9296 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9300 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9301 Unpick the thread or article
9302 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9303 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9304 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9305 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9306 the thread or article at that line.
9310 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9311 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9312 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9313 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9314 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9315 will still be visible when you are reading.
9319 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9320 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9321 which is mapped to the same function
9322 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9324 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9327 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9330 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9331 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9333 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9334 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9335 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9337 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9338 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9339 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9340 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9341 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9342 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9343 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9347 @subsection Binary Groups
9348 @cindex binary groups
9350 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9351 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9352 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9353 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9354 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9355 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9356 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9359 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9360 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9361 command, when you have turned on this mode
9362 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9364 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9365 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9369 @section Tree Display
9372 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9373 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9374 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9375 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9378 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9381 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9382 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9383 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9385 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9386 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9387 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9388 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9389 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9391 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9392 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9393 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9394 default is @code{modeline}.
9396 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9397 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9398 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9399 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9400 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9401 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9402 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9408 The name of the poster.
9410 The @code{From} header.
9412 The number of the article.
9414 The opening bracket.
9416 The closing bracket.
9421 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9423 Variables related to the display are:
9426 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9427 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9428 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9429 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9430 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9431 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9433 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9434 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9435 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9436 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9440 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9441 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9442 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9443 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9444 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9445 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9446 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9447 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9448 other windows displayed next to it.
9450 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9454 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9455 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9458 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9459 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9460 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9461 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9462 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9463 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9464 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9468 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9471 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9481 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9485 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9486 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9488 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9490 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9495 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9496 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9497 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9500 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9501 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9502 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9503 (gnus-add-configuration
9507 (summary 0.75 point)
9512 @xref{Window Layout}.
9515 @node Mail Group Commands
9516 @section Mail Group Commands
9517 @cindex mail group commands
9519 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9520 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9522 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9523 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9528 @kindex B e (Summary)
9529 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9530 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9531 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9532 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9533 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9536 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9537 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9538 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9539 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9540 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9541 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9544 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9545 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9546 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9547 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9548 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9549 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9552 @kindex B m (Summary)
9554 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9555 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9556 Move the article from one mail group to another
9557 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9558 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9561 @kindex B c (Summary)
9563 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9564 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9565 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9566 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9567 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9570 @kindex B B (Summary)
9571 @cindex crosspost mail
9572 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9573 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9574 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9575 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9576 be properly updated.
9579 @kindex B i (Summary)
9580 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9581 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9582 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9583 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9586 @kindex B I (Summary)
9587 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9588 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9589 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9590 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9593 @kindex B r (Summary)
9594 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9595 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9596 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9597 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9598 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9599 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9600 (which is the default).
9604 @kindex B w (Summary)
9606 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9607 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9608 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9609 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9610 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9611 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9612 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9615 @kindex B q (Summary)
9616 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9617 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9618 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9619 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9622 @kindex B t (Summary)
9623 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9624 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9625 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9628 @kindex B p (Summary)
9629 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9630 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9631 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9632 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9633 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9634 article from your news server (or rather, from
9635 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9636 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9637 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9638 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9639 just not have arrived yet.
9642 @kindex K E (Summary)
9643 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9644 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9645 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9646 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9647 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9651 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9652 @cindex moving articles
9653 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
9654 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9655 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9656 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9657 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9658 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9659 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9662 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9663 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9664 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9665 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9669 @node Various Summary Stuff
9670 @section Various Summary Stuff
9673 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9674 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9675 * Summary Generation Commands::
9676 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9680 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9681 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9682 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9684 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9685 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9686 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9687 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9688 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9689 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9692 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9693 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9694 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9695 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9696 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9698 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9699 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9700 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9703 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9704 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9705 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9706 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9707 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9708 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9709 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
9710 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9711 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9712 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9714 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9715 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9716 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9717 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9718 list of articles to be selected.
9720 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9721 the list in one particular group:
9724 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9725 (if (string= group "some.group")
9726 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9730 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9731 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9732 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9733 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9734 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9735 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9736 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9737 buffers. For example:
9740 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9741 '(message-use-followup-to
9742 (gnus-visible-headers .
9743 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9749 @node Summary Group Information
9750 @subsection Summary Group Information
9755 @kindex H f (Summary)
9756 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9757 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9758 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9759 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9760 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9761 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9762 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9763 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9764 be used for fetching the file.
9767 @kindex H d (Summary)
9768 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9769 Give a brief description of the current group
9770 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9771 rereading the description from the server.
9774 @kindex H h (Summary)
9775 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9776 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9777 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9780 @kindex H i (Summary)
9781 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9782 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9786 @node Searching for Articles
9787 @subsection Searching for Articles
9792 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9793 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9794 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9795 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9798 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9799 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9800 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9801 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9805 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9806 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9807 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9808 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9809 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9810 search backward instead.
9812 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9813 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9816 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9817 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9818 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9819 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9822 @node Summary Generation Commands
9823 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9828 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9829 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9830 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9833 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9834 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9835 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9836 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9841 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9842 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9848 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9849 @kindex A D (Summary)
9850 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9851 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9852 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9853 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9854 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9855 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9856 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9857 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9861 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9862 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9863 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9864 several documents into one biiig group
9865 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9866 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9867 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9868 command understands the process/prefix convention
9869 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9872 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9873 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9874 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9875 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9876 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9877 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9881 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9882 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9883 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9886 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9887 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9888 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9889 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9892 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9893 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9894 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9895 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9900 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9901 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9902 @cindex summary exit
9903 @cindex exiting groups
9905 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9906 group and return you to the group buffer.
9912 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9914 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9915 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9916 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9917 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9918 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9919 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9920 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9921 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9922 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9923 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9924 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9928 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9930 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9931 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9932 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9936 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9938 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9939 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9940 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9941 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9944 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9945 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9946 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9947 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9950 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9951 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9952 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9953 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9956 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9957 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9958 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9959 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9960 all articles, both read and unread.
9964 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9965 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9966 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9967 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9968 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9969 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9970 articles, both read and unread.
9973 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9974 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9975 Exit the group and go to the next group
9976 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9979 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9980 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9981 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9982 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9985 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9986 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9987 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9988 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9989 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9990 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9993 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9994 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9995 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9996 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9998 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9999 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10000 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10001 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10002 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10003 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10004 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10005 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10006 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10007 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10008 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10009 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10011 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10013 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10014 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10015 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10016 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10017 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10018 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10019 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10020 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10021 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10024 @node Crosspost Handling
10025 @section Crosspost Handling
10029 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10030 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10031 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10032 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10033 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10034 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10037 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10038 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10039 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10040 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10041 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10043 @cindex cross-posting
10046 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10047 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
10048 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10049 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
10050 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10051 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10052 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10053 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10054 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10055 the cross reference mechanism.
10057 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10058 @cindex overview.fmt
10059 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10060 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10061 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10062 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10063 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10064 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10067 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10068 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10069 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10074 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10077 @node Duplicate Suppression
10078 @section Duplicate Suppression
10080 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10081 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10082 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10083 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10088 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10089 is evil and not very common.
10092 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10093 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10096 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10097 different @sc{nntp} servers.
10100 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10103 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10104 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10106 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10107 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10108 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10109 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10110 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10111 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10112 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10115 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10116 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10117 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10118 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10119 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10120 saw the article in.
10123 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10124 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10125 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10127 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10128 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10129 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10130 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10131 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
10132 session are suppressed.
10134 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10135 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10136 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10137 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10139 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10140 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10141 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10142 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10145 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
10146 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10147 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10148 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10149 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
10150 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10151 to you to figure out, I think.
10156 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10157 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
10158 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
10162 To handle PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or gpg.el as
10163 well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG).
10166 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10167 or newer is recommended.
10171 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10172 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10175 @item mm-verify-option
10176 @vindex mm-verify-option
10177 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10178 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10179 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10181 @item mm-decrypt-option
10182 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10183 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10184 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10185 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10190 @section Mailing List
10192 @kindex A M (summary)
10193 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10194 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10195 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10196 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10197 summary buffer, or say:
10200 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
10203 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10208 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10209 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10210 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10213 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10214 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10215 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10218 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10219 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10220 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10224 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10225 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10226 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10229 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10230 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10231 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10234 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10235 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10236 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10240 @node Article Buffer
10241 @chapter Article Buffer
10242 @cindex article buffer
10244 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10245 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10246 tell Gnus otherwise.
10249 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10250 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10251 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10252 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10253 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10257 @node Hiding Headers
10258 @section Hiding Headers
10259 @cindex hiding headers
10260 @cindex deleting headers
10262 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10263 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10265 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10266 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10267 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10268 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10269 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10270 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10271 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10272 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10273 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10275 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10279 @item gnus-visible-headers
10280 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10281 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10282 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10283 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10285 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10286 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10289 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10292 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10295 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10296 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10297 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10298 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10299 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10300 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10302 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
10303 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
10306 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10309 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10312 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10313 variable will have no effect.
10317 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10318 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10319 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10320 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10321 the headers are to be displayed.
10323 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10324 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10327 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10330 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10331 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10333 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10334 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10335 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10336 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10337 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10338 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10339 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10342 These conditions are:
10345 Remove all empty headers.
10347 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10348 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10350 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10351 @code{From} header.
10353 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10356 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10357 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10359 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10362 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10364 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10367 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10370 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10371 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10374 This is also the default value for this variable.
10378 @section Using MIME
10381 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10382 while people stand around yawning.
10384 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10385 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10387 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10388 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10389 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10391 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10392 @findex gnus-display-mime
10393 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10394 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10395 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10396 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
10398 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10402 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10403 @item RET (Article)
10404 @kindex RET (Article)
10405 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10406 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
10407 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If builtin viewers can not display
10408 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
10409 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
10410 object is displayed inline.
10412 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
10413 @item M-RET (Article)
10414 @kindex M-RET (Article)
10416 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10417 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
10419 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
10421 @kindex t (Article)
10422 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
10423 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
10425 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
10427 @kindex C (Article)
10428 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10429 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
10431 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
10433 @kindex o (Article)
10434 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
10435 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
10437 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
10438 @item C-o (Article)
10439 @kindex C-o (Article)
10440 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
10441 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
10442 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
10443 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
10444 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
10445 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
10447 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
10449 @kindex c (Article)
10450 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
10451 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
10453 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
10455 @kindex p (Article)
10456 Print the @sc{mime} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
10457 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
10458 @file{.mailcap} file.
10460 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
10462 @kindex i (Article)
10463 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
10464 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
10465 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
10466 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
10467 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
10470 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
10472 @kindex E (Article)
10473 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
10474 viewer is available, use an external viewer
10475 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
10477 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
10479 @kindex e (Article)
10480 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
10481 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
10483 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
10485 @kindex | (Article)
10486 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
10488 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
10490 @kindex . (Article)
10491 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
10492 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
10496 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
10497 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
10500 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
10501 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
10502 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
10503 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
10504 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
10505 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
10506 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
10507 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
10508 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
10510 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10512 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10515 @node Customizing Articles
10516 @section Customizing Articles
10517 @cindex article customization
10519 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10520 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10521 called automatically when you select the articles.
10523 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10524 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10525 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10526 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10528 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10529 for sensible values.
10533 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10536 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10539 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10542 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10545 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10549 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10550 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10551 regexps in the list.
10554 A list where the first element is not a string:
10556 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10557 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10558 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10562 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10567 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10568 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10569 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10570 considered to contain just a single part.
10572 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10573 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10574 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10575 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10576 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10577 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10578 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10580 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10581 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10582 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10583 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10586 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10587 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10589 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10591 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10592 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10593 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10594 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10595 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10596 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10597 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10598 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10599 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10600 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10602 @xref{Article Washing}.
10604 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10605 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10606 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10607 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10608 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10609 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10610 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10612 @xref{Article Date}.
10614 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10615 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10616 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10620 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10622 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10624 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10625 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10626 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10630 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10634 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10635 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10636 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10637 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10638 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10639 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10640 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10641 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10643 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10645 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10646 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10647 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10649 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10651 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10652 @item gnus-treat-translate
10653 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10655 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10656 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10657 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10658 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10660 @xref{Article Header}.
10665 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10666 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10667 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10668 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10669 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10673 @node Article Keymap
10674 @section Article Keymap
10676 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10677 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10678 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10679 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10682 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10687 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10688 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10689 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10692 @kindex DEL (Article)
10693 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10694 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10697 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10698 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10699 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10700 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10701 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10704 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10705 @findex gnus-article-mail
10706 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10707 given a prefix, include the mail.
10710 @kindex s (Article)
10711 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10712 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10713 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10716 @kindex ? (Article)
10717 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10718 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10719 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10722 @kindex TAB (Article)
10723 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10724 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10725 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10728 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10729 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10730 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10733 @kindex R (Article)
10734 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10735 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10736 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10737 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10741 @kindex F (Article)
10742 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10743 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10744 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10745 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10753 @section Misc Article
10757 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10758 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10759 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10760 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10763 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10764 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10766 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10767 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10769 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10770 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10771 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10772 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10773 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10774 the contents of the article buffer.
10776 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10777 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10778 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10780 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10781 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10782 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10783 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10785 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10786 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10787 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10788 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10789 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10795 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10796 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10797 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10802 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10805 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10808 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10809 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10810 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10813 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10816 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10819 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10824 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10828 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10830 @item gnus-break-pages
10831 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10832 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10833 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10834 paging will not be done.
10836 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10837 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10838 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10843 @node Composing Messages
10844 @chapter Composing Messages
10845 @cindex composing messages
10848 @cindex sending mail
10853 @cindex using s/mime
10854 @cindex using smime
10856 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10857 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10858 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10859 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10860 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10861 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10864 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10865 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
10866 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10867 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10868 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10869 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10870 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10871 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10874 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10875 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10881 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10884 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10885 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10886 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10887 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10889 @item gnus-add-to-list
10890 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10891 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10892 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10894 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10895 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10896 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus requests confirmation when replying to news.
10897 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
10898 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
10903 @node Posting Server
10904 @section Posting Server
10906 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10907 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10909 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10911 It can be quite complicated.
10913 @vindex gnus-post-method
10914 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
10915 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
10916 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
10917 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
10918 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
10919 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
10920 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
10921 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
10922 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10925 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10928 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10929 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10930 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10931 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10933 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10934 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10936 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10937 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10940 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10941 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10943 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
10944 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
10945 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
10946 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
10947 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
10948 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
10949 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
10950 package correctly. An example:
10953 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
10954 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
10957 To the thing similar to this, there is @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}.
10958 It is useful if your ISP requires the POP-before-SMTP authentication.
10959 See the documentation for the function @code{mail-source-touch-pop}.
10961 Other possible choises for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
10962 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
10963 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
10965 @node Mail and Post
10966 @section Mail and Post
10968 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10972 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10973 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10974 @cindex mailing lists
10976 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10977 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10978 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10979 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10980 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10981 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10982 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10983 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10984 still a pain, though.
10988 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10989 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10990 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10993 @findex ispell-message
10995 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10998 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10999 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11002 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11006 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11007 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11009 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11012 Modify to suit your needs.
11015 @node Archived Messages
11016 @section Archived Messages
11017 @cindex archived messages
11018 @cindex sent messages
11020 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11021 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11022 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11023 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11026 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11027 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11030 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11031 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
11032 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11035 (nnfolder "archive"
11036 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11037 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11038 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11039 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11042 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11043 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11044 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11045 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11048 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11049 '(nnfolder "archive"
11050 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11051 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11052 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11055 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11057 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11058 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11059 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11061 This variable can be used to do the following:
11066 Messages will be saved in that group.
11068 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11069 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11070 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11071 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11072 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11073 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11074 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11075 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11079 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11081 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11082 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11085 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11090 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11092 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11095 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11097 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11100 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11102 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11103 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11104 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11105 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11108 More complex stuff:
11110 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11111 '((if (message-news-p)
11116 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11117 messages in one file per month:
11120 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11121 '((if (message-news-p)
11123 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11126 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11127 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11129 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11130 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11131 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11132 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11133 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11134 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11135 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11136 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11137 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11138 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11140 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11141 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11142 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11143 this will disable archiving.
11146 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11147 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11148 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11149 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11150 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11153 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11154 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11155 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11158 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11159 but the latter is the preferred method.
11161 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11162 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11163 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11165 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11166 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11167 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11168 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11169 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11170 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11171 changed in the future.
11176 @node Posting Styles
11177 @section Posting Styles
11178 @cindex posting styles
11181 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11183 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11184 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11185 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11188 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11189 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11190 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11191 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11192 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11197 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11198 (organization "What me?"))
11200 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11201 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11202 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11205 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11206 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11207 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11208 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11209 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11210 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11211 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11212 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11214 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11215 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11216 If it is the form @code{(header MATCH REGEXP)}, then Gnus will look in
11217 the original article for a header whose name is MATCH and compare that
11218 REGEXP. MATCH and REGEXP are strings. If it's a function symbol, that
11219 function will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol,
11220 then the variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list
11221 will be @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil}
11222 value, then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
11224 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11225 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11226 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
11227 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
11228 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
11229 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
11230 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
11231 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
11232 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
11233 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
11236 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11237 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11238 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11239 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11240 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11241 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11242 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11243 references chars lines xref extra.
11245 @vindex message-reply-headers
11247 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11248 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11249 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11251 @findex message-mail-p
11252 @findex message-news-p
11254 So here's a new example:
11257 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11259 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11261 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11262 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11264 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11265 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
11266 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11267 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
11268 (signature my-news-signature))
11269 (window-system ;; A value symbol
11270 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11271 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
11272 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11273 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11274 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
11275 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11276 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11277 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11278 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11280 (From (save-excursion
11281 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11282 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11284 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11287 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11288 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11289 if you fill many roles.
11296 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11297 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11298 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11299 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11300 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11302 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11303 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11304 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11305 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11306 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11310 @vindex nndraft-directory
11311 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11312 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11313 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11314 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11315 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11316 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11318 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11319 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11322 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11323 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11324 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11325 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11326 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11327 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11328 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11329 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11330 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11331 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11332 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11333 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11334 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11335 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11337 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11338 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11339 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11341 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11342 @kindex D e (Draft)
11343 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11344 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11345 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11347 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11350 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11351 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11352 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11353 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11354 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11355 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11356 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11359 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11360 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11361 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11364 @node Rejected Articles
11365 @section Rejected Articles
11366 @cindex rejected articles
11368 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11369 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11370 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11371 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11373 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
11374 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11375 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11376 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
11377 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11379 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11380 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11381 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11383 @node Signing and encrypting
11384 @section Signing and encrypting
11386 @cindex using s/mime
11387 @cindex using smime
11389 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11390 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11391 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11392 (@pxref{Security}).
11394 For PGP, Gnus supports two external libraries, @sc{gpg.el} and
11395 @sc{Mailcrypt}, you need to install at least one of them. The
11396 @sc{s/mime} support in Gnus requires the external program OpenSSL.
11398 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11399 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11400 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11401 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11402 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11403 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11404 automatically encrypted messages.
11406 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11407 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11408 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11413 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11414 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11416 Digitally sign current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11419 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11420 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11422 Digitally sign current message using PGP.
11425 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11426 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11428 Digitally sign current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11431 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11432 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11434 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11437 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11438 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11440 Digitally encrypt current message using PGP.
