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335 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
340 @setchapternewpage odd
347 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
349 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
355 @top The Gnus Newsreader
359 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
360 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
361 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
364 This manual corresponds to Gnus v5.10.6.
375 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
376 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
378 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
379 being accused of plagiarism:
381 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
382 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
383 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
384 can even read news with it!
386 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
387 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
388 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
389 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
390 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
396 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
397 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
398 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
399 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
400 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
401 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
402 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
403 * Various:: General purpose settings.
404 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
405 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
406 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
407 * Key Index:: Key Index.
409 Other related manuals
411 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
412 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
413 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
414 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
415 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
418 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
422 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
423 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
424 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
425 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
426 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
427 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
428 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
429 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
430 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
431 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
432 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
436 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
437 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
438 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
442 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
443 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
444 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
445 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
446 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
447 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
448 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
449 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
450 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
451 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
452 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
453 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
454 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
455 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
456 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
457 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
458 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
462 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
463 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
464 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
468 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
469 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
470 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
471 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
472 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
476 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
477 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
478 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
479 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
480 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
484 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
485 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
486 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
487 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
488 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
489 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
490 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
491 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
492 * Threading:: How threads are made.
493 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
494 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
495 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
496 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
497 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
498 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
499 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
500 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
501 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
502 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
503 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
504 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
505 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
506 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
507 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
508 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
509 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
510 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
511 or reselecting the current group.
512 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
513 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
514 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
515 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
517 Summary Buffer Format
519 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
520 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
521 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
522 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
526 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
527 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
529 Reply, Followup and Post
531 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
532 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
533 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
534 * Canceling and Superseding::
538 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
539 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
540 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
541 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
542 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
543 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
547 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
548 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
550 Customizing Threading
552 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
553 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
554 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
555 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
559 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
560 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
561 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
562 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
563 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
564 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
568 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
569 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
570 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
574 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
575 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
576 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
577 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
578 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
579 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
580 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
581 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
582 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
583 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
584 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
586 Alternative Approaches
588 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
589 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
591 Various Summary Stuff
593 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
594 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
595 * Summary Generation Commands::
596 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
600 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
601 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
602 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
603 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
604 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
608 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
609 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
610 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
611 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
612 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
613 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
614 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
615 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
616 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
620 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
621 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
622 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
623 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
624 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
625 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
626 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
627 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
631 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
632 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
633 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
634 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
635 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
636 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
637 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
641 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
642 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
646 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
647 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
648 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
649 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
653 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
654 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
655 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
656 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
657 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
658 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
659 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
660 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
661 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
662 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
663 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
664 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
665 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
669 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
670 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
671 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
673 Choosing a Mail Back End
675 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
676 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
677 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
678 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
679 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
680 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
681 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
686 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
687 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
688 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
689 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
690 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
691 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
695 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
696 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
697 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
698 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
699 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
700 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
704 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
705 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
706 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
707 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
708 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
712 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
716 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
717 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
718 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
722 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
723 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
727 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
728 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
729 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
730 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
731 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
732 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
733 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
734 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
735 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
736 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
737 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
738 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
739 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
743 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
744 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
745 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
749 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
750 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
751 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
755 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
756 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
757 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
758 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
759 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
760 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
761 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
762 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
763 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
764 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
765 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
766 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
767 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
768 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
769 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
770 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
774 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
775 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
776 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
780 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
781 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
782 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
783 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
784 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
785 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
786 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
787 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
788 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
789 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
790 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
791 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
792 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
793 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
794 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
795 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
796 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
797 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
798 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
799 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
803 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
804 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
805 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
806 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
807 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
808 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
809 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
810 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
814 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
815 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
816 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
817 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
818 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
822 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
823 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
824 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
825 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
826 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
827 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
829 Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
831 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
832 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
833 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
834 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
835 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
837 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
838 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
840 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
842 * SpamAssassin back end::
843 * ifile spam filtering::
844 * spam-stat spam filtering::
846 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
848 Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
850 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
851 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
852 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
856 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
857 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
858 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
859 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
860 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
861 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
862 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
863 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
864 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
868 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
869 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
870 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
871 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
872 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
873 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
874 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
875 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
876 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
880 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
881 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
882 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
883 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
884 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
885 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
886 * No Gnus:: Lars, FIXME!
890 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
891 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
892 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
893 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
897 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
898 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
899 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
900 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
901 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
902 * Group Info:: The group info format.
903 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
904 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
905 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
909 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
910 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
911 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
912 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
913 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
914 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
918 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
919 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
923 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
924 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
930 @chapter Starting Gnus
935 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
936 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
939 @findex gnus-other-frame
940 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
941 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
942 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
944 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
945 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
946 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
948 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
949 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
952 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
953 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
954 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
955 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
956 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
957 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
958 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
959 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
960 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
961 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
962 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
966 @node Finding the News
967 @section Finding the News
970 @vindex gnus-select-method
972 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
973 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
974 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
975 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
978 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
979 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
982 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
985 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
988 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
991 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
992 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
993 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
995 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
997 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
998 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
999 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1000 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1001 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1002 If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1003 as an @acronym{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 @acronym{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 @acronym{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 "")))
1047 Note: the @acronym{NNTP} back end stores marks in marks files
1048 (@pxref{NNTP marks}). This feature makes it easy to share marks between
1049 several Gnus installations, but may slow down things a bit when fetching
1050 new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
1053 @node The First Time
1054 @section The First Time
1055 @cindex first time usage
1057 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1058 be subscribed by default.
1060 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1061 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1062 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1063 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1066 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1067 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1068 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1070 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1071 help you with most common problems.
1073 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1074 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1078 @node The Server is Down
1079 @section The Server is Down
1080 @cindex server errors
1082 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1083 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1084 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1086 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1087 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1088 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1089 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1090 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1091 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1092 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1094 @findex gnus-no-server
1095 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1097 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1098 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1099 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1100 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1101 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1102 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1103 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1107 @section Slave Gnusae
1110 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1111 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1112 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1113 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1115 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1116 @file{.newsrc} file.
1118 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1119 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1120 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1121 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1122 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1123 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1124 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1127 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1128 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1129 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1130 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1131 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1132 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1133 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1134 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1136 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1137 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1139 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1140 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1141 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1142 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1143 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1145 @node Fetching a Group
1146 @section Fetching a Group
1147 @cindex fetching a group
1149 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1150 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1151 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1152 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1153 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1154 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1160 @cindex subscription
1162 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1163 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1164 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1165 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1166 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1167 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1168 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1169 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1170 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1173 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1174 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1175 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1179 @node Checking New Groups
1180 @subsection Checking New Groups
1182 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1183 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1184 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1185 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1186 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1187 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1188 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1189 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1190 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1191 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1193 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1194 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1195 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1196 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1197 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1198 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1199 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1200 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1201 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1202 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1203 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1205 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1206 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1207 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1208 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1209 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1210 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1213 @node Subscription Methods
1214 @subsection Subscription Methods
1216 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1217 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1218 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1220 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1221 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1223 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1227 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1228 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1229 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1230 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1231 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1233 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1234 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1235 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1236 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1238 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1239 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1240 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1242 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1243 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1244 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1245 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1246 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1247 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1248 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1249 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1250 up. Or something like that.
1252 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1253 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1254 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1255 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1256 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1258 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1259 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1260 Kill all new groups.
1262 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1263 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1264 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1265 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1266 topic parameter that looks like
1272 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1275 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1280 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1281 A closely related variable is
1282 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1283 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1284 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1285 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1288 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1289 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1290 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1291 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1294 @node Filtering New Groups
1295 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1297 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1298 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1299 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1302 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1305 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1306 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1307 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1308 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1309 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1310 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1311 subscribing these groups.
1312 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1313 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1315 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1316 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1317 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1318 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1319 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1320 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1321 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1322 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1324 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1325 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1326 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1327 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1328 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1329 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1330 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1331 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1332 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1333 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1336 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1337 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1340 @node Changing Servers
1341 @section Changing Servers
1342 @cindex changing servers
1344 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1345 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1346 very flaky and you want to use another.
1348 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1349 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1353 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1354 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1355 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1356 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1359 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1360 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1361 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1362 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1364 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1365 @findex gnus-change-server
1366 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1367 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1368 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1369 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1370 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1372 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1373 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1374 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1375 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1376 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1378 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1379 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1380 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1381 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1382 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1383 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1385 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1386 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1387 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1388 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1390 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1391 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1392 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1393 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1394 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1395 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1396 cache for all groups).
1400 @section Startup Files
1401 @cindex startup files
1406 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1407 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1409 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1410 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1411 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1412 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1413 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1414 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1415 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1417 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1418 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1419 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1420 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1421 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1422 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1424 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1425 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1426 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1427 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1428 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1429 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1430 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1431 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1432 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1433 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1435 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1436 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1437 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1438 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1439 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1440 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1441 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1442 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1443 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1444 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1445 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1446 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1448 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1449 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1450 @vindex version-control
1451 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1452 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1453 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1454 If you want version control for this file, set
1455 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1456 @code{version-control} variable.
1458 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1459 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1460 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1461 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1462 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1463 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1464 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1465 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1466 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1467 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1470 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1471 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1473 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1474 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1477 @vindex gnus-init-file
1478 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1479 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1480 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1481 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1482 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1483 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1484 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1485 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1486 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1487 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1493 @cindex dribble file
1496 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1497 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1498 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1499 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1500 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1503 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1504 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1507 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1508 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1509 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1511 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1512 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1513 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1514 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1515 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1516 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1518 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1519 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1520 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1523 @node The Active File
1524 @section The Active File
1526 @cindex ignored groups
1528 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1529 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1530 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1532 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1533 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1534 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1535 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1536 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1537 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1538 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1541 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1542 @c if you set it to anything else.
1544 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1546 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1547 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1548 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1550 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1551 you actually subscribe to.
1553 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1554 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1555 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1556 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1558 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1559 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1560 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1561 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1562 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1563 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1565 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1566 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1567 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1570 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1571 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1572 @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1573 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1574 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1575 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1577 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1578 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1580 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1581 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1583 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1584 secondary select methods.
1587 @node Startup Variables
1588 @section Startup Variables
1592 @item gnus-load-hook
1593 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1594 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1595 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1596 times you start Gnus.
1598 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1599 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1600 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1602 @item gnus-startup-hook
1603 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1604 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1606 @item gnus-started-hook
1607 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1608 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1611 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1612 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1613 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1614 generating the group buffer.
1616 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1617 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1618 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1619 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1620 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1621 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1622 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1623 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1625 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1626 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1627 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1628 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1629 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1630 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1632 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1633 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1634 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1636 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1637 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1638 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1640 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1641 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1642 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1643 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1649 @chapter Group Buffer
1650 @cindex group buffer
1652 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1654 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1655 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1656 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1657 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1658 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1659 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1660 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1661 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1662 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1663 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1664 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1665 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1666 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1667 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1668 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1669 @c human rights at 9...
1672 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1673 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1674 long as Gnus is active.
1678 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1679 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1680 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1681 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1682 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1683 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1684 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1685 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1691 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1692 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1693 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1694 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1695 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1696 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1697 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1698 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1699 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1700 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1701 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1702 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1703 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1704 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1705 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1706 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1707 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1711 @node Group Buffer Format
1712 @section Group Buffer Format
1715 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1716 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1717 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1721 @node Group Line Specification
1722 @subsection Group Line Specification
1723 @cindex group buffer format
1725 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1726 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1728 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1731 25: news.announce.newusers
1732 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1737 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1738 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1739 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1740 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1742 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1743 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1744 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1745 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1746 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1747 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1749 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1751 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1752 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1753 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1754 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1755 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1757 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1758 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1759 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1761 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1766 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1769 Whether the group is subscribed.
1772 Level of subscribedness.
1775 Number of unread articles.
1778 Number of dormant articles.
1781 Number of ticked articles.
1784 Number of read articles.
1787 Number of unseen articles.
1790 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1791 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1793 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1794 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1795 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1796 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1797 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1798 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1799 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1800 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1803 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1806 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1815 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1816 comment element in the group parameters.
1819 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1820 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1821 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1825 @samp{m} if moderated.