11443 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11444 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11446 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11449 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11450 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11451 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11455 Also @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}.
11457 @node Select Methods
11458 @chapter Select Methods
11459 @cindex foreign groups
11460 @cindex select methods
11462 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11463 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11464 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11465 personal mail group.
11467 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11468 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11469 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11470 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11471 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11472 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11474 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11475 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11477 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11480 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11481 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11482 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11483 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11484 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11486 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11489 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11490 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11491 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11492 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11493 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11494 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11495 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11496 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11500 @node Server Buffer
11501 @section Server Buffer
11503 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11504 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11505 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11506 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11507 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11508 back end represents a virtual server.
11510 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11511 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11512 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11513 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11515 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11516 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11517 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11518 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11519 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11520 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11521 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11523 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11524 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11527 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11528 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11529 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11530 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11531 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11532 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11533 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11536 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11537 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11540 @node Server Buffer Format
11541 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11542 @cindex server buffer format
11544 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11545 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11546 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11547 variable, with some simple extensions:
11552 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11555 The name of this server.
11558 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11561 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11564 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11565 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11566 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11567 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11577 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11580 @node Server Commands
11581 @subsection Server Commands
11582 @cindex server commands
11588 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11589 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11593 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11594 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11597 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11598 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11599 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11603 @findex gnus-server-exit
11604 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11608 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11609 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11613 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11614 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11618 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11619 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11623 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11624 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11628 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11629 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11630 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11635 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11636 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11637 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11638 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11643 @node Example Methods
11644 @subsection Example Methods
11646 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11649 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11652 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11658 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11659 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11662 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11663 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11665 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11666 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11670 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11673 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11674 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11676 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11677 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11678 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11682 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11685 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11688 Here's the method for a public spool:
11692 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11693 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11699 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11700 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11701 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11702 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11703 should probably look something like this:
11707 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11708 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11709 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11710 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11713 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11714 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11715 configuration to the example above:
11718 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11721 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
11723 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11724 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11725 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11729 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11730 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11731 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11732 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11735 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11736 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11737 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11738 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11741 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11742 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11744 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11745 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11747 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11748 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11749 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11751 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11753 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11754 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11755 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11756 will contain the following:
11766 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11767 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11768 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11771 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11772 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11773 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11776 @node Server Variables
11777 @subsection Server Variables
11779 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11780 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11781 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11782 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11783 won't change the "derived" variables.
11785 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11786 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11787 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11788 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11789 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11790 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11791 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11792 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11793 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11797 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11798 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11799 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11803 @node Servers and Methods
11804 @subsection Servers and Methods
11806 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11807 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11808 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11809 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11813 @node Unavailable Servers
11814 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11816 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11817 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11818 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11819 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11820 actually the case or not.
11822 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11823 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11824 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11825 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11826 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11827 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11828 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11829 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11831 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11832 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11834 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11835 with the following commands:
11841 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11842 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11843 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11847 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11848 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11849 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11853 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11854 Mark the current server as unreachable
11855 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11858 @kindex M-o (Server)
11859 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11860 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11861 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11864 @kindex M-c (Server)
11865 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11866 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11867 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11871 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11872 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11873 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11877 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
11878 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
11884 @section Getting News
11885 @cindex reading news
11886 @cindex news back ends
11888 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11889 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11890 or it can read from a local spool.
11893 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11894 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11902 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11903 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11904 server as the, uhm, address.
11906 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11907 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11908 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11909 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11911 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11912 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11913 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11915 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11920 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11921 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11922 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11924 @cindex authentification
11925 @cindex nntp authentification
11926 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11927 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11928 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11929 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11930 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11931 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11932 present in this hook.
11934 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11935 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11936 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11937 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11938 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11939 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11940 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11941 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11942 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11943 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11944 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11945 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11949 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11952 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11954 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11955 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11956 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11957 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11958 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11959 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11960 @samp{force} is explained below.
11964 Here's an example file:
11967 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11968 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11971 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11972 have to be first, for instance.
11974 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11975 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11976 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11977 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11978 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11979 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11980 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11982 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11983 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11989 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11990 previously mentioned.
11992 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11994 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11995 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11996 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11997 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11998 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12001 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12002 '(("innd" (ding))))
12005 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12007 The default value is
12010 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12011 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12012 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12015 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12016 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12018 @item nntp-maximum-request
12019 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12020 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
12021 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12022 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12023 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12024 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12025 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12027 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12028 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12029 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12030 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
12031 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12032 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12033 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12034 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12035 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12036 no timeouts are done.
12038 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12039 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12040 @c @cindex PPP connections
12041 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12042 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12043 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12044 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
12045 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12046 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12047 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12048 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12049 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12050 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12052 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12053 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12054 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12055 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12056 @c described above.
12058 @item nntp-server-hook
12059 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12060 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
12063 @item nntp-buggy-select
12064 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12065 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12067 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12068 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12069 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
12070 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
12073 @item nntp-xover-commands
12074 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12077 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
12078 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12082 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12083 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
12084 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12085 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12086 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
12087 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12088 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12089 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12090 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12091 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12092 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12094 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12095 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12096 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
12098 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12099 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12100 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12101 server closes connection.
12103 @item nntp-record-commands
12104 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12105 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12106 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12107 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
12108 that doesn't seem to work.
12110 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12111 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12112 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12113 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12114 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12115 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12116 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12117 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12119 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12120 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12121 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12122 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12123 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12124 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12125 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12128 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12131 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12132 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12136 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12137 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12138 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12142 @node Direct Functions
12143 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12144 @cindex direct connection functions
12146 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12147 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
12148 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12149 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12152 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12153 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12154 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12157 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12158 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12159 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12160 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
12161 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
12162 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
12163 define a server as follows:
12166 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
12168 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
12169 ;; however, openssl s_client -port doesn't like named ports
12171 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12172 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12173 (nntp-port-number 563)
12174 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12177 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12178 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12179 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12180 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12181 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12182 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12183 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12184 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12188 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12189 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12190 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12193 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12194 session, which is not a good idea.
12198 @node Indirect Functions
12199 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12200 @cindex indirect connection functions
12202 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12203 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
12204 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12205 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
12206 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12207 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12210 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12211 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12212 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12213 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12214 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12216 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12219 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12220 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12221 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12222 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12224 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12225 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12226 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12227 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12228 @samp{ssh} for `nntp-via-rlogin-command', you may set this to
12229 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12230 this to @samp{("-t")} or @samp{("-C" "-t")} if the telnet command
12231 requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate host.
12234 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12235 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12236 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12237 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12239 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12242 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12243 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12244 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12247 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12248 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12249 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12250 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12252 @item nntp-via-user-password
12253 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12254 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12256 @item nntp-via-envuser
12257 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12258 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12259 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12260 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12262 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12263 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12264 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12265 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12272 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12277 @item nntp-via-user-name
12278 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12279 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12281 @item nntp-via-address
12282 @vindex nntp-via-address
12283 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12288 @node Common Variables
12289 @subsubsection Common Variables
12291 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12292 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12297 @item nntp-pre-command
12298 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12299 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
12300 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
12301 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
12302 wrapper for instance.
12305 @vindex nntp-address
12306 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12308 @item nntp-port-number
12309 @vindex nntp-port-number
12310 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
12311 If you use @sc{nntp} over @sc{ssl}, you may want to use integer ports rather
12312 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews}), because
12313 external SSL tools may not work with named ports.
12315 @item nntp-end-of-line
12316 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12317 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12318 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12319 using a non native connection function.
12321 @item nntp-telnet-command
12322 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12323 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12324 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12325 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12327 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12328 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12329 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12336 @subsection News Spool
12340 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12341 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12342 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12345 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12346 anything else) as the address.
12348 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12349 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12350 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12351 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12355 @item nnspool-inews-program
12356 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12357 Program used to post an article.
12359 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12360 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12361 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12363 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12364 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12365 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12366 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12368 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12369 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12370 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12371 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12373 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12374 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12375 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12377 @item nnspool-active-file
12378 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12379 The path to the active file.
12381 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12382 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12383 The path to the group descriptions file.
12385 @item nnspool-history-file
12386 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12387 The path to the news history file.
12389 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12390 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12391 The path to the active date file.
12393 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12394 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12395 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12398 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12399 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12401 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12402 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12403 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12409 @section Getting Mail
12410 @cindex reading mail
12413 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12417 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12418 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12419 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12420 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12421 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12422 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12423 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12424 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12425 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12426 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12427 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12428 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12429 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12433 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12434 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12436 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12437 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12438 of a culture shock.
12440 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12441 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12443 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12444 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12445 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12446 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12448 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12450 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12451 deleted? How awful!
12453 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12454 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12455 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12456 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12459 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12460 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12461 they want to treat a message.
12463 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12464 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12465 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12466 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12467 archived somewhere else.
12469 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12470 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12471 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12472 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12473 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12475 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12476 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12477 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12479 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12480 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12483 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12484 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12485 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12486 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12487 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12489 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12490 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12491 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12492 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12493 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12494 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12498 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12499 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12501 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12502 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12503 and things will happen automatically.
12505 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12506 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
12509 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12512 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12513 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12514 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12515 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12516 like any other group.
12518 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12521 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12522 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12523 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12527 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12528 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12529 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12532 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12533 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12534 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12537 @node Splitting Mail
12538 @subsection Splitting Mail
12539 @cindex splitting mail
12540 @cindex mail splitting
12542 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12543 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12544 to be split into groups.
12547 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12548 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12549 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12550 ("mail.other" "")))
12553 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12554 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12555 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12556 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12557 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12558 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12559 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12562 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12565 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12566 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12567 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12568 mail belongs in that group.
12570 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12571 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12572 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12573 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12574 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12575 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12577 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12578 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12579 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12580 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12581 thinks should carry this mail message.
12583 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12584 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12585 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12586 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12588 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12589 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12590 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12591 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12592 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12594 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12597 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12598 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12599 links. If that's the case for you, set
12600 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12601 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12603 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12604 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12605 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12606 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12607 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12608 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12611 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12612 Header lines longer than the value of
12613 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12616 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
12617 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
12618 By default the splitting codes MIME decodes headers so you can match
12619 on non-ASCII strings. The @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
12620 variable specifies the default charset for decoding. The behaviour
12621 can be turned off completely by binding
12622 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to nil, which is useful if you
12623 want to match articles based on the raw header data.
12625 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12626 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If
12627 you specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable
12628 @code{mail-sources} @pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}, however, then
12629 splitting does @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
12630 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-nil value to make splitting
12631 happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on other kinds
12634 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12635 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12636 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12637 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12638 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12639 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12640 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12641 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12642 month's rent money.
12646 @subsection Mail Sources
12648 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12649 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12653 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12654 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12655 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12659 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12660 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12662 @cindex mail server
12665 @cindex mail source
12667 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12668 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12673 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12676 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12677 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12678 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12681 The following mail source types are available:
12685 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12691 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12692 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
12693 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
12696 An example file mail source:
12699 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12702 Or using the default path:
12708 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12709 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12710 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12713 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12717 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12720 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12724 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12727 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12729 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12732 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12736 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
12737 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
12738 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. That is,
12739 there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that directory and
12740 groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in
12741 the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12742 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12743 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
12744 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
12745 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12747 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12748 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
12749 that to a non-nil value, then the normal splitting process is applied
12750 to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
12756 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12760 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12764 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12765 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12766 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12767 predicate are considered.
12771 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12775 An example directory mail source:
12778 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12783 Get mail from a POP server.
12789 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12790 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12793 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12794 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12795 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12796 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12797 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12800 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12804 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12808 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12809 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12812 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12815 The valid format specifier characters are:
12819 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12820 included in this string.
12823 The name of the server.
12826 The port number of the server.
12829 The user name to use.
12832 The password to use.
12835 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12836 corresponding keywords.
12839 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12840 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12843 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12844 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12847 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12848 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12851 @item :authentication
12852 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12853 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12858 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12859 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12861 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12862 default user name, and default fetcher:
12868 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12871 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12872 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12875 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12878 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12882 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12883 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12884 contains exactly one mail.
12890 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12891 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12894 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12895 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12897 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12898 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12899 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12902 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12903 from locking problems).
12907 Two example maildir mail sources:
12910 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12911 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12915 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12920 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12921 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12922 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12923 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12926 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12927 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12933 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12934 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12937 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12938 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12941 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12945 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12949 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12950 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12951 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12952 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12954 @item :authentication
12955 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12956 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12957 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12958 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12961 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12962 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12963 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12969 The valid format specifier characters are:
12973 The name of the server.
12976 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12979 The port number of the server.
12982 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12983 corresponding keywords.
12986 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12987 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12990 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12991 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12992 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12993 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
12994 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12995 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
12998 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12999 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13000 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13001 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13004 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
13005 after finishing the fetch.
13009 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
13012 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13014 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13018 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
13019 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
13020 @uref{mail.yahoo..com}.
13022 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13023 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13025 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13031 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13032 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13035 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13039 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13043 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
13044 folder after finishing the fetch.
13048 An example webmail source:
13051 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13053 :password "secret")
13058 @item Common Keywords
13059 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13065 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
13066 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
13070 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13075 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13076 useful when you use local mail and news.
13081 @subsubsection Function Interface
13083 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13084 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13085 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13086 consider the following mail-source setting:
13089 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13090 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13093 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13094 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13095 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13096 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13097 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13099 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13102 @node Mail Source Customization
13103 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13105 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13106 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13110 @item mail-source-crash-box
13111 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13112 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
13113 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13115 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13116 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13117 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
13119 @item mail-source-directory
13120 @vindex mail-source-directory
13121 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13122 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13123 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13126 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13127 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13128 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13129 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13130 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13131 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13133 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13134 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13135 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13137 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13138 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13139 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
13140 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13145 @node Fetching Mail
13146 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13148 @vindex mail-sources
13149 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13150 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13151 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13152 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13154 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13155 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13158 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
13159 mail server, you'd say something like:
13164 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13165 :password "secret")))
13168 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13172 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13173 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13176 :password "secret")))
13180 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13181 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13182 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13183 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13184 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13185 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13189 @node Mail Back End Variables
13190 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13192 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13196 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13197 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13198 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13199 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13201 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13202 @item nnmail-split-hook
13203 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
13204 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
13205 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
13206 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13207 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13208 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13209 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13210 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13211 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13214 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13215 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13216 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13217 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13218 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13219 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13220 starting to handle the new mail) and
13221 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13222 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13223 default file modes the new mail files get:
13226 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13227 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13229 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13230 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13233 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13234 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13235 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13236 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13237 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13238 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13239 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13241 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13242 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13243 @findex delete-file
13244 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13246 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13247 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13248 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13249 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13250 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13252 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13253 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13254 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13255 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13256 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13258 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13259 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13260 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13265 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13266 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13267 @cindex mail splitting
13268 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13270 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13271 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13272 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13273 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13274 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13275 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13277 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13280 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
13281 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
13282 ;; from real errors.
13283 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13285 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
13286 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
13287 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
13288 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13289 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13290 ;; Other mailing lists...
13291 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13292 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13293 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
13294 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
13295 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
13296 ;; message was really cross-posted.
13297 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13298 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13300 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13301 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13305 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13306 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13307 the five possible split syntaxes:
13312 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13313 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13317 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13318 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13319 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13320 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13321 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13322 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13323 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13324 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13327 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13328 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13329 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13330 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13333 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13334 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13337 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13338 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13341 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13342 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13343 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13344 function should return a @var{split}.
13347 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13348 body of the messages:
13351 (defun split-on-body ()
13353 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13354 (goto-char (point-min))
13355 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13359 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13360 when the @code{:} function is run.
13363 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13364 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
13365 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
13369 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13373 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13374 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13375 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13376 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13377 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13379 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13380 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13381 are expanded as specified by the variable
13382 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13383 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13386 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13387 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13388 when all this splitting is performed.
13390 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13391 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13392 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13395 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13398 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13399 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13401 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13402 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13403 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13404 groupings 1 through 9.
13406 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13407 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13408 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13409 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13410 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13411 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13412 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13413 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13414 it once per thread.
13416 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13417 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13418 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13421 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; or 'delete
13422 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
13424 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13425 ;; other splits go here
13429 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13430 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13431 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13432 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13433 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13434 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13435 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13436 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13437 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13438 unless the group name matches the regexp
13439 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13440 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13441 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13442 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13443 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13444 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13445 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13446 messages goes into the new group.
13448 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
13449 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
13450 outgoing messages are written to an `outgoing' group, you could set
13451 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
13452 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
13456 @node Group Mail Splitting
13457 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13458 @cindex mail splitting
13459 @cindex group mail splitting
13461 @findex gnus-group-split
13462 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13463 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13464 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13465 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13466 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13467 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13468 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13469 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13471 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13472 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13473 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13474 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13476 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13477 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13478 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13479 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13480 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13481 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13482 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13484 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13485 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13486 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13487 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13488 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13489 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13490 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13492 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13493 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13494 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13495 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13496 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13497 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13498 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13499 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13500 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13501 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13502 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13503 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13504 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13506 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13511 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13512 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13514 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13515 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13516 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13517 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13519 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13522 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13523 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13524 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13527 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13528 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13529 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13533 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13534 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13535 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13539 (: gnus-group-split-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13542 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13543 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13544 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13545 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13546 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13547 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13548 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13549 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13550 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13552 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13553 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13554 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13555 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13556 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13557 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13558 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13559 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13560 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13562 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13563 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13564 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13565 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13566 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13567 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
13570 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13573 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13574 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13575 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13576 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13577 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13580 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13581 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13582 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13583 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13585 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13586 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13587 @cindex incorporating old mail
13588 @cindex import old mail
13590 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13591 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13592 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13595 Doing so can be quite easy.
13597 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13598 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13599 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13600 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13601 your @code{nnml} groups.
13607 Go to the group buffer.
13610 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13611 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13614 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
13617 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13618 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13621 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13622 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13625 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13626 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13627 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13628 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13629 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13631 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13632 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13633 using the new mail back end.
13636 @node Expiring Mail
13637 @subsection Expiring Mail
13638 @cindex article expiry
13640 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13641 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13642 different approach to mail reading.
13644 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13645 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13646 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13647 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13648 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13649 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13652 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13653 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default keybindings, this means
13654 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
13655 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13656 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13657 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13658 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13659 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13660 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13662 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
13663 two features, called `auto-expire' and `total-expire', that can help you
13664 with this. In a nutshell, `auto-expire' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
13665 for you when you select an article. And `total-expire' means that Gnus
13666 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
13667 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
13668 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
13671 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
13672 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
13673 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
13674 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
13675 into its own group.)
13677 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
13678 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
13679 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
13680 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
13681 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
13682 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
13683 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring @pxref{Adaptive
13684 Scoring}. Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
13687 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13688 Groups that match the regular expression
13689 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
13690 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
13691 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
13693 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13694 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13695 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13696 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13699 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13701 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13702 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13703 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13706 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13707 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13708 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13709 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13710 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13712 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13713 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13716 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13717 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13720 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13721 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13723 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13724 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13725 don't really mix very well.
13727 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13728 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13729 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13730 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13733 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13734 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13735 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13736 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13739 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13741 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13743 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13745 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13747 ((string= group "important")
13753 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13754 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13756 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13757 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13758 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13761 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13762 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13764 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13765 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13766 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13767 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13768 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13769 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13770 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13771 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13772 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13773 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13774 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13775 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13776 name or @code{delete}.