1828 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1834 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1840 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1844 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1847 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1848 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1849 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1850 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1851 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1854 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1856 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1860 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1863 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1867 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1868 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1869 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1870 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1873 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1874 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1875 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1876 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1877 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1878 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1883 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1884 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1885 group, or a bogus native group.
1888 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1889 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1890 @cindex group mode line
1892 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1893 The mode line can be changed by setting
1894 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1895 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1899 The native news server.
1901 The native select method.
1905 @node Group Highlighting
1906 @subsection Group Highlighting
1907 @cindex highlighting
1908 @cindex group highlighting
1910 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1911 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1912 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1913 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1914 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1916 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1920 (cond (window-system
1921 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1922 (defface my-group-face-1
1923 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1924 (defface my-group-face-2
1925 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1926 "Second group face")
1927 (defface my-group-face-3
1928 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1929 (defface my-group-face-4
1930 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1931 (defface my-group-face-5
1932 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1934 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1935 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1936 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1937 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1938 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1939 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1942 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1944 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1951 The number of unread articles in the group.
1955 Whether the group is a mail group.
1957 The level of the group.
1959 The score of the group.
1961 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1963 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1964 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1966 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1967 topic being inserted.
1970 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1971 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1972 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1974 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1975 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1976 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1977 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1978 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1981 @node Group Maneuvering
1982 @section Group Maneuvering
1983 @cindex group movement
1985 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1986 expected, hopefully.
1992 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1993 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1994 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2000 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2001 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2002 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2006 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2007 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2011 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2012 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2016 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2017 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2018 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2022 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2023 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2024 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2027 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2033 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2034 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2035 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2040 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2041 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2042 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2046 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2047 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2048 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2051 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2052 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2053 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2054 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2058 @node Selecting a Group
2059 @section Selecting a Group
2060 @cindex group selection
2065 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2066 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2067 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2068 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2069 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2070 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2071 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2072 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2073 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2074 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2076 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2077 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2078 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2080 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2081 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2086 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2087 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2088 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2089 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2090 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2094 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2095 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2096 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2097 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2098 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2099 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2100 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2101 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2102 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2103 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2106 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2107 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2108 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2109 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2110 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2113 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2114 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2115 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2116 doing any processing of its contents
2117 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2118 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2119 manner will have no permanent effects.
2123 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2124 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2125 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2126 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2127 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2128 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2129 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2130 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2131 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2132 most recently will be fetched.
2134 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2135 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2136 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2139 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2140 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2141 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2142 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2143 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2144 Which article this is is controlled by the
2145 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2151 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2154 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2157 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2159 @item unseen-or-unread
2160 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2161 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2165 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2169 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2170 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2172 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2173 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2174 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2175 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2179 @node Subscription Commands
2180 @section Subscription Commands
2181 @cindex subscription
2189 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2190 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2191 Toggle subscription to the current group
2192 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2198 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2199 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2200 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2201 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2207 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2208 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2209 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2215 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2216 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2219 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2220 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2221 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2222 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2223 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2229 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2230 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2234 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2235 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2238 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2239 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2240 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2241 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2242 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2243 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2244 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2245 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2246 @file{.newsrc} file.
2250 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2260 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2261 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2262 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2263 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2264 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2265 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2270 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2271 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2272 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2276 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2277 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2278 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2280 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2281 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2282 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2283 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2284 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2285 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2292 @section Group Levels
2296 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2297 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2298 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2299 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2300 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2302 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2308 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2309 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2310 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2311 prompted for a level.
2314 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2315 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2316 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2317 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2318 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2319 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2320 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2321 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2322 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2323 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2324 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2325 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2326 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2327 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2328 reasons of efficiency.
2330 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2331 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2333 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2334 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2335 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2336 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2337 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2338 groups are hidden, in a way.
2340 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2341 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2342 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2343 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2344 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2345 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2347 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2348 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2349 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2350 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2351 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2352 list of killed groups.)
2354 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2355 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2356 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2358 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2359 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2360 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2361 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2362 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2363 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2364 relevant valid ranges.
2366 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2367 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2368 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2369 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2370 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2371 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2374 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2375 one with the best level.
2377 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2378 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2379 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2382 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2383 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2384 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2385 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2388 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2389 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2390 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2391 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2393 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2394 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2395 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2396 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2397 to 5. The default is 6.
2401 @section Group Score
2406 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2407 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2408 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2411 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2412 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2413 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2414 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2415 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2416 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2417 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2418 least significant part.))
2420 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2421 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2422 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2423 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2424 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2425 action after each summary exit, you can add
2426 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2427 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2428 slow things down somewhat.
2431 @node Marking Groups
2432 @section Marking Groups
2433 @cindex marking groups
2435 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2436 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2437 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2438 bidding on those groups.
2440 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2441 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2442 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2450 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2451 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2457 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2458 Remove the mark from the current group
2459 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2463 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2464 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2468 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2469 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2473 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2474 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2478 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2479 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2480 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2483 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2485 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2486 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2487 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2488 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2489 the command to be executed.
2492 @node Foreign Groups
2493 @section Foreign Groups
2494 @cindex foreign groups
2496 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2497 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2498 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2499 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2506 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2507 @cindex making groups
2508 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2509 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2510 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2514 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2515 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2516 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2520 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2521 @cindex renaming groups
2522 Rename the current group to something else
2523 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2524 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2530 @findex gnus-group-customize
2531 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2535 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2536 @cindex renaming groups
2537 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2538 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2542 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2543 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2544 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2548 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2549 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2550 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2554 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2556 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2557 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2562 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2563 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2567 @cindex (ding) archive
2568 @cindex archive group
2569 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2570 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2571 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2572 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2573 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2574 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2575 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2579 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2581 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2582 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2583 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2584 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2588 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2590 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2591 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2592 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2596 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2597 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2599 Make a group based on some file or other
2600 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2601 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2602 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2603 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2604 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2605 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2606 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2607 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2608 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2612 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2613 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2614 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2615 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2619 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2623 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2624 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2625 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2626 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2627 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2628 @xref{Web Searches}.
2630 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2631 to a particular group by using a match string like
2632 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2636 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2637 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2638 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2642 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2643 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2644 This function will delete the current group
2645 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2646 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2647 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2648 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2649 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2653 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2654 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2655 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2659 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2660 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2661 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2664 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2667 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2668 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2669 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2670 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2671 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2672 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2676 @node Group Parameters
2677 @section Group Parameters
2678 @cindex group parameters
2680 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2681 Here's an example group parameter list:
2684 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2688 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2689 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2690 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2691 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2693 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2694 is an alist of regexps and values.
2696 The following group parameters can be used:
2701 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2704 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2707 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2708 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2709 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2710 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2711 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2713 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2714 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2715 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2716 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2717 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2718 list address instead.
2720 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2724 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2727 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2730 It is totally ignored
2731 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2732 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2734 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2735 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2736 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2737 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2738 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2740 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2741 @cindex mail list groups
2742 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2743 entering summary buffer.
2745 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2750 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2751 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2752 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2753 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2754 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2755 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2756 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2757 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2760 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2761 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2764 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2765 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2769 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2770 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2771 of whether it has any unread articles.
2773 @item broken-reply-to
2774 @cindex broken-reply-to
2775 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2776 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2777 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2778 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2779 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2780 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2784 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2785 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2789 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2790 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2791 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2796 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2797 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2798 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2799 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2800 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2801 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2802 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2804 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2805 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2806 doesn't accept articles.
2810 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2811 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2812 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2814 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2817 @cindex total-expire
2818 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2819 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2820 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2821 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2824 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2828 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2829 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2830 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2831 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2832 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2833 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2834 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2837 @cindex expiry-target
2838 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2839 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2842 @cindex score file group parameter
2843 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2844 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2845 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2848 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2849 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2850 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2851 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2854 @cindex admin-address
2855 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2856 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2857 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2858 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2862 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2863 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2867 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2870 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2871 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2874 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2878 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2880 Here are some examples:
2884 Display only unread articles.
2887 Display everything except expirable articles.
2889 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2890 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2894 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2895 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2896 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2897 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2898 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2902 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2903 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2904 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2908 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2909 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2910 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2914 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2915 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2916 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2918 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2920 @item ignored-charsets
2921 @cindex ignored-charset
2922 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2923 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2924 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2926 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2929 @cindex posting-style
2930 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2931 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2932 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2933 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2934 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2936 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2937 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2938 like this in the group parameters:
2943 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2944 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2949 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2950 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2954 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
2955 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
2956 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2957 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2958 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2962 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2963 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2964 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2965 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2967 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
2968 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2969 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2970 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2973 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2974 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2978 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
2979 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
2981 @item (agent parameters)
2982 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
2983 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
2984 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
2985 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
2986 minimize the configuration effort.
2988 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2989 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2990 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2991 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2992 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2993 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2994 @code{eval}ed there.
2996 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
2997 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
2998 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
2999 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3000 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3001 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3002 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3003 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3006 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3009 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3010 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3011 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3014 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3017 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3018 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3019 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3020 into the group parameters for the group.
3022 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3023 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3024 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group.
3025 @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the (meaningless) result of the
3028 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3029 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3030 following is added to a group parameter
3033 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3034 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3037 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3042 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
3043 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
3044 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
3045 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
3046 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
3048 @vindex gnus-parameters
3049 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3050 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
3054 (setq gnus-parameters
3056 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3057 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3058 (gnus-summary-line-format
3059 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3063 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3067 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3071 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3074 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3075 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3078 @node Listing Groups
3079 @section Listing Groups
3080 @cindex group listing
3082 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3090 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3091 List all groups that have unread articles
3092 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3093 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3094 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3095 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3102 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3103 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3104 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3105 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3106 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3107 unsubscribed groups).
3111 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3112 List all unread groups on a specific level
3113 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3114 with no unread articles.
3118 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3119 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3120 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3121 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3126 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3127 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3131 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3132 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3133 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3137 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3138 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3142 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3143 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3144 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3145 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3146 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3147 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3148 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3149 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3153 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3154 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3155 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3159 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3160 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3161 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3165 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3166 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3170 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3171 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3175 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3176 List groups limited within the current selection
3177 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3181 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3182 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3186 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3187 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3191 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3192 @cindex visible group parameter
3193 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3194 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3195 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3196 get the same effect.
3198 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3199 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3200 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3201 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3202 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3205 @node Sorting Groups
3206 @section Sorting Groups
3207 @cindex sorting groups
3209 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3210 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3211 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3212 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3213 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3214 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3219 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3220 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3221 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3223 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3224 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3225 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3227 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3228 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3229 Sort by group level.
3231 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3232 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3233 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3235 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3236 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3237 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3238 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3240 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3241 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3242 Sort by number of unread articles.
3244 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3245 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3246 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3248 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3249 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3250 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3255 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3256 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3260 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3261 some sorting criteria:
3265 @kindex G S a (Group)
3266 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3267 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3268 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3271 @kindex G S u (Group)
3272 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3273 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3274 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3277 @kindex G S l (Group)
3278 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3279 Sort the group buffer by group level
3280 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3283 @kindex G S v (Group)
3284 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3285 Sort the group buffer by group score
3286 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3289 @kindex G S r (Group)
3290 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3291 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3292 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3295 @kindex G S m (Group)
3296 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3297 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3298 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3301 @kindex G S n (Group)
3302 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3303 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3304 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3308 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3309 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3311 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3312 commands will sort in reverse order.