13778 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13780 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13783 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13784 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13785 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13786 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13787 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13790 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13791 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13792 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13793 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13794 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13797 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13798 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13799 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13800 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13801 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13802 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13804 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13805 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13806 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13807 easier for procmail users.
13809 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13810 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13811 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13812 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13813 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13814 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13815 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13816 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13817 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13818 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13819 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13820 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13821 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13824 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13826 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13827 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13828 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13829 auto-expire turned on.
13833 @subsection Washing Mail
13834 @cindex mail washing
13835 @cindex list server brain damage
13836 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13838 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13839 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13840 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13841 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13842 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13843 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13845 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13846 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13847 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13850 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13851 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13852 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13853 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13856 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13857 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13858 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13859 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13860 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13863 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13864 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13865 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13866 Emacs running on MS machines.
13870 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13871 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13872 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13873 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13876 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13877 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13878 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13879 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13881 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
13882 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
13883 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
13884 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
13885 into a feature by documenting it.)
13887 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13888 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13889 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13890 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13891 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13892 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13893 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13896 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13897 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13900 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13901 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13904 This can also be done non-destructively with
13905 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13907 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13908 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13909 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13911 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13912 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13914 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13915 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13916 @code{References} headers.
13920 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13921 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13922 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13926 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13927 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13928 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13935 @subsection Duplicates
13937 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13938 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13939 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13940 @cindex duplicate mails
13941 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13942 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13943 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13944 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13945 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13946 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13947 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13948 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13949 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13950 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13951 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13952 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13953 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13955 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13956 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13957 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13958 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13960 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13963 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13964 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13968 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13969 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13970 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13971 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13972 (any mail "mail.misc")
13979 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13980 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13985 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13986 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13987 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13988 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13989 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13992 @node Not Reading Mail
13993 @subsection Not Reading Mail
13995 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
13996 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
13997 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
13999 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14000 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14001 mail, which should help.
14003 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14004 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14005 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14006 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14007 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14008 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14009 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
14010 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14011 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14012 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14013 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14015 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14016 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14020 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14021 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14023 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14024 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14025 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14027 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14028 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14029 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14030 Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
14031 @code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
14032 incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
14033 @uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
14036 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14037 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
14038 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14039 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14040 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14041 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14045 @node Unix Mail Box
14046 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14048 @cindex unix mail box
14050 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14051 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14052 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14053 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14054 which group it belongs in.
14056 Virtual server settings:
14059 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14060 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14061 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14064 @item nnmbox-active-file
14065 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14066 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14067 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14069 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14070 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14071 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14072 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14077 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14081 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14082 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14083 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
14084 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14085 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14087 Virtual server settings:
14090 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14091 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14092 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14094 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14095 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14096 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14097 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14099 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14100 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14101 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14107 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14109 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
14111 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14112 format. It should be used with some caution.
14114 @vindex nnml-directory
14115 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14116 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14117 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14118 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14120 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14123 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14124 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14125 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14126 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14127 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14128 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14129 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14130 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14132 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14133 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14134 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14135 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14137 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14139 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14140 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14141 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14142 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14143 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14144 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14145 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14146 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14149 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14150 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14151 them next time it starts.
14153 Virtual server settings:
14156 @item nnml-directory
14157 @vindex nnml-directory
14158 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
14159 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
14162 @item nnml-active-file
14163 @vindex nnml-active-file
14164 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14165 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
14167 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14168 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14169 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14170 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
14172 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14173 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14174 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14177 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14178 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14179 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14180 default is @code{nil}.
14182 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14183 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14184 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14186 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14187 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14188 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14190 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14191 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14192 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14193 default is @code{nil}.
14195 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14196 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14197 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14199 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14200 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14201 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14206 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14207 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
14208 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14209 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14210 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14211 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14212 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14217 @subsubsection MH Spool
14219 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14221 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14222 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14223 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14224 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14226 Virtual server settings:
14229 @item nnmh-directory
14230 @vindex nnmh-directory
14231 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14232 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14235 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14236 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14237 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14241 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14242 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14243 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14244 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14245 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14246 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14247 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14252 @subsubsection Mail Folders
14254 @cindex mbox folders
14255 @cindex mail folders
14257 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
14258 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
14259 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
14262 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
14264 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
14265 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14266 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14267 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
14268 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
14269 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
14270 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
14271 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
14272 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
14273 @code{nnfolder} directory).
14275 Virtual server settings:
14278 @item nnfolder-directory
14279 @vindex nnfolder-directory
14280 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
14281 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14284 @item nnfolder-active-file
14285 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
14286 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
14288 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14289 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14290 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14291 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
14293 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
14294 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14295 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
14298 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14299 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14300 @cindex backup files
14301 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
14302 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
14303 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
14304 your @file{.emacs} file:
14307 (defun turn-off-backup ()
14308 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
14310 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
14313 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14314 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14315 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
14316 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
14317 extract some information from it before removing it.
14319 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14320 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14321 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14322 default is @code{nil}.
14324 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14325 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14326 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
14328 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
14329 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
14330 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
14331 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14333 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14334 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14335 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14336 default is @code{nil}.
14338 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14339 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14340 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
14342 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
14343 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
14344 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14345 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14350 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14351 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14352 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14353 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14354 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14355 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14358 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14359 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14361 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14362 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14363 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14364 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14365 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14367 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14368 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14369 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14370 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14371 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14372 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14373 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14374 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14377 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14378 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14379 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14380 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14385 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14386 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14387 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14388 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14389 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14390 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14391 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14392 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14393 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14394 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14395 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14396 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14397 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14402 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14403 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14404 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14405 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14406 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14407 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14408 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14409 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14410 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14411 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14412 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14413 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14414 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14415 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14417 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14418 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14423 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14424 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14425 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14426 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14427 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14428 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14429 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14430 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14431 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14432 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14433 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14434 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14435 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14436 provided by the active file and overviews.
14438 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14439 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
14440 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14441 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14442 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14445 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14446 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14451 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14452 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14453 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14454 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14455 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14456 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14457 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14461 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14462 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14463 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14464 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14465 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14466 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14467 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14468 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14469 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14471 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14472 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14473 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14474 friendly mail back end all over.
14478 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14479 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14480 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14481 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14482 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14483 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14484 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14485 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14488 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14489 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14490 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14491 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14492 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14493 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14494 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14495 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14496 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14497 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
14498 treatment such as duplicate checking.
14500 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
14501 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14502 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14503 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14504 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14505 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14506 This will probably be changed in the future.
14508 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14509 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14510 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14511 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14512 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14515 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14516 parameters slightly different from those of other mail back ends.
14518 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14519 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14520 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
14521 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
14522 parameter to somthing small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
14523 would) to make it use less memory.
14525 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
14526 with other back ends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
14527 depending in part on your filesystem.
14529 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
14530 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
14535 @node Browsing the Web
14536 @section Browsing the Web
14538 @cindex browsing the web
14542 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
14543 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
14544 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
14545 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
14546 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
14547 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
14548 even know what a news group is.
14550 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
14551 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
14552 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
14553 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
14554 you mad in the end.
14556 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
14559 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
14560 interfaces to these sources.
14564 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
14565 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
14566 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
14567 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
14568 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
14569 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
14572 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
14574 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
14575 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
14576 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
14577 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
14578 though, you should be ok.
14580 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
14581 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
14582 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
14583 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
14584 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
14586 @node Archiving Mail
14587 @subsection Archiving Mail
14588 @cindex archiving mail
14589 @cindex backup of mail
14591 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
14592 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
14593 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
14594 marks is fairly simple.
14596 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
14597 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
14600 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
14601 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
14602 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
14603 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
14604 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
14605 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
14606 might interfer with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
14607 before you restore the data.
14609 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
14610 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
14611 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
14612 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
14613 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
14614 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
14615 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
14616 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
14617 is unnecessary in that case.
14620 @subsection Web Searches
14625 @cindex Usenet searches
14626 @cindex searching the Usenet
14628 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14629 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14630 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14631 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14632 searches without having to use a browser.
14634 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14635 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14636 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14637 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14638 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14640 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14641 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14642 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14643 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14644 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14645 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14646 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14647 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14648 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14649 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14652 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14653 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14654 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14655 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14656 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14657 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14659 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14660 to use @code{nnweb}.
14662 Virtual server variables:
14667 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14668 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
14669 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
14672 @vindex nnweb-search
14673 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14675 @item nnweb-max-hits
14676 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14677 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14680 @item nnweb-type-definition
14681 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14682 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14683 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14688 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14692 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14695 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14698 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14702 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14709 @subsection Slashdot
14713 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14714 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14715 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14717 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14718 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14721 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14722 '((nnslashdot "")))
14725 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14726 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14727 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14728 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14729 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14732 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14733 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14735 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14736 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14737 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14738 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14739 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14740 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14743 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14746 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14747 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14748 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14749 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14750 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14751 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14752 but much, much slower than untreaded.
14754 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14755 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14756 The login name to use when posting.
14758 @item nnslashdot-password
14759 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14760 The password to use when posting.
14762 @item nnslashdot-directory
14763 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14764 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14765 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14767 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14768 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14769 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14770 news articles and comments. The default is
14771 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14773 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14774 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14775 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14777 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14779 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14780 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14781 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14783 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14785 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14786 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14787 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14789 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14790 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14791 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14792 updated. The default is 0.
14799 @subsection Ultimate
14801 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14803 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14804 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14805 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14806 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14808 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14809 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14810 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14811 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14812 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14813 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14814 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14816 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14819 @item nnultimate-directory
14820 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14821 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14822 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14827 @subsection Web Archive
14829 @cindex Web Archive
14831 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14832 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14833 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14834 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14837 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14838 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14839 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14840 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14841 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14842 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14843 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14845 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14848 @item nnwarchive-directory
14849 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14850 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14851 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14853 @item nnwarchive-login
14854 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14855 The account name on the web server.
14857 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14858 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14859 The password for your account on the web server.
14867 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14868 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14869 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14872 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14873 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14876 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14879 @item nnrss-directory
14880 @vindex nnrss-directory
14881 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14882 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14886 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14887 the summary buffer.
14890 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14891 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14893 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14895 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14896 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14899 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14902 (require 'browse-url)
14904 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14906 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14909 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14910 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14913 (browse-url (cdr url))
14914 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
14915 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14917 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14918 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14919 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14920 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14923 @node Customizing w3
14924 @subsection Customizing w3
14930 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14931 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14932 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14934 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14935 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14936 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14939 (eval-after-load "w3"
14941 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14942 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
14943 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
14944 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
14946 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
14949 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
14950 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
14959 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14960 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14961 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14962 specify the network address of the server.
14964 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14965 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14966 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14967 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
14968 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
14970 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
14971 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
14972 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
14973 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
14975 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14976 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
14977 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14978 usage explained in this section.
14980 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14981 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
14982 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
14985 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14986 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14987 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14989 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14990 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14991 ; a UW server running on localhost
14993 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14994 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14995 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14996 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14997 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14998 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14999 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15000 (nnimap-stream network))
15001 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
15003 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15004 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15005 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15008 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15013 @item nnimap-address
15014 @vindex nnimap-address
15016 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
15017 server name if not specified.
15019 @item nnimap-server-port
15020 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15021 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
15023 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
15026 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15027 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
15030 @item nnimap-list-pattern
15031 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
15032 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
15033 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
15034 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
15035 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
15036 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
15038 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
15039 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
15040 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
15043 Example server specification:
15046 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15047 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
15048 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
15051 @item nnimap-stream
15052 @vindex nnimap-stream
15053 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
15054 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
15055 of SSL/TLS. (@sc{imap} over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
15056 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
15058 Example server specification:
15061 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15062 (nnimap-stream ssl))
15065 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
15069 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
15070 @samp{imtest} program.
15072 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
15074 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
15075 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
15078 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
15079 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
15080 library @samp{ssl.el}.
15082 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
15084 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
15087 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
15088 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
15089 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
15090 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
15091 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
15092 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
15093 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
15094 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
15095 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
15098 @vindex imap-ssl-program
15099 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
15100 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
15101 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
15102 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
15103 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
15104 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
15105 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
15106 distribution, for instance).
15108 @vindex imap-shell-program
15109 @vindex imap-shell-host
15110 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
15111 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
15113 @item nnimap-authenticator
15114 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
15116 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
15117 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
15119 Example server specification:
15122 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15123 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
15126 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
15130 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
15131 external program @code{imtest}.
15133 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
15136 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
15137 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
15139 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
15141 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
15143 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
15146 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
15148 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
15149 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
15150 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
15151 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
15152 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
15153 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
15156 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
15157 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
15158 running in circles yet?
15160 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
15161 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
15164 The possible options are:
15169 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
15172 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
15173 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
15174 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
15175 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
15177 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
15182 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
15183 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
15185 If non-nil (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as well),
15186 for other @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
15187 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
15188 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap}
15189 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap}
15192 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
15193 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
15196 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
15197 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15198 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
15199 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15202 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
15203 as ticked for other users.
15205 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
15207 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
15209 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
15210 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
15211 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
15212 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
15214 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
15215 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
15216 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
15217 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
15219 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
15220 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
15222 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
15223 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
15224 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
15230 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
15231 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
15232 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
15233 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
15234 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
15239 @node Splitting in IMAP
15240 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
15241 @cindex splitting imap mail
15243 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
15244 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
15245 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
15246 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
15247 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
15251 Here are the variables of interest:
15255 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
15256 @cindex splitting, crosspost
15258 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
15260 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
15261 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
15263 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
15265 @item nnimap-split-inbox
15266 @cindex splitting, inbox
15268 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
15270 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
15271 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
15275 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
15276 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
15279 No nnmail equivalent.
15281 @item nnimap-split-rule
15282 @cindex Splitting, rules
15283 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
15285 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
15288 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
15289 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
15290 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
15291 Neither did I, we need examples.
15294 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15296 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
15297 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
15298 ("INBOX.private" "")))
15301 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
15302 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
15303 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
15305 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
15306 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
15310 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
15313 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
15314 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
15316 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15317 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
15318 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
15319 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
15321 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
15322 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
15323 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
15324 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
15325 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
15326 them every time you fetch new mail.)
15328 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
15329 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
15330 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
15332 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
15333 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
15334 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15336 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
15338 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
15339 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
15340 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
15343 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15344 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
15345 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
15346 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
15347 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
15348 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
15351 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
15352 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15353 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15354 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15355 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15356 group/function elements.
15358 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15360 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15362 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15364 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15365 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15367 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15368 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15369 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15372 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15373 @cindex splitting, fancy
15374 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15375 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15377 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15378 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15379 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15381 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15382 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15383 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15384 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15389 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15390 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15393 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15397 @node Expiring in IMAP
15398 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
15399 @cindex expiring imap mail
15401 Even though @sc{nnimap} is not a proper @sc{nnmail} derived back end,
15402 it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
15403 Unlike splitting in IMAP (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}) it do not clone
15404 the @sc{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating @var{nnimap-expiry-wait})
15405 but reuse the @sc{nnmail} variables. What follows below are the
15406 variables used by the @sc{nnimap} expiry process.
15408 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @sc{imap} server is
15409 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
15410 @sc{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
15411 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
15412 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
15413 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
15414 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
15415 messages. Most do, fortunately.
15419 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
15420 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15422 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
15423 number, the symbol @var{immediate} or @var{never}.
15425 @item nnmail-expiry-target
15427 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
15428 @sc{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
15429 that if the destination is a IMAP group on the same server, the
15430 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
15434 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15435 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
15436 @cindex editing imap acls
15437 @cindex Access Control Lists
15438 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15440 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
15442 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
15443 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
15444 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
15447 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
15448 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
15449 editing window with detailed instructions.
15451 Some possible uses:
15455 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15456 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15457 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15459 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15460 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
15461 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15465 @node Expunging mailboxes
15466 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
15470 @cindex Manual expunging
15472 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15474 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15475 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15476 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15478 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15481 @node A note on namespaces
15482 @subsection A note on namespaces
15483 @cindex IMAP namespace
15486 The IMAP protocol has a concept called namespaces, described by the
15487 following text in the RFC:
15490 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
15492 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
15493 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
15494 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
15495 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
15497 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
15498 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
15499 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
15500 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
15501 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
15502 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
15505 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the IMAP
15506 implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace prefixes in a way
15507 that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
15509 Specifically, University of Washington's IMAP server uses mailbox
15510 names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only in the
15511 @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is created
15512 (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed without
15513 the namespace prefix, i.e @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do not make it
15514 possible for the user to guarantee that user entered mailbox names
15515 will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands, you should
15516 simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in Gnus.
15518 See the UoW @sc{imapd} documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
15519 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
15520 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
15522 @node Other Sources
15523 @section Other Sources
15525 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
15526 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
15530 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
15531 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
15532 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
15533 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
15534 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
15538 @node Directory Groups
15539 @subsection Directory Groups
15541 @cindex directory groups
15543 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
15544 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
15547 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
15548 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
15549 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
15550 back end to read directories. Big deal.
15552 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
15553 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
15554 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
15555 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
15556 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
15558 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
15560 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
15561 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
15562 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
15563 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
15566 @node Anything Groups
15567 @subsection Anything Groups
15570 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
15571 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
15572 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
15575 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
15576 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
15577 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
15578 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
15579 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
15580 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
15581 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
15582 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
15583 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
15584 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
15587 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
15588 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
15589 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
15590 in the article buffer, just as usual.
15592 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
15593 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
15594 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
15595 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
15597 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
15598 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
15599 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
15600 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
15601 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
15602 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
15603 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
15604 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
15609 @item nneething-map-file-directory
15610 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
15611 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
15612 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
15614 @item nneething-exclude-files
15615 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
15616 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
15617 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
15619 @item nneething-include-files
15620 @vindex nneething-include-files
15621 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
15622 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
15624 @item nneething-map-file
15625 @vindex nneething-map-file
15626 Name of the map files.
15630 @node Document Groups
15631 @subsection Document Groups
15633 @cindex documentation group
15636 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
15637 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
15644 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
15649 The standard Unix mbox file.
15651 @cindex MMDF mail box
15653 The MMDF mail box format.
15656 Several news articles appended into a file.
15659 @cindex rnews batch files
15660 The rnews batch transport format.
15661 @cindex forwarded messages
15664 Forwarded articles.
15667 Netscape mail boxes.
15670 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
15672 @item standard-digest
15673 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
15676 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
15678 @item lanl-gov-announce
15679 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
15681 @item rfc822-forward
15682 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
15685 The Outlook mail box.
15688 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
15691 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
15694 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
15697 An RFC934-forwarded message.
15703 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
15706 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
15712 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
15713 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
15714 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
15717 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
15718 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
15719 group. And that's it.