3314 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3318 @kindex G P a (Group)
3319 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3320 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3321 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3324 @kindex G P u (Group)
3325 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3326 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3327 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3330 @kindex G P l (Group)
3331 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3332 Sort the groups by group level
3333 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3336 @kindex G P v (Group)
3337 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3338 Sort the groups by group score
3339 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3342 @kindex G P r (Group)
3343 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3344 Sort the groups by group rank
3345 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3348 @kindex G P m (Group)
3349 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3350 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3351 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3354 @kindex G P n (Group)
3355 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3356 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3357 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3360 @kindex G P s (Group)
3361 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3362 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3366 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3370 @node Group Maintenance
3371 @section Group Maintenance
3372 @cindex bogus groups
3377 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3378 Find bogus groups and delete them
3379 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3383 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3384 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3385 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3386 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3387 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3391 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3392 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3393 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3394 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3395 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3396 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3399 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3400 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3401 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3402 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3407 @node Browse Foreign Server
3408 @section Browse Foreign Server
3409 @cindex foreign servers
3410 @cindex browsing servers
3415 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3416 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3417 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3418 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3421 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3422 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3423 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3424 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3426 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3431 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3432 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3436 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3437 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3440 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3441 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3442 Enter the current group and display the first article
3443 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3446 @kindex RET (Browse)
3447 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3448 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3452 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3453 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3454 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3460 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3461 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3465 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3466 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3470 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3471 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3472 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3477 @section Exiting Gnus
3478 @cindex exiting Gnus
3480 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3485 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3486 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3487 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3488 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3492 @findex gnus-group-exit
3493 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3494 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3498 @findex gnus-group-quit
3499 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3500 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3503 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3504 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3505 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3506 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3507 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3508 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3514 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3515 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3516 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3522 @section Group Topics
3525 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3526 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3527 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3528 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3529 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3530 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3534 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3535 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3546 2: alt.religion.emacs
3549 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3551 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3552 13: comp.sources.unix
3555 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3557 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3558 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3559 is a toggling command.)
3561 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3562 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3563 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3564 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3567 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3568 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3569 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3572 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3576 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3577 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3578 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3579 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3580 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3584 @node Topic Commands
3585 @subsection Topic Commands
3586 @cindex topic commands
3588 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3589 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3590 definitions slightly.
3592 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3593 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3594 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3595 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3596 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3597 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3599 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3606 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3607 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3608 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3612 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3614 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3615 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3616 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3617 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3620 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3621 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3622 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3623 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3627 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3628 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3629 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3630 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3636 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3637 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3638 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3642 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3643 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3644 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3647 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3648 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3649 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3650 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3651 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3653 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3654 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3658 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3659 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3666 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3668 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3669 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3670 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3671 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3672 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3673 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3677 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3683 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3684 Move the current group to some other topic
3685 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3686 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3690 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3691 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3695 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3696 Copy the current group to some other topic
3697 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3698 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3702 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3703 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3704 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3708 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3709 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3710 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3714 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3715 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3716 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3717 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3718 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3719 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3720 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3723 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3724 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3728 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3729 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3730 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3734 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3735 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3736 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3740 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3741 Toggle hiding empty topics
3742 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3746 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3747 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3748 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3749 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3752 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3753 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3754 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3755 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3756 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3759 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3760 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3761 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3762 expiry process (if any)
3763 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3767 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3768 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3771 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3772 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3773 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3777 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3778 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3779 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3782 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3783 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3784 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3787 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3788 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3789 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3793 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3794 @cindex group parameters
3795 @cindex topic parameters
3797 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3798 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3803 @node Topic Variables
3804 @subsection Topic Variables
3805 @cindex topic variables
3807 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3808 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3810 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3811 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3812 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3825 Number of groups in the topic.
3827 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3829 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3832 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3833 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3834 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3837 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3838 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3840 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3841 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3842 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3846 @subsection Topic Sorting
3847 @cindex topic sorting
3849 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3855 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3856 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3857 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3858 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3861 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3862 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3863 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3864 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3867 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3868 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3869 Sort the current topic by group level
3870 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3873 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3874 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3875 Sort the current topic by group score
3876 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3879 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3880 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3881 Sort the current topic by group rank
3882 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3885 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3886 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3887 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3888 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3891 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3892 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3893 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3894 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3897 @kindex T S s (Topic)
3898 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3899 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3900 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3901 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3905 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3906 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3910 @node Topic Topology
3911 @subsection Topic Topology
3912 @cindex topic topology
3915 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3922 2: alt.religion.emacs
3925 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3927 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3928 13: comp.sources.unix
3932 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3933 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3934 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3939 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3940 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3944 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3945 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3946 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3947 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3948 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3949 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3951 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3952 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3953 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3956 @node Topic Parameters
3957 @subsection Topic Parameters
3958 @cindex topic parameters
3960 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
3961 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
3962 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
3963 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
3964 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
3966 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3971 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3972 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3973 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3976 @item subscribe-level
3977 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3978 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3979 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3983 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3984 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3985 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3986 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3993 2: alt.religion.emacs
3997 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3999 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4000 13: comp.sources.unix
4005 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4006 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4007 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4008 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4009 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4010 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4012 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4013 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4014 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4015 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4016 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4018 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4019 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4020 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4021 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4022 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4023 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4024 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4025 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4028 @node Misc Group Stuff
4029 @section Misc Group Stuff
4032 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4033 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4034 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4035 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4036 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4043 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4044 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4045 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4049 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4050 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4051 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4052 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4053 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4054 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4055 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4059 @findex gnus-group-mail
4060 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4061 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4062 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4063 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4067 @findex gnus-group-news
4068 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4069 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4070 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4072 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4073 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4074 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4075 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4076 for this to work though.
4080 Variables for the group buffer:
4084 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4085 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4086 is called after the group buffer has been
4089 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4090 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4091 is called after the group buffer is
4092 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4095 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4096 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4097 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4098 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4100 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4101 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4102 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4103 whether they are empty or not.
4105 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4106 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4107 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4108 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4112 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4113 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4116 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4117 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4118 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4119 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4120 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4121 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4122 default is @code{nil}.
4126 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4127 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4132 @node Scanning New Messages
4133 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4134 @cindex new messages
4135 @cindex scanning new news
4141 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4142 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4143 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4144 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4145 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4146 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4151 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4152 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4153 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4154 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4155 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4156 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4157 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4159 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4160 @cindex activating groups
4162 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4163 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4168 @findex gnus-group-restart
4169 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4170 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4171 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4175 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4176 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4178 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4179 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4183 @node Group Information
4184 @subsection Group Information
4185 @cindex group information
4186 @cindex information on groups
4193 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4194 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4197 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4198 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4199 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4200 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4201 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4202 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4203 used for fetching the file.
4205 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4206 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4210 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4211 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4213 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4214 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4217 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4218 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4219 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4223 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4224 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4225 @cindex control message
4226 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4227 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4228 group if given a prefix argument.
4230 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4231 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4232 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4233 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4235 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4236 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4237 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4241 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4243 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4244 @cindex describing groups
4245 @cindex group description
4246 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4247 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4248 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4252 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4253 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4254 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4261 @findex gnus-version
4262 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4266 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4267 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4270 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4273 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4274 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4278 @node Group Timestamp
4279 @subsection Group Timestamp
4281 @cindex group timestamps
4283 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4284 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4285 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4288 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4291 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4293 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4294 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4297 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4298 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4301 This will result in lines looking like:
4304 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4305 0: custom 19961002T012713
4308 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4309 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4313 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4314 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4317 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4318 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4322 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4323 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4324 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4325 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4327 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4333 @subsection File Commands
4334 @cindex file commands
4340 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4341 @vindex gnus-init-file
4342 @cindex reading init file
4343 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4344 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4348 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4349 @cindex saving .newsrc
4350 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4351 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4352 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4355 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4356 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4357 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4362 @node Sieve Commands
4363 @subsection Sieve Commands
4364 @cindex group sieve commands
4366 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4367 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4368 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4369 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4370 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4372 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4373 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4374 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4375 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4376 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4377 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4378 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4379 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4380 regenerate the Sieve script.
4382 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4383 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4384 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4385 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4386 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4387 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4388 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4389 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4390 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4391 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4394 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4395 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4400 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4406 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4407 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4408 @cindex generating sieve script
4409 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4410 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4414 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4415 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4416 @cindex updating sieve script
4417 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4418 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4419 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4424 @node Summary Buffer
4425 @chapter Summary Buffer
4426 @cindex summary buffer
4428 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4429 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4431 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4432 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4434 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4437 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4438 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4439 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4440 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4441 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4442 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4443 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4444 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4445 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4446 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4447 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4448 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4449 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4450 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4451 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4452 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4453 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4454 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4455 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4456 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4457 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4458 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4459 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4460 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4461 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4462 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4463 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4464 or reselecting the current group.
4465 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4466 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4467 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4468 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4472 @node Summary Buffer Format
4473 @section Summary Buffer Format
4474 @cindex summary buffer format
4478 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4479 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4480 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4486 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4487 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4488 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4489 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4492 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4493 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4494 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4495 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4496 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4497 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4498 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4499 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4500 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4501 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4502 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4505 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4506 'mail-extract-address-components)
4509 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4510 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4511 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4512 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4515 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4516 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4518 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4519 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4520 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4521 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4522 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4524 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4525 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4526 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4527 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4528 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4529 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4531 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4533 The following format specification characters and extended format
4534 specification(s) are understood:
4540 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4541 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4543 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4544 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4545 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4547 Full @code{From} header.
4549 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4551 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4554 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4555 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4556 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4557 may be more thorough.
4559 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4562 Number of lines in the article.
4564 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4565 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4567 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4568 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4570 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4572 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4573 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4586 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4587 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4588 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4589 line-drawing glyphs.
4591 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4592 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4593 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4594 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4596 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4597 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4598 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4599 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4601 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4602 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4603 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4604 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4606 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4607 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4608 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4610 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4611 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4612 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4614 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4615 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4616 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4618 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4619 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4620 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4625 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4626 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4628 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4629 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4631 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4632 for adopted articles.
4634 One space for each thread level.
4636 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4638 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4641 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4642 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4643 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4646 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4648 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4649 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4650 default level. If the difference between
4651 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4652 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4660 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4662 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4668 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4669 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4671 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4672 article has any children.
4678 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4679 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4681 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4682 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4683 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4684 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4685 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4686 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4689 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4690 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4691 There can only be one such area.
4693 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4694 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4695 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4696 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4697 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4698 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4700 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4701 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4703 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4706 @node To From Newsgroups
4707 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4711 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4712 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4713 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4714 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4715 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4719 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4720 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4721 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4725 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4726 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4729 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4730 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4733 @findex gnus-extra-header
4734 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4735 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4736 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4739 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4743 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4744 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4745 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4746 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4747 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4748 headers are used instead.
4752 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4753 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4754 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4755 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4756 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4757 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4760 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4761 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4762 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4763 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4765 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4769 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4771 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4772 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4773 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4774 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4778 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4781 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4782 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4785 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4786 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4787 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4793 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4794 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4797 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4798 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4800 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4801 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4802 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4803 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4805 Here are the elements you can play with:
4811 Unprefixed group name.
4813 Current article number.
4815 Current article score.
4819 Number of unread articles in this group.
4821 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4824 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4825 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4826 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4827 and no unselected ones.
4829 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4830 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4832 Subject of the current article.
4834 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4836 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4838 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4840 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4842 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4844 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4848 @node Summary Highlighting
4849 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4853 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4854 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4855 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4856 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4857 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4859 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4860 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4861 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4862 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4864 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4865 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4866 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4867 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4869 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4870 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4871 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4872 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4873 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4874 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4877 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4878 ((> score default) . bold))
4880 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4881 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4885 @node Summary Maneuvering
4886 @section Summary Maneuvering
4887 @cindex summary movement
4889 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4890 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4892 None of these commands select articles.
4897 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4898 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4899 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4900 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4901 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4905 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4906 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4907 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4908 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4909 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4912 @kindex G g (Summary)
4913 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4914 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4915 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4918 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4919 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4920 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4921 to the group buffer.
4923 Variables related to summary movement:
4927 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4928 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4929 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4930 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4931 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4932 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4933 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4934 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4935 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4936 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4937 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4938 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4939 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4940 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4942 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4943 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4944 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4945 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4946 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4947 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4948 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4950 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4952 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4953 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4954 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4955 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4956 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4958 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4959 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4960 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4961 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4962 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4963 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4964 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4965 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4968 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4969 the given number of lines from the top.
4974 @node Choosing Articles
4975 @section Choosing Articles
4976 @cindex selecting articles
4979 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4980 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4984 @node Choosing Commands
4985 @subsection Choosing Commands
4987 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4988 and they all select and display an article.