15721 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
15722 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
15723 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
15724 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
15725 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
15726 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
15727 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
15728 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
15729 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15730 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15732 Virtual server variables:
15735 @item nndoc-article-type
15736 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15737 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15738 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15739 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15740 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
15741 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
15743 @item nndoc-post-type
15744 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15745 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15746 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15751 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
15755 @node Document Server Internals
15756 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
15758 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
15759 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
15760 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
15761 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
15763 First, here's an example document type definition:
15767 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
15768 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
15771 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
15772 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
15773 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
15774 types can be defined with very few settings:
15777 @item first-article
15778 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
15779 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
15782 @item article-begin
15783 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
15784 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
15786 @item head-begin-function
15787 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
15790 @item nndoc-head-begin
15791 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
15794 @item nndoc-head-end
15795 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
15796 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
15798 @item body-begin-function
15799 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
15803 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
15806 @item body-end-function
15807 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
15811 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
15814 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
15815 regexp will be totally ignored.
15819 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
15820 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
15821 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
15822 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
15823 something that's palatable for Gnus:
15826 @item prepare-body-function
15827 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
15828 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
15829 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
15831 @item article-transform-function
15832 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
15833 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
15834 body of the article.
15836 @item generate-head-function
15837 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
15838 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
15839 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
15840 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
15844 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
15849 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15850 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15851 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
15852 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
15853 (head-end . "^ ?$")
15854 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
15855 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
15856 (subtype digest guess))
15859 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
15860 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
15861 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
15862 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
15863 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
15865 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
15866 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
15867 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
15868 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
15869 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
15870 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
15871 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
15872 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
15873 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15874 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15882 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15883 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15884 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15886 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15887 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15888 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15891 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15892 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15893 that interested in doing things properly.
15895 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15896 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15899 First some terminology:
15904 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15905 get news and/or mail from.
15908 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15909 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15912 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15916 @item message packets
15917 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15918 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15919 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15921 @item response packets
15922 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15923 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15924 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15934 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15935 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15936 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15937 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15940 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
15943 You put the packet in your home directory.
15946 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
15947 the native or secondary server.
15950 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
15951 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
15954 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
15958 You transfer this packet to the server.
15961 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
15964 You then repeat until you die.
15968 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
15969 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
15972 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
15973 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
15974 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
15978 @node SOUP Commands
15979 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
15981 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
15985 @kindex G s b (Group)
15986 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
15987 Pack all unread articles in the current group
15988 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
15989 process/prefix convention.
15992 @kindex G s w (Group)
15993 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
15994 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
15997 @kindex G s s (Group)
15998 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
15999 Send all replies from the replies packet
16000 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
16003 @kindex G s p (Group)
16004 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
16005 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
16008 @kindex G s r (Group)
16009 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
16010 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
16013 @kindex O s (Summary)
16014 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
16015 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
16016 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
16017 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16022 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
16027 @item gnus-soup-directory
16028 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
16029 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
16030 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
16032 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
16033 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
16034 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
16035 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
16037 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
16038 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
16039 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
16040 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
16042 @item gnus-soup-packer
16043 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
16044 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16045 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
16047 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
16048 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
16049 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16050 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16052 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
16053 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
16054 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
16056 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16057 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16058 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
16059 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
16065 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
16068 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
16069 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
16070 you can read them at leisure.
16072 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
16076 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
16077 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
16078 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
16079 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
16081 @item nnsoup-directory
16082 @vindex nnsoup-directory
16083 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
16084 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
16086 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
16087 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
16088 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
16089 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
16091 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
16092 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
16093 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
16094 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
16095 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
16097 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
16098 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
16099 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
16100 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
16102 @item nnsoup-active-file
16103 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
16104 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
16105 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
16106 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
16107 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
16109 @item nnsoup-packer
16110 @vindex nnsoup-packer
16111 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
16112 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
16114 @item nnsoup-unpacker
16115 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
16116 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
16117 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16119 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
16120 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
16121 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
16124 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
16125 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
16126 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
16129 @item nnsoup-always-save
16130 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
16131 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
16137 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
16139 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
16140 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
16141 more for that to happen.
16143 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
16144 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
16145 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
16148 In specific, this is what it does:
16151 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
16152 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
16155 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
16156 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
16157 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
16160 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
16161 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
16162 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
16165 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
16166 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
16167 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
16169 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
16175 @item nngateway-address
16176 @vindex nngateway-address
16177 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
16179 @item nngateway-header-transformation
16180 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
16181 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
16182 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
16183 transformation should be called, and defaults to
16184 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
16185 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
16188 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
16189 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
16190 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
16193 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
16196 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
16199 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
16202 The following pre-defined functions exist:
16204 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16207 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16208 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16209 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
16211 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16213 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16214 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16215 @code{nngateway-address}.
16220 (setq gnus-post-method
16222 "mail2news@@replay.com"
16223 (nngateway-header-transformation
16224 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
16232 So, to use this, simply say something like:
16235 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
16240 @node Combined Groups
16241 @section Combined Groups
16243 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
16247 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
16248 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
16252 @node Virtual Groups
16253 @subsection Virtual Groups
16255 @cindex virtual groups
16256 @cindex merging groups
16258 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
16261 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
16262 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
16263 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
16265 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
16266 regexp to match component groups.
16268 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
16269 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
16270 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
16271 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
16272 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
16273 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
16274 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
16275 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
16277 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
16278 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
16281 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
16284 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
16285 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
16287 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
16288 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
16289 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
16290 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
16293 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
16296 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
16297 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
16298 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
16300 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
16301 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
16302 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
16303 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
16304 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
16306 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
16307 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
16308 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
16310 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
16311 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
16312 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
16313 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
16314 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
16315 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
16316 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
16317 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
16318 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
16319 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
16320 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
16322 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
16323 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
16324 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
16325 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
16326 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
16327 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
16328 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
16330 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
16331 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
16333 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
16334 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
16338 @node Kibozed Groups
16339 @subsection Kibozed Groups
16343 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
16344 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
16345 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
16346 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
16348 @kindex G k (Group)
16349 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
16352 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
16353 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
16354 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
16355 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
16357 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
16358 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
16359 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
16361 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
16362 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
16363 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
16364 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
16365 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
16366 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
16367 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
16368 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
16370 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
16371 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
16372 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
16373 Stranger things have happened.
16375 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
16376 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
16378 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
16379 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
16380 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
16381 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
16382 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
16383 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
16385 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
16386 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
16389 @node Gnus Unplugged
16390 @section Gnus Unplugged
16395 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
16397 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
16398 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
16399 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
16400 read news. Believe it or not.
16402 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
16403 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
16404 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
16405 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
16406 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
16408 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
16409 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
16410 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
16411 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
16412 reading news on a machine.
16414 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
16415 fact, you don't even have to configure anything.
16417 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16420 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16421 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16422 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16423 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
16424 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16425 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16426 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16427 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16428 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16429 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16430 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
16435 @subsection Agent Basics
16437 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
16439 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
16440 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
16441 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
16442 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
16444 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
16445 connected to the net continuously.
16447 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
16448 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
16450 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
16455 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
16456 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
16457 already fetched while in this mode.
16460 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
16461 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
16462 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
16463 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
16464 Source Specifiers}).
16467 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
16468 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
16469 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
16470 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
16471 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
16474 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
16475 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
16476 then you read the news offline.
16479 And then you go to step 2.
16482 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
16488 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
16489 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
16490 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
16491 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
16492 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
16493 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
16494 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} groups in @code{gnus-select-method} and
16495 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
16498 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
16505 @node Agent Categories
16506 @subsection Agent Categories
16508 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
16509 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
16510 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
16511 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
16512 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
16513 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
16514 you're interested in the articles anyway.
16516 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
16517 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
16518 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
16519 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
16520 managing categories.
16523 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
16524 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
16525 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
16529 @node Category Syntax
16530 @subsubsection Category Syntax
16532 A category consists of two things.
16536 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
16537 are eligible for downloading; and
16540 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
16541 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
16542 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
16545 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
16546 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
16547 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
16548 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
16550 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
16551 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
16552 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
16554 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
16555 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
16556 operators sprinkled in between.
16558 Perhaps some examples are in order.
16560 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
16561 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
16567 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
16568 short (for some value of ``short'').
16570 Here's a more complex predicate:
16579 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
16580 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
16583 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
16584 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
16585 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
16587 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
16588 you want to do, you can write your own.
16592 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
16593 lines; default 100.
16596 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
16597 lines; default 200.
16600 True iff the article has a download score less than
16601 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
16604 True iff the article has a download score greater than
16605 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
16608 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
16609 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
16610 checksum and sees whether articles match.
16619 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
16620 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
16621 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
16624 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
16625 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
16626 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
16627 something along the lines of the following:
16630 (defun my-article-old-p ()
16631 "Say whether an article is old."
16632 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
16633 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
16636 with the predicate then defined as:
16639 (not my-article-old-p)
16642 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
16643 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
16647 (require 'gnus-agent)
16648 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
16649 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
16650 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
16653 and simply specify your predicate as:
16659 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
16660 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
16661 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
16662 just don't give a damn.
16664 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
16665 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
16666 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
16667 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
16668 parameters like so:
16671 (agent-predicate . short)
16674 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
16675 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
16676 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
16678 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
16681 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
16684 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
16685 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
16686 predicate is assumed to be a list.
16689 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
16690 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
16691 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
16692 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
16693 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
16694 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
16696 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
16697 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
16698 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
16699 if it's to be specific to that group.
16701 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
16708 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
16709 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
16715 Category specification
16719 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16725 Group Parameter specification
16728 (agent-score ("from"
16729 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16734 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16740 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
16747 Category specification
16750 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
16756 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
16760 Group Parameter specification
16763 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
16766 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
16771 Use @code{normal} score files
16773 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
16774 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
16775 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
16776 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
16778 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
16779 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
16780 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
16781 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
16785 Category Specification
16792 Group Parameter specification
16795 (agent-score . file)
16800 @node Category Buffer
16801 @subsubsection Category Buffer
16803 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
16804 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
16805 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
16807 The following commands are available in this buffer:
16811 @kindex q (Category)
16812 @findex gnus-category-exit
16813 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
16816 @kindex k (Category)
16817 @findex gnus-category-kill
16818 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
16821 @kindex c (Category)
16822 @findex gnus-category-copy
16823 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
16826 @kindex a (Category)
16827 @findex gnus-category-add
16828 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
16831 @kindex p (Category)
16832 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
16833 Edit the predicate of the current category
16834 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
16837 @kindex g (Category)
16838 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
16839 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
16840 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
16843 @kindex s (Category)
16844 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
16845 Edit the download score rule of the current category
16846 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
16849 @kindex l (Category)
16850 @findex gnus-category-list
16851 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
16855 @node Category Variables
16856 @subsubsection Category Variables
16859 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
16860 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
16861 Hook run in category buffers.
16863 @item gnus-category-line-format
16864 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
16865 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
16866 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16870 The name of the category.
16873 The number of groups in the category.
16876 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16877 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16878 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16880 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16881 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16882 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16884 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16885 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16886 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16888 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16889 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16890 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16893 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16894 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16895 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16901 @node Agent Commands
16902 @subsection Agent Commands
16904 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16905 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16906 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16910 * Group Agent Commands::
16911 * Summary Agent Commands::
16912 * Server Agent Commands::
16915 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
16916 following incantation:
16918 @cindex gnus-agent-batch
16920 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch
16925 @node Group Agent Commands
16926 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16930 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16931 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16932 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16933 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16936 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16937 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16938 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
16941 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
16942 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
16943 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
16944 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
16947 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
16948 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
16949 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
16950 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
16953 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
16954 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
16955 Add the current group to an Agent category
16956 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
16957 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16960 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
16961 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
16962 Remove the current group from its category, if any
16963 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
16964 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16967 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
16968 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16969 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
16975 @node Summary Agent Commands
16976 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
16980 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
16981 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
16982 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
16985 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
16986 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
16987 Remove the downloading mark from the article
16988 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
16991 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
16992 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
16993 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
16996 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
16997 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
16998 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
17001 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
17002 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
17003 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
17004 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
17009 @node Server Agent Commands
17010 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
17014 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
17015 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
17016 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
17017 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
17020 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
17021 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
17022 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
17023 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
17028 @node Agent as Cache
17029 @subsection Agent as Cache
17031 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
17032 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
17033 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
17034 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
17035 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
17036 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
17037 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
17038 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
17039 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
17041 This behaviour can be controlled by @code{gnus-agent-cache}
17042 (@pxref{Agent Variables}).
17045 @subsection Agent Expiry
17047 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17048 @findex gnus-agent-expire
17049 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
17050 @cindex Agent expiry
17051 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
17054 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
17055 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
17056 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
17057 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
17058 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
17059 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
17061 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
17062 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
17063 expiry in different groups.
17066 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
17072 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
17073 method---it must always match all groups.
17075 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
17076 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
17077 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
17078 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
17079 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
17081 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
17082 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
17083 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's a special
17084 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} command to fix possible problems.
17086 @node Agent and IMAP
17087 @subsection Agent and IMAP
17089 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
17090 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
17091 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
17092 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
17094 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
17095 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
17096 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
17097 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
17099 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
17100 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
17101 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
17102 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
17104 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17105 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
17106 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
17107 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
17108 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
17109 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
17111 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
17112 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
17113 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
17114 in the group buffer.
17116 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
17117 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
17122 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
17125 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
17129 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
17130 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
17131 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
17132 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
17133 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
17134 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
17135 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
17136 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
17139 @node Outgoing Messages
17140 @subsection Outgoing Messages
17142 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
17143 stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view
17144 them there after posting, and edit them at will.
17146 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
17147 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
17148 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
17149 messages in the draft group.
17153 @node Agent Variables
17154 @subsection Agent Variables
17157 @item gnus-agent-directory
17158 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
17159 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
17160 @file{~/News/agent/}.
17162 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
17163 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
17164 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
17165 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
17166 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
17169 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17170 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17171 Hook run when connecting to the network.
17173 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17174 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17175 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
17177 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17178 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17179 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
17181 @item gnus-agent-cache
17182 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
17183 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and
17184 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
17185 The default is non-nil, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
17187 @item gnus-agent-go-online
17188 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
17189 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
17190 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
17191 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
17192 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
17193 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
17196 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
17197 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
17198 Perhaps not a Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
17199 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
17200 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
17201 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
17202 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
17203 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
17204 is only valid if the Agent is used.
17209 @node Example Setup
17210 @subsection Example Setup
17212 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
17213 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
17214 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
17217 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
17218 ;;; from your ISP's server.
17219 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
17221 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
17222 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
17223 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
17225 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
17226 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
17228 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
17229 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
17230 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; Now the default.
17233 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
17234 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
17237 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
17238 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
17239 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
17240 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
17241 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
17244 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
17245 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
17246 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
17247 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
17248 back all the killed groups.)
17250 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
17251 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
17252 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
17255 @node Batching Agents
17256 @subsection Batching Agents
17258 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
17259 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
17260 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
17264 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
17268 @node Agent Caveats
17269 @subsection Agent Caveats
17271 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
17272 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
17276 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
17280 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
17282 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is `nil'.
17286 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
17287 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP and also uses the
17288 locally stored articles.
17295 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
17296 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
17297 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
17300 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
17301 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
17302 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
17303 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
17304 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
17306 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
17307 before generating the summary buffer.
17309 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
17310 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
17311 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
17313 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
17314 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
17315 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
17316 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
17319 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
17320 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
17321 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
17322 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
17323 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
17324 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
17325 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
17326 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
17327 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
17328 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
17329 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
17330 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
17331 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
17332 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
17333 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
17334 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
17335 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
17339 @node Summary Score Commands
17340 @section Summary Score Commands
17341 @cindex score commands
17343 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
17344 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
17345 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
17346 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
17347 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
17349 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
17350 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
17351 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
17352 score file the current one.
17354 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
17359 @kindex V s (Summary)
17360 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
17361 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
17364 @kindex V S (Summary)
17365 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
17366 Display the score of the current article
17367 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
17370 @kindex V t (Summary)
17371 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
17372 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
17373 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
17376 @kindex V w (Summary)
17377 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
17378 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
17381 @kindex V R (Summary)
17382 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
17383 Run the current summary through the scoring process
17384 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
17385 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
17386 effect you're having.
17389 @kindex V c (Summary)
17390 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
17391 Make a different score file the current
17392 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
17395 @kindex V e (Summary)
17396 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
17397 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
17398 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
17402 @kindex V f (Summary)
17403 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
17404 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
17405 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
17408 @kindex V F (Summary)
17409 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17410 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
17411 after editing score files.
17414 @kindex V C (Summary)
17415 @findex gnus-score-customize
17416 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
17417 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
17421 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
17426 @kindex V m (Summary)
17427 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
17428 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
17429 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
17432 @kindex V x (Summary)
17433 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
17434 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
17435 expunge all articles below this score
17436 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
17439 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
17440 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
17443 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
17444 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
17448 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
17449 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
17451 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
17452 keys are available:
17456 Score on the author name.
17459 Score on the subject line.
17462 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
17465 Score on the @code{References} line.
17471 Score on the number of lines.
17474 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
17477 Score on an "extra" header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
17478 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
17481 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
17482 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
17483 @file{ADAPT} files.)
17492 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
17498 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
17499 what headers you are scoring on.
17511 Substring matching.
17514 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
17543 Greater than number.
17548 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
17549 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
17550 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
17555 Temporary score entry.
17558 Permanent score entry.
17561 Immediately scoring.
17565 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
17566 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
17567 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
17571 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
17572 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
17573 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
17574 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
17576 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
17577 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
17578 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
17579 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
17580 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
17582 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
17583 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
17584 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
17585 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
17586 current score file.
17588 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
17589 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
17590 pretend they are keymaps or not.
17593 @node Group Score Commands
17594 @section Group Score Commands
17595 @cindex group score commands
17597 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
17602 @kindex W f (Group)
17603 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17604 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
17605 all the time. This command will flush the cache
17606 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
17610 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
17612 @findex gnus-batch-score
17613 @cindex batch scoring
17615 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
17619 @node Score Variables
17620 @section Score Variables
17621 @cindex score variables
17625 @item gnus-use-scoring
17626 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
17627 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
17628 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
17630 @item gnus-kill-killed
17631 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
17632 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
17633 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
17634 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
17635 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
17636 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
17637 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
17639 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
17640 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
17641 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
17642 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
17643 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
17645 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
17646 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
17647 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
17648 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
17650 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17651 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17652 @cindex score cache
17653 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
17654 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
17655 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
17656 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
17657 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
17658 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
17661 @item gnus-save-score
17662 @vindex gnus-save-score
17663 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
17664 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
17665 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17667 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
17668 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
17669 across group visits.
17671 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17672 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17673 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
17674 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
17675 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
17676 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
17677 manually entered data.
17679 @item gnus-summary-default-score
17680 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
17681 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
17683 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
17684 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
17685 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
17686 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
17687 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
17688 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
17690 @item gnus-score-over-mark
17691 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
17692 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
17693 default. Default is @samp{+}.
17695 @item gnus-score-below-mark
17696 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
17697 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
17698 default. Default is @samp{-}.
17700 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17701 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17702 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
17703 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
17705 Predefined functions available are:
17708 @item gnus-score-find-single
17709 @findex gnus-score-find-single
17710 Only apply the group's own score file.
17712 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
17713 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
17714 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
17715 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
17716 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
17717 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
17718 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
17719 then a regexp match is done.
17721 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
17722 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
17724 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
17725 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
17726 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
17727 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
17729 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17730 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17731 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
17732 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
17733 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
17737 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
17738 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
17739 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
17740 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
17741 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
17742 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
17743 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
17746 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
17747 overall score file, you could use the value
17749 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
17750 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
17753 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
17754 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
17755 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
17756 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
17757 are expired. It's 7 by default.
17759 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17760 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17761 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
17762 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
17763 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
17764 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
17765 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
17766 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
17768 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17769 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17770 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
17772 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
17773 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
17774 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
17775 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
17776 threading---according to the current value of
17777 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
17778 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
17779 simplified in this manner.
17784 @node Score File Format
17785 @section Score File Format
17786 @cindex score file format
17788 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
17789 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
17790 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
17792 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
17796 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
17798 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
17800 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
17802 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
17807 (mark-and-expunge -10)
17811 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
17812 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
17813 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
17814 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
17818 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
17819 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
17821 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
17822 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
17823 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
17825 Six keys are supported by this alist:
17830 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
17831 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
17832 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
17833 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
17834 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
17835 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
17836 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
17837 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
17838 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
17839 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
17840 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
17841 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
17842 to articles that matches these score entries.
17844 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
17845 score entry has one to four elements.
17849 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
17850 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
17854 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
17855 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
17856 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
17857 is successful. If this element is not present, the
17858 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
17859 instead. This is 1000 by default.
17862 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
17863 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
17864 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
17865 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
17866 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
17869 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
17870 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
17871 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
17872 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
17875 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
17876 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
17877 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
17878 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
17879 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
17880 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
17881 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
17882 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
17883 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
17884 instead, if you feel like.
17887 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
17888 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
17889 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
17890 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
17891 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
17892 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
17895 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
17899 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
17900 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
17902 These predicates are true if
17905 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
17908 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
17909 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
17916 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
17917 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
17918 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
17919 it's not. I think.)
17921 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
17922 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
17923 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
17924 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
17927 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
17928 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
17929 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
17930 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
17931 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
17932 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
17933 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
17937 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
17938 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
17939 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
17940 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
17941 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
17942 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
17943 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
17944 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
17947 @item Head, Body, All
17948 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
17952 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
17953 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
17954 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
17955 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
17956 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
17957 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
17958 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
17962 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
17963 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
17964 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
17965 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
17966 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
17967 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
17968 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
17969 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
17970 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
17971 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
17972 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
17976 @cindex Score File Atoms
17978 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17979 lower than this number will be marked as read.
17982 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17983 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
17985 @item mark-and-expunge
17986 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17987 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
17990 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
17991 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
17992 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
17993 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
17994 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
17997 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
17998 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
18001 @item exclude-files
18002 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
18003 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
18007 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
18008 ignored when handling global score files.
18011 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
18012 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
18013 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
18014 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
18017 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
18018 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
18019 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
18020 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
18022 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
18026 (mark-and-expunge -100)
18029 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
18030 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
18031 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
18032 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
18033 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
18035 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
18036 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
18037 scoring rules exist.
18040 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
18041 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
18042 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
18043 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
18044 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
18045 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
18046 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18047 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
18048 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
18049 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
18050 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
18054 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
18055 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
18056 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
18057 file for a number of groups.
18060 @cindex local variables
18061 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
18062 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
18063 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
18064 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
18065 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
18069 @node Score File Editing
18070 @section Score File Editing
18072 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
18073 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
18074 with a mode for that.
18076 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
18077 additional commands:
18082 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
18083 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
18084 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
18085 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
18088 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
18089 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
18090 Insert the current date in numerical format
18091 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
18092 you were wondering.
18095 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
18096 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
18097 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
18098 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
18099 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
18104 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
18106 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
18107 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
18109 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
18110 e} to begin editing score files.
18113 @node Adaptive Scoring
18114 @section Adaptive Scoring
18115 @cindex adaptive scoring
18117 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
18118 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
18119 stupidity, to be precise.
18121 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
18122 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
18123 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
18124 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
18125 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18126 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
18127 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
18128 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
18129 variable to @code{(word line)}.
18131 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18132 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
18133 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
18134 might look something like this:
18137 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18138 '((gnus-unread-mark)
18139 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
18140 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
18141 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
18142 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
18143 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
18144 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
18145 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
18146 (gnus-ancient-mark)
18147 (gnus-low-score-mark)
18148 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
18151 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
18152 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
18153 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
18154 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
18155 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
18156 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
18159 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
18160 will be applied to each article.
18162 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
18163 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
18164 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
18165 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
18167 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
18168 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
18169 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
18170 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
18172 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
18173 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
18174 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
18175 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
18177 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
18178 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
18179 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
18180 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
18181 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
18182 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
18184 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
18185 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
18186 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
18187 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
18188 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
18189 aspirins afterwards.)
18191 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
18192 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
18193 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
18195 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
18196 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
18197 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
18199 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
18200 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
18201 let you use different rules in different groups.
18203 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
18204 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
18205 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
18208 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
18209 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
18210 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
18211 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
18212 the length of the match is less than
18213 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
18214 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
18217 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18218 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
18219 headers. If you adapt on words, the
18220 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
18221 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
18224 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18225 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
18226 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
18227 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
18228 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
18231 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
18232 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
18233 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
18234 score with 30 points.
18236 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
18237 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
18238 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
18239 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
18240 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
18242 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
18243 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
18244 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
18245 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
18246 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
18248 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
18249 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
18250 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
18251 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
18253 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
18254 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
18255 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
18256 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
18258 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
18259 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
18260 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
18261 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
18262 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
18264 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
18265 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
18266 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
18268 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
18269 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
18270 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
18271 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
18274 @node Home Score File
18275 @section Home Score File
18277 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
18278 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
18279 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
18280 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
18282 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
18283 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
18284 could perhaps use the same home score file.
18286 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
18287 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
18292 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
18296 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
18297 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
18301 A list. The elements in this list can be:
18305 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
18306 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
18309 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
18310 the home score file.
18313 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
18316 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
18321 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
18324 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18325 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
18328 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
18329 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
18331 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
18333 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18334 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
18337 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
18338 Other functions include
18341 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
18342 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
18343 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
18344 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
18348 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
18349 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
18350 their own home score files:
18353 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18354 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
18355 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
18356 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
18357 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
18360 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
18361 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
18362 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
18363 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
18364 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
18366 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
18367 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
18368 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
18369 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
18370 precedence over this variable.
18373 @node Followups To Yourself
18374 @section Followups To Yourself
18376 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
18377 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
18378 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
18379 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
18380 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
18381 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
18385 @item gnus-score-followup-article
18386 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
18387 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
18390 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
18391 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
18392 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
18396 @vindex message-sent-hook
18397 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
18398 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
18400 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
18404 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
18405 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
18409 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18410 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18413 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
18414 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
18419 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
18423 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
18424 is system-dependent.
18427 @node Scoring On Other Headers
18428 @section Scoring On Other Headers
18429 @cindex scoring on other headers
18431 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
18432 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
18433 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
18434 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
18435 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
18437 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
18438 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
18439 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
18440 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
18441 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
18443 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18446 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
18447 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
18450 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
18451 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
18452 time if you have much mail.
18454 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
18455 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
18461 @section Scoring Tips
18462 @cindex scoring tips
18468 @cindex scoring crossposts
18469 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
18470 the @code{Xref} header.
18472 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
18475 @item Multiple crossposts
18476 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
18477 more than, say, 3 groups:
18480 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
18484 @item Matching on the body
18485 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
18486 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
18487 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
18488 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
18489 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
18490 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
18491 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
18494 @item Marking as read
18495 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
18496 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
18497 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
18501 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
18503 @item Negated character classes
18504 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
18505 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
18506 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
18510 @node Reverse Scoring
18511 @section Reverse Scoring
18512 @cindex reverse scoring
18514 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
18515 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
18516 like this in your score file:
18520 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
18525 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
18526 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
18529 @node Global Score Files
18530 @section Global Score Files
18531 @cindex global score files
18533 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
18534 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
18535 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
18537 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
18538 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
18539 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
18541 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
18542 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
18543 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
18544 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
18545 files are applicable to which group.
18547 To use the score file
18548 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
18549 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
18553 (setq gnus-global-score-files
18554 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
18555 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
18558 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
18560 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
18561 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
18562 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
18563 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
18565 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
18566 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
18568 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
18569 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
18570 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
18571 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
18572 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
18573 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
18575 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
18581 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
18583 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
18585 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
18587 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
18588 lowered out of existence.
18590 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
18591 articles completely.
18594 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
18595 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
18596 old articles for a long time.
18599 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
18600 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
18601 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
18602 holding our breath yet?
18606 @section Kill Files
18609 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
18610 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
18611 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
18613 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
18614 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
18615 files into score files.
18617 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
18618 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
18619 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
18620 that isn't a very good idea.
18622 Normal kill files look like this:
18625 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18626 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
18630 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
18631 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
18633 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
18634 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
18637 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
18642 @kindex M-k (Summary)
18643 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
18644 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
18647 @kindex M-K (Summary)
18648 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
18649 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
18652 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
18657 @kindex M-k (Group)
18658 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
18659 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
18662 @kindex M-K (Group)
18663 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
18664 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
18667 Kill file variables:
18670 @item gnus-kill-file-name
18671 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
18672 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
18673 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
18674 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
18675 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
18676 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
18678 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18679 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18680 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
18681 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
18684 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
18685 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
18686 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
18687 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
18688 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
18689 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
18690 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
18691 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
18692 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
18694 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18695 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18696 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
18701 @node Converting Kill Files
18702 @section Converting Kill Files
18704 @cindex converting kill files
18706 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
18707 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
18708 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
18711 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
18712 You can fetch it from
18713 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
18715 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
18716 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
18717 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
18725 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
18726 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
18727 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
18728 news articles generated every day.
18730 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
18731 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
18732 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
18733 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
18734 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
18735 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
18736 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
18737 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
18740 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
18741 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
18744 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
18745 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
18746 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
18747 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
18751 @node Using GroupLens
18752 @subsection Using GroupLens
18754 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
18756 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
18757 better bit in town at the moment.
18759 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
18763 @item gnus-use-grouplens
18764 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
18765 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
18766 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
18768 @item grouplens-pseudonym
18769 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
18770 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
18771 with the Better Bit Bureau.
18773 @item grouplens-newsgroups
18774 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
18775 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
18779 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
18780 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
18781 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
18782 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
18783 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
18784 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
18787 @node Rating Articles
18788 @subsection Rating Articles
18790 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
18791 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
18792 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
18793 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
18796 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
18801 @kindex r (GroupLens)
18802 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
18803 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
18806 @kindex k (GroupLens)
18807 @findex grouplens-score-thread
18808 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
18809 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
18810 threads in rec.humor.
18814 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
18815 the score of the article you're reading.
18820 @kindex n (GroupLens)
18821 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
18822 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
18825 @kindex , (GroupLens)
18826 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
18827 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
18831 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
18832 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
18835 @node Displaying Predictions
18836 @subsection Displaying Predictions
18838 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
18839 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
18840 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
18841 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
18842 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
18844 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
18845 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
18846 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
18847 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
18848 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
18849 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
18850 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
18851 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
18852 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
18853 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
18854 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
18855 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
18856 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
18858 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
18859 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
18860 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
18861 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
18863 The following are valid values for that variable.
18866 @item prediction-spot
18867 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
18870 @item confidence-interval
18871 A numeric confidence interval.
18873 @item prediction-bar
18874 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
18876 @item confidence-bar
18877 Numerical confidence.
18879 @item confidence-spot
18880 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
18882 @item prediction-num
18883 Plain-old numeric value.
18885 @item confidence-plus-minus
18886 Prediction +/- confidence.
18891 @node GroupLens Variables
18892 @subsection GroupLens Variables
18896 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
18897 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
18898 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
18899 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
18902 @item grouplens-bbb-host
18903 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
18906 @item grouplens-bbb-port
18907 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
18909 @item grouplens-score-offset
18910 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
18911 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
18914 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
18915 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
18916 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
18921 @node Advanced Scoring
18922 @section Advanced Scoring
18924 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
18925 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
18926 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
18927 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
18928 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
18930 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
18934 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
18935 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
18936 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
18940 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
18941 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
18943 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
18944 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
18945 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
18946 non-@code{nil} value.
18948 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
18949 operator, and various match operators.
18956 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18957 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
18958 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
18963 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18964 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
18965 then this operator will return @code{false}.
18970 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
18971 logical negation of the value of its argument.
18975 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
18976 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
18977 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
18978 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
18979 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
18980 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
18981 the ancestry you want to go.
18983 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
18984 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
18985 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
18986 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
18987 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
18990 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
18991 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
18993 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
18994 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
18997 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
18998 when he's talking about Gnus:
19002 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19003 ("subject" "Gnus"))
19009 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
19013 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19020 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
19021 really don't want to read what he's written:
19025 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19026 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
19030 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
19031 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
19032 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
19039 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
19040 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
19041 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
19042 ("body" "white.*socks"))
19046 The possibilities are endless.
19049 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
19050 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
19052 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
19053 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
19054 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
19055 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
19056 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
19057 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
19058 @samp{subject}) first.
19060 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
19061 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
19072 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
19073 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
19079 ("subject" "Gnus")))
19086 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
19087 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
19092 @section Score Decays
19093 @cindex score decays
19096 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
19097 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
19098 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
19099 use them in any sensible way.
19101 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
19102 @findex gnus-decay-score
19103 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
19104 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
19105 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
19106 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
19107 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
19108 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
19109 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
19110 definition of that function:
19113 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
19115 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
19116 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
19119 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
19121 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
19123 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
19126 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
19127 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
19128 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
19129 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
19133 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
19136 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
19139 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
19143 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
19144 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
19145 the new score, which should be an integer.
19147 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
19148 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
19153 @include message.texi
19154 @chapter Emacs MIME
19155 @include emacs-mime.texi
19157 @include sieve.texi
19167 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
19168 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
19169 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
19170 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
19171 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
19172 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
19173 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
19174 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
19175 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
19176 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
19177 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
19178 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
19179 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
19180 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
19181 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
19182 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
19183 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
19184 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
19185 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
19189 @node Process/Prefix
19190 @section Process/Prefix
19191 @cindex process/prefix convention
19193 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
19194 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
19196 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
19197 command to be performed on.
19201 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
19202 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
19203 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
19204 with the current one.
19206 @vindex transient-mark-mode
19207 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
19208 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
19210 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
19211 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
19214 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
19215 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
19217 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
19220 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
19221 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
19222 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
19223 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19225 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
19226 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
19227 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
19228 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
19229 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
19230 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
19231 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
19232 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
19234 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
19235 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
19236 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
19237 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
19238 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
19242 @section Interactive
19243 @cindex interaction
19247 @item gnus-novice-user
19248 @vindex gnus-novice-user
19249 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
19250 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
19251 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
19252 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
19255 @item gnus-expert-user
19256 @vindex gnus-expert-user
19257 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
19258 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
19259 matter how strange.
19261 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
19262 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
19263 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
19264 is @code{t} by default.
19266 @item gnus-interactive-exit
19267 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
19268 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
19273 @node Symbolic Prefixes
19274 @section Symbolic Prefixes
19275 @cindex symbolic prefixes
19277 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
19278 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
19279 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
19280 rule of 900 to the current article.
19282 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
19283 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
19284 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
19285 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
19286 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
19287 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
19288 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
19290 @kindex M-i (Summary)
19291 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
19292 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
19293 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
19294 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
19295 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
19296 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
19297 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
19298 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
19300 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
19301 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
19302 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
19304 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
19308 @node Formatting Variables
19309 @section Formatting Variables
19310 @cindex formatting variables
19312 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
19313 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
19314 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
19315 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
19316 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
19319 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
19320 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
19321 lots of percentages everywhere.
19324 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
19325 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
19326 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
19327 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
19328 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
19329 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
19330 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
19331 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
19334 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
19335 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
19336 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
19337 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
19338 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
19339 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
19340 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
19341 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
19343 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
19344 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
19346 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
19347 @findex gnus-update-format
19348 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
19349 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
19350 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
19351 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
19355 @node Formatting Basics
19356 @subsection Formatting Basics
19358 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
19359 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
19360 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
19362 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
19363 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
19364 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
19365 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
19366 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
19369 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
19370 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
19371 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
19372 less than 4 characters wide.
19374 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
19375 @samp{%&user-date;}.
19378 @node Mode Line Formatting
19379 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
19381 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
19382 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
19383 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
19384 with the following two differences:
19389 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
19392 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
19393 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
19394 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
19395 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
19396 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
19397 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
19398 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
19403 @node Advanced Formatting
19404 @subsection Advanced Formatting
19406 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
19407 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
19408 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
19409 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
19411 These are the valid modifiers:
19416 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
19420 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
19425 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
19428 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
19433 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
19436 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
19439 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
19442 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
19448 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
19453 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
19454 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
19455 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
19456 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
19457 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
19458 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
19459 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
19461 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
19462 last operation, padding.
19464 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
19465 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
19466 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
19467 @xref{Compilation}.
19470 @node User-Defined Specs
19471 @subsection User-Defined Specs
19473 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
19474 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
19475 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
19476 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
19477 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
19478 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
19479 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
19480 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
19481 should protect against that.
19483 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
19484 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
19486 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
19487 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
19488 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
19489 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
19493 @node Formatting Fonts
19494 @subsection Formatting Fonts
19496 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
19497 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
19498 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
19499 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
19502 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
19503 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
19504 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
19505 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
19506 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
19507 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
19509 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
19510 special @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}.
19511 If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on.
19512 The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
19513 symbols naming functions that return a string. When the mouse passes
19514 over text with this property set, a balloon window will appear and
19515 display the string. Please refer to @ref{(emacs)Help Echo} (in GNU
19516 Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in XEmacs) for
19517 more information on this. (For technical reasons, the guillemets have
19518 been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this paragraph.)
19520 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
19523 ;; Create three face types.
19524 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
19525 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
19527 ;; We want the article count to be in
19528 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
19529 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
19530 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
19532 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
19533 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
19535 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
19536 (setq gnus-group-line-format
19537 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
19540 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
19541 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
19543 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
19544 mode-line variables.
19546 @node Positioning Point
19547 @subsection Positioning Point
19549 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
19550 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
19551 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
19553 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
19555 @findex gnus-goto-colon
19556 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
19557 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
19559 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
19560 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
19561 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
19566 @subsection Tabulation
19568 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
19569 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
19570 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
19571 about lining up the following text afterwards.
19573 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
19574 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
19576 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19577 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
19578 This is the soft tabulator.
19580 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19581 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
19582 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
19585 @node Wide Characters
19586 @subsection Wide Characters
19588 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
19589 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
19590 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
19592 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
19593 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
19594 these coutries, that's not true.
19596 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
19597 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
19598 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
19599 prettieer. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
19603 @node Window Layout
19604 @section Window Layout
19605 @cindex window layout
19607 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
19609 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
19610 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
19611 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
19612 @code{t} by default.
19614 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
19615 glitches. Use at your own peril.
19617 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
19618 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
19619 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
19622 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
19623 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
19624 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19628 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
19629 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
19630 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
19631 possible names is listed below.
19633 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
19634 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
19637 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19641 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
19642 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
19643 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
19644 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
19645 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
19646 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
19647 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
19648 size spec per split.
19650 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
19651 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
19652 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
19653 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
19654 present) gets focus.
19656 Here's a more complicated example:
19659 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
19660 (summary 0.25 point)
19661 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
19665 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
19666 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
19667 occupy, not a percentage.