4990 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4991 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4995 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4996 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4997 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4998 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5000 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5001 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5002 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5007 @kindex G n (Summary)
5008 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5009 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5010 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5015 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5016 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5017 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5022 @kindex G N (Summary)
5023 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5024 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5029 @kindex G P (Summary)
5030 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5031 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5034 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5035 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5036 Go to the next article with the same subject
5037 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5040 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5041 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5042 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5043 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5047 @kindex G f (Summary)
5049 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5050 Go to the first unread article
5051 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5055 @kindex G b (Summary)
5057 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5058 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5059 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5060 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5065 @kindex G l (Summary)
5066 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5067 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5070 @kindex G o (Summary)
5071 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5073 @cindex article history
5074 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5075 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5076 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5077 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5078 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5079 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5084 @kindex G j (Summary)
5085 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5086 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5087 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5092 @node Choosing Variables
5093 @subsection Choosing Variables
5095 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5098 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5099 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5100 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5101 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5102 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5103 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5105 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5106 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5107 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
5108 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you would
5109 like each article to be saved in the Agent as you read it, putting
5110 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook will do so.
5112 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5113 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5114 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5115 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5116 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5117 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5118 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5119 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5120 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
5121 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5122 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5123 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5124 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5125 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5130 @node Paging the Article
5131 @section Scrolling the Article
5132 @cindex article scrolling
5137 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5138 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5139 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5140 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5141 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5143 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5144 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5145 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5146 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5147 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5148 what is considered uninteresting with
5149 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5150 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5153 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5154 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5155 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5158 @kindex RET (Summary)
5159 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5160 Scroll the current article one line forward
5161 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5164 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5165 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5166 Scroll the current article one line backward
5167 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5171 @kindex A g (Summary)
5173 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5174 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5175 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5176 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5177 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5178 the way it came from the server.
5180 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5181 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5182 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5185 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5190 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5195 @kindex A < (Summary)
5196 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5197 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5198 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5203 @kindex A > (Summary)
5204 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5205 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5209 @kindex A s (Summary)
5211 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5212 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5213 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5217 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5218 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5223 @node Reply Followup and Post
5224 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5227 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5228 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5229 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5230 * Canceling and Superseding::
5234 @node Summary Mail Commands
5235 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5237 @cindex composing mail
5239 Commands for composing a mail message:
5245 @kindex S r (Summary)
5247 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5248 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5249 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5250 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5251 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5256 @kindex S R (Summary)
5257 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5258 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5259 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5260 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5261 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5264 @kindex S w (Summary)
5265 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5266 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5267 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5268 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5269 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5270 present, that's used instead.
5273 @kindex S W (Summary)
5274 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5275 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5276 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5277 the process/prefix convention.
5280 @kindex S v (Summary)
5281 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5282 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5283 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5284 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5285 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5286 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5289 @kindex S V (Summary)
5290 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5291 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5292 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5293 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5296 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5297 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5298 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5299 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5300 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5301 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5302 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5303 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5306 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5307 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5308 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5309 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5310 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5314 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5315 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5316 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5317 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5318 Forward the current article to some other person
5319 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5320 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5321 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5322 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5323 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5324 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5325 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5326 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5327 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME}
5333 @kindex S m (Summary)
5334 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5335 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5336 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5337 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5338 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5343 @kindex S i (Summary)
5344 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5345 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5346 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5347 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5349 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5350 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5351 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5352 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5353 for this to work though.
5356 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5357 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5358 @cindex bouncing mail
5359 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5360 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5361 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5362 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5363 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5364 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5365 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5366 very well fail, though.
5369 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5370 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5371 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5372 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5373 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5374 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5375 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5376 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5377 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5378 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5380 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5381 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5382 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5383 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5384 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5386 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5387 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5390 @kindex S D e (Summary)
5391 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
5393 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
5394 if it were a new message before resending.
5397 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5398 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5399 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5400 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5401 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5404 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5405 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5406 @cindex crossposting
5407 @cindex excessive crossposting
5408 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5409 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5411 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5412 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5413 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5414 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5415 command understands the process/prefix convention
5416 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5420 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5421 Manual}, for more information.
5424 @node Summary Post Commands
5425 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5427 @cindex composing news
5429 Commands for posting a news article:
5435 @kindex S p (Summary)
5436 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5437 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5438 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5439 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5440 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5445 @kindex S f (Summary)
5446 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5447 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5448 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5452 @kindex S F (Summary)
5454 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5455 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5456 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5457 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5458 process/prefix convention.
5461 @kindex S n (Summary)
5462 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5463 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5464 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5467 @kindex S N (Summary)
5468 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5469 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5470 message through mail and include the original message
5471 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5472 the process/prefix convention.
5475 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5476 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5477 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5478 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5479 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5480 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5481 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5482 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5483 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5484 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5485 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5486 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5487 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section.
5490 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5491 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5493 @cindex making digests
5494 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5495 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5496 process/prefix convention.
5499 @kindex S u (Summary)
5500 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5501 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5502 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5503 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5506 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5507 Manual}, for more information.
5510 @node Summary Message Commands
5511 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5515 @kindex S y (Summary)
5516 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5517 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5518 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5519 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5520 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5525 @node Canceling and Superseding
5526 @subsection Canceling Articles
5527 @cindex canceling articles
5528 @cindex superseding articles
5530 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5531 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5533 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5535 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5537 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5538 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5539 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5540 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5541 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5542 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5544 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5545 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5548 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5549 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5550 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5552 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
5553 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
5554 message, Message Manual}).
5556 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5557 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5558 your original article.
5560 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5562 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5563 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5564 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5567 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5568 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5569 have posted almost the same article twice.
5571 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5572 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5573 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5574 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5575 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5576 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5577 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5578 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5579 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5580 canceled/superseded.
5582 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5584 @node Delayed Articles
5585 @section Delayed Articles
5586 @cindex delayed sending
5587 @cindex send delayed
5589 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5590 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5591 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5592 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5595 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5598 @findex gnus-delay-article
5599 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5600 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5601 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5602 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5606 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5607 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5608 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5609 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5612 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5613 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5614 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5617 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5618 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5619 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5620 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5621 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5622 that means a time tomorrow.
5625 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5626 couple of variables:
5629 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5630 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5631 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5632 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5634 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5635 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5636 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5637 formats described above.
5639 @item gnus-delay-group
5640 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5641 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5642 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5643 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5645 @item gnus-delay-header
5646 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5647 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5648 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5649 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5652 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5653 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5654 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5655 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5656 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5658 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5659 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5660 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5661 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5662 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5663 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5664 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5667 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5668 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5669 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5670 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5671 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5672 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5673 argument is ignored.
5675 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5676 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5677 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5681 @node Marking Articles
5682 @section Marking Articles
5683 @cindex article marking
5684 @cindex article ticking
5687 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5689 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5690 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5691 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5693 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5696 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
5700 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5701 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5702 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5703 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5704 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5705 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5709 @node Unread Articles
5710 @subsection Unread Articles
5712 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5717 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5718 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5720 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5721 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5722 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5723 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5724 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5725 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5726 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5729 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5730 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5732 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5733 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5734 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5735 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5739 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5740 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5742 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5747 @subsection Read Articles
5748 @cindex expirable mark
5750 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5755 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5756 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5757 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5760 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5761 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5764 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5765 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5766 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5769 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5770 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5773 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5774 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5777 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5778 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5781 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5782 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5785 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5786 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5789 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5790 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5793 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5794 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5798 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5799 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5800 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5804 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5805 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5807 One more special mark, though:
5811 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5812 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5814 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5815 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5816 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5817 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5823 @subsection Other Marks
5824 @cindex process mark
5827 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5833 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5834 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5835 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5836 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5837 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5840 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5841 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5842 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5843 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5846 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5847 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5848 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5851 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5852 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5853 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5856 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5857 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5858 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5859 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5862 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5863 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5864 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5865 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5866 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5867 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5870 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5871 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5872 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5873 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5876 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5877 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
5878 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5879 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5880 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5884 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5885 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
5886 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5887 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5888 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5889 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5892 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5893 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
5894 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5895 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5896 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5897 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5901 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5902 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5903 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5904 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5905 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5908 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5909 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5910 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5911 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5912 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5913 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5917 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5918 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5919 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5921 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5922 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5923 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5927 @subsection Setting Marks
5928 @cindex setting marks
5930 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5935 @kindex M c (Summary)
5936 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5937 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5938 @cindex mark as unread
5939 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5940 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5946 @kindex M t (Summary)
5947 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5948 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5949 @xref{Article Caching}.
5954 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5955 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5956 Mark the current article as dormant
5957 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5961 @kindex M d (Summary)
5963 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5964 Mark the current article as read
5965 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5969 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5970 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5971 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5976 @kindex M k (Summary)
5977 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5978 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5979 and then select the next unread article
5980 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5984 @kindex M K (Summary)
5985 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5986 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5987 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5988 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5991 @kindex M C (Summary)
5992 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5993 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5994 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5997 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5998 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5999 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
6000 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
6003 @kindex M H (Summary)
6004 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
6005 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
6006 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
6009 @kindex M h (Summary)
6010 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
6011 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
6012 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
6015 @kindex C-w (Summary)
6016 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
6017 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
6018 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6021 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6022 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6023 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6024 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6028 @kindex M e (Summary)
6030 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6031 Mark the current article as expirable
6032 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6035 @kindex M b (Summary)
6036 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6037 Set a bookmark in the current article
6038 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6041 @kindex M B (Summary)
6042 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6043 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6044 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6047 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6048 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6049 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6050 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6053 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6054 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6055 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6056 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6059 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6060 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6061 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6062 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6063 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6066 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6067 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6068 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6069 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6070 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6071 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6072 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6073 The default is @code{t}.
6076 @node Generic Marking Commands
6077 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6079 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6080 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6081 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6082 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6083 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6086 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6087 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6090 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6091 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6092 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6093 to list in this manual.
6095 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6096 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6097 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6098 article, you could say something like:
6102 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6103 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6104 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6112 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6113 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6117 @node Setting Process Marks
6118 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6119 @cindex setting process marks
6121 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6122 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6123 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6124 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6125 commands into the cache. For more information,
6126 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6133 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6134 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6135 Mark the current article with the process mark
6136 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6137 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6141 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6142 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6143 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6144 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6147 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6148 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6149 Remove the process mark from all articles
6150 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6153 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6154 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6155 Invert the list of process marked articles
6156 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6159 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6160 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6161 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6162 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6165 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6166 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6167 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6168 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6171 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6172 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6173 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6176 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6177 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6178 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6181 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6182 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6183 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6184 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6187 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6188 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6189 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6190 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6193 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6194 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6195 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6196 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6199 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6200 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6201 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6204 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6205 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6206 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6207 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6210 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6211 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6212 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
6215 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6216 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6217 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6218 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6221 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6222 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6223 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6224 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6227 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6228 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6229 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6230 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6233 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6234 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6235 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6236 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6240 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6241 set process marks based on article body contents.
6248 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6249 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6250 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6253 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6254 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6255 additional articles.
6261 @kindex / / (Summary)
6262 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6263 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6264 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6268 @kindex / a (Summary)
6269 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6270 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6271 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6275 @kindex / R (Summary)
6276 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
6277 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
6278 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
6282 @kindex / x (Summary)
6283 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6284 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6285 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6286 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6291 @kindex / u (Summary)
6293 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6294 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6295 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6296 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6297 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6300 @kindex / m (Summary)
6301 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6302 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6303 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6306 @kindex / t (Summary)
6307 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6308 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6309 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6310 articles younger than that number of days.
6313 @kindex / n (Summary)
6314 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6315 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6316 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6317 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6320 @kindex / w (Summary)
6321 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6322 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6323 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6327 @kindex / . (Summary)
6328 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6329 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6330 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6333 @kindex / v (Summary)
6334 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6335 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6336 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6339 @kindex / p (Summary)
6340 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6341 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6342 group parameter predicate
6343 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6344 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6347 @kindex / r (Summary)
6348 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
6349 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
6350 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
6355 @kindex M S (Summary)
6356 @kindex / E (Summary)
6357 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6358 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6359 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6362 @kindex / D (Summary)
6363 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6364 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6365 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6368 @kindex / * (Summary)
6369 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6370 Include all cached