19669 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
19670 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
19671 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
19672 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
19673 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
19676 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
19679 (article (horizontal 1.0
19684 (summary 0.25 point)
19689 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
19690 @code{horizontal} thingie?
19692 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
19693 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
19694 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
19695 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
19696 the screen is to be given to this strip.
19698 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
19699 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
19700 lines from the splits.
19702 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
19706 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
19707 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
19708 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
19709 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
19710 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
19711 size = number | frame-params
19712 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
19715 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
19716 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
19717 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
19718 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
19720 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
19721 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
19722 @cindex window height
19723 @cindex window width
19724 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
19725 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
19726 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
19727 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
19728 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
19729 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
19731 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
19732 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
19733 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
19734 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
19736 @findex gnus-configure-frame
19737 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
19738 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
19739 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
19740 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
19741 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
19742 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
19743 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
19744 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
19745 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
19746 configuration list.
19749 (gnus-configure-frame
19753 (article 0.3 point))
19761 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
19762 @code{frame} split:
19765 (gnus-configure-frame
19768 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
19770 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
19771 (user-position . t)
19772 (left . -1) (top . 1))
19777 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
19778 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
19779 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
19780 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
19781 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
19782 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
19783 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
19784 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
19786 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
19787 be found in its default value.
19789 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
19790 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
19791 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
19795 (message (horizontal 1.0
19796 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
19798 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
19803 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
19804 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
19805 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
19810 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
19811 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
19812 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
19813 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
19814 (name . "Message"))
19815 (message 1.0 point))))
19818 @findex gnus-add-configuration
19819 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
19820 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
19821 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
19822 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
19825 (gnus-add-configuration
19826 '(article (vertical 1.0
19828 (summary .25 point)
19832 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
19833 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
19834 Gnus has been loaded.
19836 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
19837 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
19838 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
19839 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
19840 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
19842 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
19843 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
19844 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
19847 @subsection Example Window Configurations
19851 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
19852 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
19867 (gnus-add-configuration
19870 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19872 (summary 0.16 point)
19875 (gnus-add-configuration
19878 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19879 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
19885 @node Faces and Fonts
19886 @section Faces and Fonts
19891 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
19892 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
19893 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
19898 @section Compilation
19899 @cindex compilation
19900 @cindex byte-compilation
19902 @findex gnus-compile
19904 Remember all those line format specification variables?
19905 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
19906 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
19907 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
19908 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
19909 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
19912 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
19913 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
19914 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
19915 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
19916 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
19917 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
19918 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
19922 @section Mode Lines
19925 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
19926 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
19927 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
19928 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
19929 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
19930 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
19931 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
19934 @cindex display-time
19936 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
19937 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
19938 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
19939 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
19940 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
19941 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
19942 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
19943 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
19946 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
19948 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
19949 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
19951 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
19952 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
19953 (length display-time-string)))))
19956 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
19957 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
19958 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
19959 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
19960 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
19963 @node Highlighting and Menus
19964 @section Highlighting and Menus
19966 @cindex highlighting
19969 @vindex gnus-visual
19970 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
19971 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
19972 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
19975 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
19976 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
19979 @item group-highlight
19980 Do highlights in the group buffer.
19981 @item summary-highlight
19982 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
19983 @item article-highlight
19984 Do highlights in the article buffer.
19986 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
19988 Create menus in the group buffer.
19990 Create menus in the summary buffers.
19992 Create menus in the article buffer.
19994 Create menus in the browse buffer.
19996 Create menus in the server buffer.
19998 Create menus in the score buffers.
20000 Create menus in all buffers.
20003 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
20004 buffers, you could say something like:
20007 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
20010 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
20013 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
20016 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
20017 in all Gnus buffers.
20019 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
20022 @item gnus-mouse-face
20023 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
20024 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
20025 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
20029 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
20033 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
20034 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
20035 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
20037 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
20038 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
20039 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
20041 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
20042 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
20043 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
20045 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
20046 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
20047 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
20049 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
20050 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
20051 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
20053 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
20054 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
20055 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
20066 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
20067 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
20068 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
20069 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
20070 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
20074 @vindex gnus-carpal
20075 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
20076 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
20077 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
20082 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20083 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20084 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
20086 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
20087 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
20088 Face used on buttons.
20090 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
20091 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
20092 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
20094 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20095 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20096 Buttons in the group buffer.
20098 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20099 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20100 Buttons in the summary buffer.
20102 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20103 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20104 Buttons in the server buffer.
20106 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20107 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20108 Buttons in the browse buffer.
20111 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
20112 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
20113 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
20121 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
20122 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
20123 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
20124 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
20125 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
20127 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
20128 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
20129 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
20131 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
20132 been idle for thirty minutes:
20135 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
20138 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
20142 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
20145 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
20146 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
20147 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20149 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
20150 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
20151 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
20152 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20154 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
20155 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
20156 @var{idle} minutes.
20158 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
20159 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
20162 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
20163 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
20164 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
20166 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
20167 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
20168 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
20169 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
20171 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
20172 your @file{.gnus} file:
20174 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
20176 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
20179 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
20180 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
20181 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
20182 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
20183 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
20184 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
20185 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
20186 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
20187 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
20188 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
20189 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
20191 @findex gnus-demon-init
20192 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
20193 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
20194 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
20195 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
20196 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
20198 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
20199 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
20200 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
20209 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
20210 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
20212 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
20213 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
20214 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
20215 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
20218 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
20219 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
20220 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
20221 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
20223 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
20224 this will make spam disappear.
20226 There are some variables to customize, of course:
20229 @item gnus-use-nocem
20230 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
20231 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
20234 @item gnus-nocem-groups
20235 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
20236 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
20237 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
20238 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
20240 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
20241 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
20242 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
20243 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
20244 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
20245 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
20247 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
20248 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
20250 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
20251 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
20252 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
20253 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
20254 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
20255 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
20256 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
20257 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
20258 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
20259 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
20261 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
20262 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
20265 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
20268 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
20269 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
20272 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
20275 The specs are applied left-to-right.
20278 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
20279 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
20281 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
20282 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
20283 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
20284 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
20286 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
20287 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
20290 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
20292 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
20300 This might be dangerous, though.
20302 @item gnus-nocem-directory
20303 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
20304 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
20305 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
20307 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20308 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20309 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
20310 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
20311 might then see old spam.
20313 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
20314 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
20315 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
20316 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
20317 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
20320 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20321 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20322 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
20323 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
20327 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
20328 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
20329 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
20330 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
20337 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
20338 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
20339 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
20341 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
20342 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
20343 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
20344 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
20345 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
20346 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
20347 @code{undo} function.
20349 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
20350 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
20351 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
20352 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
20353 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
20354 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
20355 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
20356 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
20357 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
20358 never be totally undoable.
20360 @findex gnus-undo-mode
20361 @vindex gnus-use-undo
20363 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
20364 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
20365 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
20366 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
20370 @node Predicate Specifiers
20371 @section Predicate Specifiers
20372 @cindex predicate specifiers
20374 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
20375 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
20376 to type all that much.
20378 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
20383 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
20384 gnus-article-unread-p)
20387 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
20388 functions all take one parameter.
20390 @findex gnus-make-predicate
20391 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
20392 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
20393 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
20398 @section Moderation
20401 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
20402 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
20403 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
20406 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
20410 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
20413 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
20415 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
20420 You split your incoming mail by matching on
20421 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
20422 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
20425 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
20426 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
20429 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
20430 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
20434 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
20437 (setq gnus-moderated-list
20438 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
20442 @node Image Enhancements
20443 @section Image Enhancements
20445 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
20446 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
20449 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
20450 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
20451 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
20452 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
20453 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
20466 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
20467 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
20468 over your shoulder as you read news.
20471 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
20472 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
20473 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
20474 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
20475 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
20480 @subsubsection Picon Basics
20482 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
20491 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
20492 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
20493 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
20494 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
20495 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
20496 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
20497 @code{GIF} formats.
20500 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20501 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
20502 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
20503 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
20504 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
20506 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20507 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
20508 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
20509 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
20510 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
20511 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20513 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
20514 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
20517 @node Picon Requirements
20518 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
20520 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
20521 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
20522 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
20523 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
20525 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20526 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
20527 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
20528 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
20529 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
20530 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20533 @subsubsection Easy Picons
20535 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
20536 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
20539 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
20540 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
20543 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
20544 containing the Picons databases.
20546 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
20549 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20550 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
20555 @subsubsection Hard Picons
20563 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
20564 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
20565 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
20566 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
20567 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
20572 @item gnus-picons-database
20573 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20574 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
20575 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
20576 subdirectories. This is only useful if
20577 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
20578 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
20580 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20581 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20582 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
20583 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
20584 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
20585 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
20586 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20588 @item gnus-picons-display-where
20589 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20590 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
20591 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
20592 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
20593 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
20594 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
20595 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
20597 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20598 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20599 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
20604 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
20605 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
20607 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
20608 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
20611 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20613 @item gnus-article-display-picons
20614 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
20615 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
20616 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
20618 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20619 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20620 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
20621 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
20627 @node Picon Useless Configuration
20628 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
20636 The following variables offer further control over how things are
20637 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
20638 don't need to worry about.
20642 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
20643 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
20644 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20645 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
20647 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
20648 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
20649 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
20650 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
20652 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
20653 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
20654 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20655 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
20656 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
20658 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20659 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20660 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
20661 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
20662 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
20663 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
20664 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
20665 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20667 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20668 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20669 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
20670 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
20671 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20673 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20674 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20675 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
20676 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
20677 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
20678 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
20679 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
20681 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20682 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20683 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
20684 Defaults to @code{nil}.
20686 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
20687 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
20688 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
20689 Defaults to @code{t}.
20691 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20692 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20693 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
20694 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
20696 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
20697 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
20698 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
20700 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20701 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20702 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
20703 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
20705 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
20706 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
20708 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20709 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20710 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
20711 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
20712 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
20713 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
20714 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
20715 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
20726 @subsection Smileys
20731 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
20736 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
20737 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
20739 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
20740 @file{.gnus.el} file:
20743 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
20746 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
20747 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
20748 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
20749 text and maps that to file names.
20751 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
20752 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
20753 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
20754 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
20755 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
20756 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
20758 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
20759 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
20761 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
20762 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
20763 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
20765 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
20766 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
20770 @item smiley-data-directory
20771 @vindex smiley-data-directory
20772 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
20774 @item smiley-flesh-color
20775 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
20776 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
20778 @item smiley-features-color
20779 @vindex smiley-features-color
20780 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20782 @item smiley-tongue-color
20783 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
20784 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
20786 @item smiley-circle-color
20787 @vindex smiley-circle-color
20788 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20790 @item smiley-mouse-face
20791 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
20792 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
20801 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
20802 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
20803 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
20807 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
20808 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
20809 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
20810 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
20818 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
20819 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
20820 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
20821 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
20823 The variable that controls this is the
20824 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20825 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20826 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20827 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20828 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20830 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20831 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20832 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20833 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20836 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20837 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20838 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20839 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20840 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20841 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20842 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20843 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20845 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20848 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
20849 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
20851 @findex gnus-random-x-face
20852 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files
20853 in @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
20854 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
20855 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
20856 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big.
20858 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
20859 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
20860 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
20862 Here's how you would typically use the former function. Put something
20863 like the folllowing in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20866 (setq message-required-news-headers
20867 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20868 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
20871 Using the latter function would be something like this:
20874 (setq message-required-news-headers
20875 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20876 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
20877 (gnus-x-face-from-file
20878 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
20883 @subsection Toolbar
20893 @item gnus-use-toolbar
20894 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
20895 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
20896 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
20897 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
20899 @item gnus-group-toolbar
20900 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
20901 The toolbar in the group buffer.
20903 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
20904 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
20905 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
20907 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20908 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20909 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
20915 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
20918 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20919 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20920 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
20921 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
20922 unusual directory structure.
20924 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20925 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20926 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
20927 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
20929 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20930 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20931 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
20932 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
20933 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
20934 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
20936 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20937 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20938 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
20952 @node Fuzzy Matching
20953 @section Fuzzy Matching
20954 @cindex fuzzy matching
20956 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
20957 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
20959 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
20960 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
20961 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
20963 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
20964 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
20965 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
20966 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
20967 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
20970 @node Thwarting Email Spam
20971 @section Thwarting Email Spam
20975 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
20977 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
20978 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
20979 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
20980 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
20981 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
20982 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
20983 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
20984 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
20987 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
20988 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
20989 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
20990 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
20991 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
20992 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
20994 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
20997 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
20998 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
20999 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
21000 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
21001 * Filtering Spam Using spam.el::
21002 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)::
21005 @node The problem of spam
21006 @subsection The problem of spam
21008 @cindex spam filtering approaches
21009 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
21011 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21013 First, some background on spam.
21015 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
21016 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it exists
21017 because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail, so only
21018 a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to make it
21019 worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most common
21020 spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for further
21021 spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers}, but terms like
21022 @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, and @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
21024 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
21025 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
21026 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
21027 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
21028 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
21029 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
21030 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
21031 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
21032 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
21035 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering. If you get 200
21036 spam messages per day from @email{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you
21037 block @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about
21038 @samp{VIAGRA}, you discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the
21039 message. This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate
21040 e-mail. For instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest
21041 has been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it
21042 @strong{contained} words that were common in spam messages.
21043 Nevertheless, in isolated cases, with great care, direct filtering of
21044 mail can be useful.
21046 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
21047 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
21048 @code{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @samp{X} in
21049 China, Ghana, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
21050 @code{N} systems enter @samp{X} or the spam e-mail from @samp{X} into
21051 a database. The criteria for spam detection vary - it may be the
21052 number of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When
21053 a user of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a
21054 message is spam, he consults one of those @code{N} systems.
21056 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
21057 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
21058 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
21059 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
21060 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
21061 sending spam, and their web sites have been shut down for some time
21062 because of the incident.
21064 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
21065 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
21066 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
21067 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
21068 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
21069 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
21070 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
21071 to store the database of spam analyses.
21073 @node Anti-Spam Basics
21074 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
21078 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21080 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
21081 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
21083 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
21084 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
21085 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
21086 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
21087 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
21088 part of the mail address.)
21091 (setq message-default-news-headers
21092 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
21095 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21096 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21101 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
21102 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
21103 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
21109 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
21110 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
21111 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
21112 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
21114 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
21115 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
21116 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
21117 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
21118 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
21119 your fancy split rule in this way:
21124 (to "larsi" "misc")
21128 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
21129 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
21130 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
21131 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
21132 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
21134 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
21135 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
21136 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
21137 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
21138 cosmic balance somewhat.
21140 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
21141 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
21142 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
21143 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
21148 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
21149 @cindex SpamAssassin
21150 @cindex Vipul's Razor
21153 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
21154 avoiding spam is coming to an end. There are many tools out there
21155 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
21156 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
21157 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
21158 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
21159 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
21161 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
21162 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
21163 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
21164 Specifiers}) follows.
21168 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
21171 :postscript "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
21174 Once you managed to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
21175 the mail contain e.g. a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
21176 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
21179 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
21183 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21186 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
21187 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
21191 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
21192 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
21193 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
21194 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
21197 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
21199 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
21201 (let ((buf (or (get-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
21202 (get-buffer " *nnml move*"))))
21204 (progn (message "Oops, cannot find message buffer") nil)
21206 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
21207 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
21211 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
21212 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
21213 spam. And here is the nifty function:
21216 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
21217 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
21219 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
21220 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
21221 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
21225 @subsection Hashcash
21228 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
21229 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
21230 you cannot rely on that everyone in the world uses this technique,
21231 since it is not part of the internet standards, but it may be useful
21232 in smaller communities.
21234 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
21235 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
21236 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
21237 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
21238 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
21239 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
21240 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
21241 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
21242 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
21243 one of them separately.
21246 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
21247 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
21248 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
21249 header. For more details, and for the external application
21250 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
21251 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
21252 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
21254 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
21258 (require 'hashcash)
21259 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
21262 The @code{hashcash.el} library can be found at
21263 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}, or in the Gnus
21264 development contrib directory.
21266 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
21270 @item hashcash-default-payment
21271 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
21272 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
21273 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
21274 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
21276 @item hashcash-payment-alist
21277 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
21278 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
21279 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(ADDR AMOUNT)} cells,
21280 where ADDR is the receiver (email address or newsgroup) and AMOUNT is
21281 the number of bits in the collision that is needed. It can also
21282 contain @samp{(ADDR STRING AMOUNT)} cells, where the STRING is the
21283 string to use (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
21287 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
21291 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
21292 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
21293 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
21294 a useful contribution, however.
21296 @node Filtering Spam Using spam.el
21297 @subsection Filtering Spam Using spam.el
21298 @cindex spam filtering
21301 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
21302 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
21303 filters incoming mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam.
21305 So, what happens when you load @code{spam.el}? First of all, you get
21306 the following keyboard commands:
21316 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
21317 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam})
21319 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{H} mark.
21320 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
21321 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group.
21327 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
21328 (@code{spam-bogofilter-score}
21330 You must have bogofilter processing enabled for that command to work
21337 Gnus can learn from the spam you get. All you have to do is collect
21338 your spam in one or more spam groups, and set the variable
21339 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. In these groups, all messages
21340 are considered to be spam by default: they get the @samp{H} mark. You must
21341 review these messages from time to time and remove the @samp{H} mark for
21342 every message that is not spam after all. When you leave a spam
21343 group, all messages that continue with the @samp{H} mark, are passed on to
21344 the spam-detection engine (bogofilter, ifile, and others). To remove
21345 the @samp{H} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to "unread" the article, or @kbd{d} for
21346 declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a group, all @samp{H}
21347 marked articles, saved or unsaved, are sent to Bogofilter or ifile
21348 (depending on @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-ifile}), which will study
21349 them as spam samples.
21351 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
21352 @code{spam-ham-marks-form} gets overridden below, marks @samp{R} and @samp{r} for
21353 default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and @samp{K} for automatic or
21354 explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for low scores, are all considered
21355 to be associated with articles which are not spam. This assumption
21356 might be false, in particular if you use kill files or score files as
21357 means for detecting genuine spam, you should then adjust
21358 @code{spam-ham-marks-form}. When you leave a group, all _unsaved_ articles
21359 bearing any the above marks are sent to Bogofilter or ifile, which
21360 will study these as not-spam samples. If you explicit kill a lot, you
21361 might sometimes end up with articles marked @samp{K} which you never saw,
21362 and which might accidentally contain spam. Best is to make sure that
21363 real spam is marked with @samp{H}, and nothing else.
21365 All other marks do not contribute to Bogofilter or ifile
21366 pre-conditioning. In particular, ticked, dormant or souped articles
21367 are likely to contribute later, when they will get deleted for real,
21368 so there is no need to use them prematurely. Explicitly expired
21369 articles do not contribute, command @kbd{E} is a way to get rid of an
21370 article without Bogofilter or ifile ever seeing it.
21372 @strong{TODO: @code{spam-use-ifile} does not process spam articles on group exit.
21373 I'm waiting for info from the author of @code{ifile-gnus.el}, because I think
21374 that functionality should go in @code{ifile-gnus.el} rather than @code{spam.el}.}
21376 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
21377 must add the following to your fancy split list
21378 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
21384 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
21385 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
21386 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
21388 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the mail
21389 considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
21390 @code{spam-split-group}. Usually that group name is @samp{spam}.
21392 The following are the methods you can use to control the behavior of
21396 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
21397 * BBDB Whitelists::
21400 * Ifile spam filtering::
21401 * Extending spam.el::
21404 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
21405 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
21406 @cindex spam filtering
21407 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
21408 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
21411 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
21412 Set this variables to t (the default) if you want to use blacklists.
21415 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
21416 Set this variables to t if you want to use whitelists.
21419 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
21420 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
21421 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
21422 blacklist. Since you start out with an empty blacklist, no harm is
21423 done by having the @code{spam-use-blacklist} variable set, so it is
21424 set by default. Blacklist entries use the Emacs regular expression
21427 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
21428 legitimate. All non-whitelisted addresses are considered spammers.
21429 This option is probably not useful for most Gnus users unless the
21430 whitelists is very comprehensive. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}.
21431 Whitelist entries use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
21433 The Blacklist and whitelist location can be customized with the
21434 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default). The whitelist
21435 and blacklist files will be in that directory, named @file{whitelist} and
21436 @file{blacklist} respectively.
21438 @node BBDB Whitelists
21439 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
21440 @cindex spam filtering
21441 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
21442 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
21445 @defvar spam-use-bbdb
21447 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
21448 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted addresses,
21449 without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded for
21450 @code{spam-use-bbdb} to work properly. Only addresses in the BBDB
21451 will be allowed through; all others will be classified as spam.
21456 @subsubsection Blackholes
21457 @cindex spam filtering
21458 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
21461 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
21463 You can let Gnus consult the blackhole-type distributed spam
21464 processing systems (DCC, for instance) when you set this option. The
21465 variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers} holds the list of blackhole servers
21468 This variable is disabled by default. It is not recommended at this
21469 time because of bugs in the @code{dns.el} code.
21474 @subsubsection Bogofilter
21475 @cindex spam filtering
21476 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
21479 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
21481 Set this variable if you want to use Eric Raymond's speedy Bogofilter.
21482 This has been tested with a locally patched copy of version 0.4. Make
21483 sure to read the installation comments in @code{spam.el}.
21485 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{H} mark for spam
21486 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
21487 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
21488 category, spam or not. The shell command @command{head -1
21489 ~/.bogofilter/*} shows both article counts. The command @kbd{S t} in
21490 summary mode, either for debugging or for curiosity, triggers
21491 Bogofilter into displaying in another buffer the @emph{spamicity}
21492 score of the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0), together with the
21493 article words which most significantly contribute to the score.
21497 @node Ifile spam filtering
21498 @subsubsection Ifile spam filtering
21499 @cindex spam filtering
21500 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
21503 @defvar spam-use-ifile
21505 Enable this variable if you want to use Ifile, a statistical analyzer
21506 similar to Bogofilter. Currently you must have @code{ifile-gnus.el}
21507 loaded. The integration of Ifile with @code{spam.el} is not finished
21508 yet, but you can use @code{ifile-gnus.el} on its own if you like.
21512 @node Extending spam.el
21513 @subsubsection Extending spam.el
21514 @cindex spam filtering
21515 @cindex spam.el, extending
21516 @cindex extending spam.el
21518 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. Provide the following:
21528 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
21529 "True if blackbox should be used.")
21534 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
21536 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
21541 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
21542 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
21543 @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
21546 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)
21547 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)
21548 @cindex Paul Graham
21549 @cindex Graham, Paul
21550 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
21551 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
21552 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
21554 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
21555 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
21556 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
21557 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
21558 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
21559 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
21560 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
21561 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
21562 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
21565 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
21566 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
21567 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
21568 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
21569 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
21570 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
21571 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
21572 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
21574 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
21575 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
21576 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
21577 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
21578 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
21581 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
21582 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
21583 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
21586 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
21587 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
21589 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
21590 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
21591 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
21592 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
21593 need several hundred emails in both collections.
21595 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
21596 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
21597 per mail. Use the following:
21599 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
21600 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
21601 is treated as one spam mail.
21604 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
21605 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
21606 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
21609 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
21610 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
21611 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
21612 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
21613 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
21614 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
21617 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics -- the
21618 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
21619 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
21620 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
21622 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
21623 reset the dictionary.
21627 @defun spam-stat-reset
21628 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
21630 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
21631 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
21632 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
21633 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
21634 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
21635 only non-spam mails.
21638 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
21639 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
21640 to update the dictionary incrementally.
21643 @defun spam-stat-save
21644 Save the dictionary.
21647 @defvar spam-stat-file
21648 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
21649 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
21652 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
21653 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
21655 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
21656 following to your @file{~/.gnus} file:
21659 (require 'spam-stat)
21663 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
21666 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
21667 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. In the simplest case, you only have
21668 two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says
21669 that mail is either spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is
21670 spam, then @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
21673 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21674 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21678 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
21679 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
21682 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
21683 the following expression. It only the mails not matching the regular
21684 expression are considered potential spam.
21687 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21688 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21689 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21693 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
21694 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
21695 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
21696 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
21697 mails, when creating the dictionary!
21700 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21701 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21702 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21706 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
21707 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
21708 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
21709 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
21710 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
21714 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21715 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
21716 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21717 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21722 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
21723 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
21725 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
21727 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
21728 called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail;
21729 use this for new mail that has not been processed before
21733 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
21734 called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
21735 mail; use this for new mail that has not been processed before
21739 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
21740 called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
21741 mail but spam; use this to change the status of a mail that has
21742 already been processed as non-spam
21746 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
21747 called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
21748 normal mail; use this to change the status of a mail that has already
21749 been processed as spam
21753 @defun spam-stat-save
21754 save the hash table to the file; the filename used is stored in the
21755 variable @code{spam-stat-file}
21759 @defun spam-stat-load
21760 load the hash table from a file; the filename used is stored in the
21761 variable @code{spam-stat-file}
21765 @defun spam-stat-score-word
21766 return the spam score for a word
21770 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
21771 return the spam score for a buffer
21775 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
21776 for fancy mail splitting; add the rule @samp{(: spam-stat-split-fancy)} to
21777 @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21779 This requires the following in your @file{~/.gnus} file:
21782 (require 'spam-stat)
21788 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
21791 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
21792 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
21793 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
21794 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
21795 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
21796 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
21797 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
21798 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
21799 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
21800 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
21801 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
21802 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
21803 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
21804 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
21807 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
21810 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
21811 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
21812 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
21813 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
21814 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
21815 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
21818 @node Various Various
21819 @section Various Various
21825 @item gnus-home-directory
21826 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
21827 defaults to @file{~/}.
21829 @item gnus-directory
21830 @vindex gnus-directory
21831 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
21832 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
21833 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
21835 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
21836 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
21837 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
21838 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
21840 @item gnus-default-directory
21841 @vindex gnus-default-directory
21842 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
21843 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
21844 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
21845 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
21846 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
21847 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
21850 @vindex gnus-verbose
21851 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
21852 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
21853 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
21854 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
21855 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
21857 @item gnus-verbose-backends
21858 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
21859 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
21860 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
21862 @item nnheader-max-head-length
21863 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
21864 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
21865 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
21866 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
21867 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
21868 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
21869 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
21870 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
21871 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
21873 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
21874 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
21875 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
21876 read when doing the operation described above.
21878 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
21879 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
21881 @cindex invalid characters in file names
21882 @cindex characters in file names
21883 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
21884 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
21885 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
21888 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
21892 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
21893 Windows (phooey) systems.
21895 @item gnus-hidden-properties
21896 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
21897 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
21898 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
21899 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
21901 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
21902 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
21903 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
21904 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
21905 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
21907 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
21908 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
21909 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
21911 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
21912 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
21914 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
21915 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
21916 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
21917 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
21920 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
21928 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
21929 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
21931 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
21933 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
21939 Not because of victories @*
21942 but for the common sunshine,@*
21944 the largess of the spring.
21948 but for the day's work done@*
21949 as well as I was able;@*
21950 not for a seat upon the dais@*
21951 but at the common table.@*
21956 @chapter Appendices
21959 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
21960 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
21961 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
21962 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
21963 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
21964 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
21965 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
21966 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
21967 * Frequently Asked Questions::
21974 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
21976 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
21977 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
21978 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
21979 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
21980 @samp{xemacs-base}, and @samp{fsf-compat}. The @samp{misc-games}
21981 package is required for Morse decoding.
21988 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
21989 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
21991 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
21992 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
21993 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
21994 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
21995 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
21997 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
21998 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
21999 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
22000 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
22001 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
22002 appropriate name, don't you think?)
22004 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
22005 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
22006 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
22007 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
22010 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
22011 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
22012 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
22013 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
22014 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
22015 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
22016 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
22017 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
22018 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
22022 @node Gnus Versions
22023 @subsection Gnus Versions
22025 @cindex September Gnus
22027 @cindex Quassia Gnus
22028 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
22032 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
22033 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
22034 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
22036 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
22037 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
22039 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
22040 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
22042 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
22043 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
22045 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
22046 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
22049 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
22051 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
22052 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
22053 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
22054 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
22055 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
22056 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
22059 @node Other Gnus Versions
22060 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
22063 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
22064 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
22065 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
22066 @sc{mime} capabilities.
22068 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
22069 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
22070 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
22071 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
22078 What's the point of Gnus?
22080 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
22081 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
22082 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
22083 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
22084 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
22085 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
22086 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
22087 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
22088 keep track of millions of people who post?
22090 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
22091 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
22092 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
22093 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
22094 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
22095 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
22096 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
22097 every one of you to explore and invent.
22099 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
22100 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
22103 @node Compatibility
22104 @subsection Compatibility
22106 @cindex compatibility
22107 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
22108 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
22109 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
22114 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
22118 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
22121 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
22124 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
22125 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
22126 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
22127 important variables have their values copied into their global
22128 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
22129 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
22131 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
22132 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
22133 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
22134 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
22135 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
22139 @cindex highlighting
22140 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
22141 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
22142 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
22143 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
22144 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
22145 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
22148 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
22149 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
22150 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
22151 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
22153 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
22154 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
22155 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
22156 to stop doing it the old way.
22158 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
22160 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22162 @cindex reporting bugs
22164 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
22165 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
22166 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
22168 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
22169 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
22170 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
22171 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
22176 @subsection Conformity
22178 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
22179 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
22187 There are no known breaches of this standard.
22191 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
22193 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
22194 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
22195 We do have some breaches to this one.
22201 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
22202 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
22203 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
22204 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
22205 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
22210 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
22211 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
22212 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
22213 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
22215 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
22217 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
22219 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
22220 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
22222 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
22225 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
22226 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
22227 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
22228 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
22229 decoding (verification and decryption).
22231 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
22232 RFC 2015 (superceded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
22233 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
22234 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
22236 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
22237 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
22239 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
22240 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
22241 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
22242 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
22243 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
22244 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
22245 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
22249 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
22250 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
22255 @subsection Emacsen
22261 Gnus should work on :
22269 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
22273 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
22274 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
22277 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
22278 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
22279 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
22283 @node Gnus Development
22284 @subsection Gnus Development
22286 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
22287 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
22288 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
22289 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
22290 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
22291 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
22292 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
22293 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
22295 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
22296 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
22297 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
22298 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
22299 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
22302 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
22303 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
22304 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
22305 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
22306 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
22308 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
22309 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
22310 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
22311 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
22312 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
22313 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
22314 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
22315 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
22316 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
22317 can't be assumed to do so.
22322 @subsection Contributors
22323 @cindex contributors
22325 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
22326 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
22327 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
22328 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
22329 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
22330 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
22331 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
22332 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
22333 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
22334 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
22336 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
22342 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
22345 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
22346 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
22347 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
22348 functionality and stuff.
22351 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
22352 well as numerous other things).
22355 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
22358 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
22361 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
22364 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
22367 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
22368 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
22371 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
22374 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
22375 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
22378 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
22381 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
22384 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
22387 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
22390 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
22391 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
22394 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
22397 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
22400 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
22403 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
22407 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
22410 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
22413 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
22416 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
22417 well as autoconf support.
22421 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
22422 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
22424 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
22433 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
22437 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
22447 Alexei V. Barantsev,
22462 Massimo Campostrini,
22467 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
22468 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
22472 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
22475 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
22481 Michael Welsh Duggan,
22486 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
22490 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
22498 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
22500 Michelangelo Grigni,
22504 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
22506 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
22508 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
22515 François Felix Ingrand,
22516 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
22517 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
22519 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
22530 Peter Skov Knudsen,
22531 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
22533 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
22534 Thor Kristoffersen,
22537 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
22555 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
22556 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
22563 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
22568 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
22572 John McClary Prevost,
22578 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
22583 Christian von Roques,
22586 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
22593 Philippe Schnoebelen,
22595 Randal L. Schwartz,
22609 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
22614 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
22630 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
22635 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
22636 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
22637 (550kB and counting).
22639 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
22642 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
22643 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
22647 @subsection New Features
22648 @cindex new features
22651 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
22652 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
22653 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
22654 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
22655 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
22658 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
22659 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
22660 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
22663 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
22665 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
22670 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
22671 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
22674 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
22675 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
22678 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
22681 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
22682 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
22683 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
22686 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
22687 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
22688 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
22689 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
22692 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
22693 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22696 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
22697 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
22698 (@pxref{The Active File}).
22701 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
22702 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
22705 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
22706 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
22707 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
22710 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
22711 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
22712 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
22715 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
22716 the @file{.emacs} file.
22719 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
22720 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
22723 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
22724 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
22727 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
22728 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22731 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
22732 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
22735 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
22736 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
22739 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
22742 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
22743 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
22746 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
22747 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
22750 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
22751 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
22754 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
22757 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
22758 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
22761 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
22765 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
22769 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
22770 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
22773 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
22779 @node September Gnus
22780 @subsubsection September Gnus
22784 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
22788 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
22793 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
22794 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
22798 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
22799 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
22803 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
22807 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
22808 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
22811 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
22815 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
22818 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
22821 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
22824 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
22828 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
22829 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
22832 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
22836 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
22840 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
22844 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
22848 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
22851 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
22852 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
22855 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
22859 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
22860 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
22863 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
22866 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
22867 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
22868 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
22871 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
22875 The Gnus cache is much faster.
22878 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
22882 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
22883 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
22886 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
22887 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
22890 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
22891 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
22894 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
22895 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
22896 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
22899 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
22900 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
22903 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
22906 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
22909 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
22912 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
22915 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
22916 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
22919 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
22923 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
22926 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
22931 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
22934 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
22938 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22941 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
22945 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
22948 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
22951 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
22952 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
22955 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
22956 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
22960 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
22961 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
22964 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
22968 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
22969 buffer to allow easier treatment.
22972 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
22975 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
22979 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
22983 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
22984 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
22987 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
22991 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
22992 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
22995 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
22996 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
22999 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
23003 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23006 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
23009 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
23015 @subsubsection Red Gnus
23017 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
23021 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
23028 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
23031 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
23032 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23035 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
23036 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
23040 Article washing status can be displayed in the
23041 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
23044 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
23047 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
23048 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
23051 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
23055 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
23056 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
23060 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
23061 Server Internals}).
23064 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
23068 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
23071 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
23072 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
23075 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
23076 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
23077 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
23080 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
23081 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23084 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
23085 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
23088 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
23092 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
23093 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23096 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
23097 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23100 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
23104 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
23107 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
23111 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
23112 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23115 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
23116 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23119 A new command for reading collections of documents
23120 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
23121 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
23124 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
23128 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
23129 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
23132 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
23133 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
23134 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
23137 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
23138 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
23142 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
23146 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
23150 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
23155 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
23159 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
23163 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
23164 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
23167 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
23173 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
23175 New features in Gnus 5.6:
23180 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
23181 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
23182 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
23185 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
23186 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
23187 group, which is created automatically.
23190 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
23194 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
23197 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
23198 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
23201 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
23205 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
23208 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
23209 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
23212 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
23215 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
23216 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
23219 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
23220 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
23223 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
23224 control over simplification.
23227 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
23230 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
23234 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
23237 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
23240 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
23241 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
23242 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
23245 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
23246 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
23249 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
23253 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
23254 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
23257 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
23258 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
23261 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
23265 A history of where mails have been split is available.
23268 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
23271 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
23272 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
23275 A new function for citing in Message has been
23276 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
23279 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
23282 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
23286 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
23287 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
23290 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
23291 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
23294 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
23297 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
23301 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
23302 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
23304 New features in Gnus 5.8:
23309 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
23310 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
23312 If you used procmail like in
23315 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
23316 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
23317 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
23318 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
23321 this now has changed to
23325 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
23329 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
23330 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
23333 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
23334 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
23337 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
23338 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
23341 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
23342 called to position point.
23345 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
23346 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
23349 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
23350 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
23353 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
23354 subtly different manner.
23357 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
23358 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
23359 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
23362 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
23370 @section The Manual
23374 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
23375 either @code{texi2dvi}
23377 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
23378 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
23380 to get what you hold in your hands now.
23382 The following conventions have been used:
23387 This is a @samp{string}
23390 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
23393 This is a @file{file}
23396 This is a @code{symbol}
23400 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
23404 (setq flargnoze "yes")
23407 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
23410 (setq flumphel 'yes)
23413 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
23414 ever get them confused.
23418 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
23419 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
23420 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
23421 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
23422 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
23423 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
23424 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
23430 @node On Writing Manuals
23431 @section On Writing Manuals
23433 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
23434 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
23435 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
23436 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
23437 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
23438 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
23441 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
23442 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
23443 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
23446 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
23447 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
23452 @section Terminology
23454 @cindex terminology
23459 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
23460 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
23461 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
23462 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
23463 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
23467 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
23468 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
23469 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
23470 not posting, and replying is not following up.
23474 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
23478 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
23483 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
23484 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
23485 commonly fetched via the protocol NNTP, whereas mail messages could be
23486 read from a file on the local disk. The internal architecture of Gnus
23487 thus comprises a `front end' and a number of `back ends'. Internally,
23488 when you enter a group (by hitting @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke
23489 a function in the front end in Gnus. The front end then `talks' to a
23490 back end and says things like ``Give me the list of articles in the foo
23491 group'' or ``Show me article number 4711''.
23493 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back end
23494 accesses news via NNTP, the @code{nnimap} back end accesses mail via
23495 IMAP) or a file format and directory layout (the @code{nnspool} back end
23496 accesses news via the common `spool directory' format, the @code{nnml}
23497 back end access mail via a file format and directory layout that's
23500 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
23501 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
23502 access the articles.
23504 However, sometimes the term `back end' is also used where `server'
23505 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term `select
23506 method' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
23511 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
23512 default, way of getting news.
23516 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
23517 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
23522 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
23523 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
23527 A message that has been posted as news.
23530 @cindex mail message
23531 A message that has been mailed.
23535 A mail message or news article
23539 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
23544 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
23549 A line from the head of an article.
23553 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
23554 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
23558 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
23559 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
23560 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
23561 normal @sc{head} format.
23565 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
23566 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
23567 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
23568 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
23569 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
23570 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
23572 @item killed groups
23573 @cindex killed groups
23574 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
23575 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
23577 @item zombie groups
23578 @cindex zombie groups
23579 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
23582 @cindex active file
23583 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
23584 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
23585 is rather large, as you might surmise.
23588 @cindex bogus groups
23589 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
23590 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
23591 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
23594 @cindex activating groups
23595 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
23596 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
23597 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
23601 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
23603 @item select method
23604 @cindex select method
23605 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
23608 @item virtual server
23609 @cindex virtual server
23610 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
23611 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
23612 whole is a virtual server.
23616 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
23617 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
23620 @item ephemeral groups
23621 @cindex ephemeral groups
23622 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
23623 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
23624 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
23627 @cindex solid groups
23628 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
23629 group buffer are solid groups.
23631 @item sparse articles
23632 @cindex sparse articles
23633 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
23634 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
23638 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
23639 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
23643 @cindex thread root
23644 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
23645 articles in the thread.
23649 An article that has responses.
23653 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
23657 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
23658 specified by RFC 1153.
23664 @node Customization
23665 @section Customization
23666 @cindex general customization
23668 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
23669 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
23670 for some quite common situations.
23673 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
23674 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
23675 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
23676 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
23680 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
23681 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
23683 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
23684 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
23685 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
23689 @item gnus-read-active-file
23690 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
23691 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
23692 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
23693 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
23694 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
23696 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
23697 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
23698 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
23699 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
23703 @node Slow Terminal Connection
23704 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
23706 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
23707 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
23708 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
23712 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
23713 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
23714 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
23715 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
23716 horizontal and vertical recentering.
23718 @item gnus-visible-headers
23719 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
23720 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
23721 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
23722 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
23724 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
23726 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
23727 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
23728 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
23731 @item gnus-use-full-window
23732 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
23733 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
23734 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
23735 want to read them anyway.
23737 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
23738 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
23742 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
23743 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
23744 lines, which might save some time.
23748 @node Little Disk Space
23749 @subsection Little Disk Space
23752 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
23753 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
23757 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
23758 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
23759 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
23760 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
23763 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
23764 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
23765 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
23766 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
23769 @item gnus-save-killed-list
23770 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
23771 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
23772 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
23773 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
23779 @subsection Slow Machine
23780 @cindex slow machine
23782 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
23783 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
23785 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
23786 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
23788 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
23789 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
23790 summary buffer faster.
23794 @node Troubleshooting
23795 @section Troubleshooting
23796 @cindex troubleshooting
23798 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
23806 Make sure your computer is switched on.
23809 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
23810 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
23814 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
23815 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
23816 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
23817 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
23820 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
23824 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
23825 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
23826 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
23827 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
23828 something like that.
23831 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
23834 @cindex reporting bugs
23836 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
23838 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
23839 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
23840 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
23841 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
23843 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
23844 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
23845 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
23846 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
23849 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
23850 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
23851 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
23852 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
23853 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
23854 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
23856 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
23857 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
23858 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
23862 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
23863 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
23866 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
23867 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
23868 edebug. Debugging lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
23869 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
23870 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
23871 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
23872 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
23873 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
23874 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
23875 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
23876 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
23877 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
23878 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
23879 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
23881 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
23882 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
23884 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
23885 @cindex ding mailing list
23886 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
23887 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
23891 @node Gnus Reference Guide
23892 @section Gnus Reference Guide
23894 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
23895 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
23896 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
23897 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
23900 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
23901 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
23902 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
23903 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
23904 and general methods of operation.
23907 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
23908 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
23909 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
23910 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
23911 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
23912 * Group Info:: The group info format.
23913 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
23914 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
23915 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
23919 @node Gnus Utility Functions
23920 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
23921 @cindex Gnus utility functions
23922 @cindex utility functions
23924 @cindex internal variables
23926 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
23927 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
23928 Below is a list of the most common ones.
23932 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
23933 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
23934 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
23936 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
23937 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
23938 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
23940 @item gnus-group-real-name
23941 @findex gnus-group-real-name
23942 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
23945 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
23946 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
23947 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
23948 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
23950 @item gnus-get-info
23951 @findex gnus-get-info
23952 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
23954 @item gnus-group-unread
23955 @findex gnus-group-unread
23956 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
23960 @findex gnus-active
23961 The active entry for @var{group}.
23963 @item gnus-set-active
23964 @findex gnus-set-active
23965 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
23967 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
23968 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
23969 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
23972 @item gnus-continuum-version
23973 @findex gnus-continuum-version
23974 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
23975 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
23978 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
23979 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
23980 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
23982 @item gnus-news-group-p
23983 @findex gnus-news-group-p
23984 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
23986 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
23987 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
23988 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
23990 @item gnus-server-to-method
23991 @findex gnus-server-to-method
23992 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
23994 @item gnus-server-equal
23995 @findex gnus-server-equal
23996 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
23998 @item gnus-group-native-p
23999 @findex gnus-group-native-p
24000 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
24002 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
24003 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
24004 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
24006 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
24007 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
24008 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
24010 @item group-group-find-parameter
24011 @findex group-group-find-parameter
24012 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
24013 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
24015 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
24016 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
24017 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
24019 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
24020 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
24021 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
24023 @item gnus-check-backend-function
24024 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
24025 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
24026 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
24029 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
24033 @item gnus-read-method
24034 @findex gnus-read-method
24035 Prompts the user for a select method.
24040 @node Back End Interface
24041 @subsection Back End Interface
24043 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
24044 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
24045 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
24046 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
24047 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
24048 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
24050 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
24051 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
24052 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
24053 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
24054 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
24055 been opened, the function should fail.
24057 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
24058 name. Take this example:
24062 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
24063 (nntp-port-number 4324))
24066 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
24067 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
24069 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
24070 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
24071 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
24073 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
24074 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
24075 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
24077 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
24078 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
24079 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
24080 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
24081 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
24082 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
24085 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
24086 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
24087 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
24088 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
24091 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
24092 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
24093 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
24094 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
24095 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
24096 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
24097 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
24098 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
24099 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
24100 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
24102 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
24103 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
24104 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
24105 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
24106 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
24107 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
24108 of numbers as long as possible.
24110 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
24113 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
24116 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
24117 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
24118 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
24119 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
24120 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
24121 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
24125 @node Required Back End Functions
24126 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
24130 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
24132 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
24133 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
24134 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
24135 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
24137 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
24138 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
24139 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
24140 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
24142 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
24143 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
24144 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
24145 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
24146 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
24147 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
24148 number, do maximum fetches.
24150 Here's an example HEAD:
24153 221 1056 Article retrieved.
24154 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
24155 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
24156 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
24157 Subject: Re: Something very droll
24158 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
24159 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
24161 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
24162 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
24163 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
24167 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
24168 these in the data buffer.
24170 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
24174 head = error / valid-head
24175 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
24176 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
24177 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
24178 header = <text> eol
24181 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
24182 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
24186 nov-buffer = *nov-line
24187 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
24188 field = <text except TAB>
24191 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
24195 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
24197 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
24198 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
24200 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
24201 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
24202 server. In fact, it should do so.
24204 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
24205 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
24208 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
24210 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
24211 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
24214 There should be no data returned.
24217 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
24219 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
24220 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
24221 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
24222 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
24224 There should be no data returned.
24227 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
24229 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
24230 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
24231 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
24232 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
24234 There should be no data returned.
24237 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
24239 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
24241 There should be no data returned.
24244 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
24246 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
24247 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
24248 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
24249 it would be nice if that were possible.
24251 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
24252 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
24253 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
24254 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
24255 into its article buffer.
24257 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
24258 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
24259 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
24260 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
24261 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
24262 on successful article retrieval.
24265 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
24267 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
24268 making @var{group} the current group.
24270 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
24273 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
24276 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
24279 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
24280 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
24281 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
24282 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
24283 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
24284 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
24285 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
24286 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
24287 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
24291 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
24292 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
24293 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
24297 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
24299 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
24300 a no-op on most back ends.
24302 There should be no data returned.
24305 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
24307 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
24310 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
24313 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
24314 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
24317 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
24318 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
24319 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
24320 and the highest as 0.
24323 active-file = *active-line
24324 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
24326 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
24329 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
24330 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
24331 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
24334 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
24336 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
24337 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
24338 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
24339 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
24340 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
24341 clear if the posting could not be completed.
24343 There should be no result data from this function.
24348 @node Optional Back End Functions
24349 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
24353 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
24355 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
24356 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
24357 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
24359 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
24360 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
24361 former is in the same format as the data from
24362 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
24363 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
24366 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
24370 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
24372 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
24373 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
24374 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
24375 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
24376 should return the (altered) group info.
24378 There should be no result data from this function.
24381 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
24383 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
24384 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
24385 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
24386 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
24387 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
24388 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
24389 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
24390 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
24392 There should be no result data from this function.
24395 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
24397 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
24398 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
24399 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
24400 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
24401 propagate the mark information to the server.
24403 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
24406 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
24409 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
24410 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
24411 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
24412 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
24413 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
24414 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
24415 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
24416 possible, not limit itself to these.
24418 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
24419 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
24420 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
24421 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
24423 An example action list:
24426 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
24427 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
24428 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
24431 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
24432 mark on (currently not used for anything).
24434 There should be no result data from this function.
24436 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
24438 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
24439 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
24440 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
24441 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
24442 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
24444 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
24445 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
24446 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
24449 There should be no result data from this function.
24452 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
24454 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
24455 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
24456 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
24457 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
24458 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
24459 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
24460 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
24462 There should be no result data from this function.
24465 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
24467 The result data from this function should be a description of
24471 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
24473 description = <text>
24476 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
24478 The result data from this function should be the description of all
24479 groups available on the server.
24482 description-buffer = *description-line
24486 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
24488 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
24489 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
24490 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
24491 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
24492 in the active buffer format.
24494 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
24495 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
24496 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
24497 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
24498 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
24499 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
24500 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
24503 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
24505 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
24507 There should be no return data.
24510 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
24512 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
24513 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
24514 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
24515 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
24516 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
24519 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
24522 There should be no result data returned.
24525 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
24528 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
24529 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
24531 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
24532 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
24533 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
24534 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
24535 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
24536 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
24538 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
24539 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
24542 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
24543 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
24545 There should be no data returned.
24548 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
24550 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
24551 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
24552 this function in short order.
24554 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
24555 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
24557 There should be no data returned.
24560 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
24562 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
24563 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
24565 There should be no data returned.
24568 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
24570 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
24571 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
24572 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
24574 There should be no data returned.
24577 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
24579 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
24580 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
24582 There should be no data returned.
24587 @node Error Messaging
24588 @subsubsection Error Messaging
24590 @findex nnheader-report
24591 @findex nnheader-get-report
24592 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
24593 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
24594 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
24595 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
24596 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
24597 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
24600 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
24602 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
24605 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
24606 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
24607 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
24608 takes one argument---the server symbol.
24610 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
24611 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
24612 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
24615 @node Writing New Back Ends
24616 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
24618 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
24619 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
24620 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
24621 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
24622 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
24625 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
24626 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
24627 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
24629 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
24630 package called @code{nnoo}.
24632 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
24633 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
24639 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
24640 parameters. For instance:
24643 (nnoo-declare nndir
24647 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
24648 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
24651 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
24652 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
24653 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
24655 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
24656 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
24657 a function in those back ends.
24660 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
24661 "Where nndir will look for groups."
24662 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
24665 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
24666 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
24667 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
24669 @item nnoo-define-basics
24670 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
24674 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
24678 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
24679 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
24680 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
24682 @item nnoo-map-functions
24683 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
24684 functions from the parent back ends.
24687 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
24688 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
24689 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
24692 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
24693 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
24694 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
24695 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
24698 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
24699 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
24700 haven't already been defined.
24706 nnmh-request-newgroups)
24710 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
24711 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
24712 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
24717 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
24720 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
24721 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
24725 (require 'nnheader)
24729 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
24731 (nnoo-declare nndir
24734 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
24735 "Where nndir will look for groups."
24736 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
24738 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
24739 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
24742 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
24744 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
24745 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
24746 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
24748 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
24749 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
24751 ;;; Interface functions.
24753 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
24755 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
24756 (setq nndir-directory
24757 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
24759 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
24760 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
24761 (push `(nndir-current-group
24762 ,(file-name-nondirectory
24763 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
24765 (push `(nndir-top-directory
24766 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
24768 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
24770 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
24771 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
24772 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
24773 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
24774 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
24778 nnmh-status-message
24780 nnmh-request-newgroups))
24786 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
24787 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
24789 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
24790 @findex gnus-declare-backend
24791 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
24792 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
24793 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
24795 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
24796 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
24801 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
24804 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
24806 The abilities can be:
24810 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
24812 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
24814 This back end supports both mail and news.
24816 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
24819 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
24820 articles and groups.
24822 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
24823 true for almost all back ends.
24824 @item prompt-address
24825 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
24826 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
24827 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
24831 @node Mail-like Back Ends
24832 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
24834 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
24835 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
24836 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
24837 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
24840 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
24841 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
24842 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
24845 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
24846 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
24849 This function takes four parameters.
24853 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
24856 @item exit-function
24857 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
24859 @item temp-directory
24860 Where the temporary files should be stored.
24863 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
24864 performed for one group only.
24867 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
24868 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
24869 find the article number assigned to this article.
24871 The function also uses the following variables:
24872 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
24873 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
24874 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
24875 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
24879 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
24880 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
24884 @node Score File Syntax
24885 @subsection Score File Syntax
24887 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
24888 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
24889 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
24891 Here's a typical score file:
24895 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
24902 BNF definition of a score file:
24905 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
24906 element = rule / atom
24907 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
24908 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
24909 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
24910 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
24912 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
24913 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
24914 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
24915 date-header = "date"
24916 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
24917 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
24918 score = "nil" / <integer>
24919 date = "nil" / <natural number>
24920 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
24921 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
24922 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
24923 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
24924 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
24925 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
24926 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
24927 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
24928 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
24929 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
24930 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
24931 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
24932 exclude-files / read-only / touched
24933 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
24934 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
24935 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
24936 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
24937 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
24938 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
24939 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
24940 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
24941 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
24942 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
24943 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
24944 eval = "eval" space <form>
24945 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
24948 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
24951 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
24952 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
24953 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
24954 one looong line, then that's ok.
24956 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
24957 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
24961 @subsection Headers
24963 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
24964 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
24965 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
24966 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
24968 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
24969 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
24970 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
24971 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
24972 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
24973 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
24974 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
24976 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
24977 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
24978 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
24979 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
24980 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
24982 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
24983 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
24989 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
24990 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
24992 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
24993 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
24994 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
24995 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
24997 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
25001 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
25004 is transformed into
25007 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
25010 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
25011 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
25014 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
25017 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
25018 is slightly tricky:
25021 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
25027 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
25030 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
25036 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
25043 and is equal to the previous range.
25045 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
25046 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
25047 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
25051 range = simple-range / normal-range
25052 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
25053 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
25054 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
25055 number *[ " " contents ]
25058 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
25059 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
25060 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
25061 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
25062 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
25067 @subsection Group Info
25069 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
25070 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
25071 describes the group.
25073 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
25074 second is a more complex one:
25077 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
25079 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
25080 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
25082 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
25085 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
25086 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
25087 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
25088 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
25089 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
25090 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
25091 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
25092 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
25093 this section is about.
25095 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
25096 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
25097 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
25099 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
25102 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
25103 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
25104 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25105 group = quote <string> quote
25106 ralevel = rank / level
25107 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25108 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
25109 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25111 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
25112 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
25113 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
25114 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
25117 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
25118 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
25121 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
25122 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
25125 @item gnus-info-group
25126 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
25127 @findex gnus-info-group
25128 @findex gnus-info-set-group
25129 Get/set the group name.
25131 @item gnus-info-rank
25132 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
25133 @findex gnus-info-rank
25134 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
25135 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
25137 @item gnus-info-level
25138 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
25139 @findex gnus-info-level
25140 @findex gnus-info-set-level
25141 Get/set the group level.
25143 @item gnus-info-score
25144 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
25145 @findex gnus-info-score
25146 @findex gnus-info-set-score
25147 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
25149 @item gnus-info-read
25150 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
25151 @findex gnus-info-read
25152 @findex gnus-info-set-read
25153 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
25155 @item gnus-info-marks
25156 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
25157 @findex gnus-info-marks
25158 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
25159 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
25161 @item gnus-info-method
25162 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
25163 @findex gnus-info-method
25164 @findex gnus-info-set-method
25165 Get/set the group select method.
25167 @item gnus-info-params
25168 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
25169 @findex gnus-info-params
25170 @findex gnus-info-set-params
25171 Get/set the group parameters.
25174 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
25175 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
25177 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
25178 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
25179 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
25180 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
25183 @node Extended Interactive
25184 @subsection Extended Interactive
25185 @cindex interactive
25186 @findex gnus-interactive
25188 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
25189 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
25190 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
25193 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
25194 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
25199 The best thing to do would have been to implement
25200 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
25201 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
25202 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
25203 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
25204 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
25205 @code{interactive}.
25207 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
25212 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
25213 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
25217 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
25218 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
25219 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
25222 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
25226 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
25230 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
25236 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
25237 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
25241 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
25242 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
25243 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
25245 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
25246 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
25247 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
25248 Gnus, that's very useful.
25250 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
25251 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
25252 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
25253 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
25254 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
25255 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
25256 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
25257 following function:
25260 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
25264 (,function ,@@args))
25268 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
25269 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
25270 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
25273 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
25274 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
25275 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
25277 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
25278 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
25279 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
25282 @node Various File Formats
25283 @subsection Various File Formats
25286 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
25287 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
25291 @node Active File Format
25292 @subsubsection Active File Format
25294 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
25295 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
25298 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
25301 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
25302 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
25303 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
25304 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
25305 no.general 1000 900 y
25308 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
25311 active = *group-line
25312 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
25313 group = <non-white-space string>
25315 high-number = <non-negative integer>
25316 low-number = <positive integer>
25317 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
25320 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
25321 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
25324 @node Newsgroups File Format
25325 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
25327 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
25328 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
25329 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
25332 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
25333 Here's the definition:
25337 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
25338 group = <non-white-space string>
25340 description = <string>
25345 @node Emacs for Heathens
25346 @section Emacs for Heathens
25348 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
25349 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
25350 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
25351 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
25352 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
25353 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
25354 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
25358 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
25359 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
25364 @subsection Keystrokes
25368 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
25371 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
25374 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
25375 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
25376 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
25377 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
25378 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
25379 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
25381 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
25382 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
25383 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
25384 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
25385 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
25386 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
25387 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
25389 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
25390 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
25391 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
25392 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
25393 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
25394 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
25395 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
25397 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
25398 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
25399 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
25400 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
25401 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
25407 @subsection Emacs Lisp
25409 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
25410 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
25411 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
25412 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
25414 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
25415 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
25416 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
25417 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
25418 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
25419 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
25420 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
25423 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
25424 write the following:
25427 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
25430 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
25431 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
25432 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
25435 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
25436 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
25437 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
25438 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
25439 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
25441 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
25442 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
25443 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
25447 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
25451 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
25454 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
25455 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
25458 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
25461 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
25462 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
25465 @include gnus-faq.texi
25485 @c Local Variables:
25487 @c coding: iso-8859-1
25489 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
25490 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
25491 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
25492 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
25493 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref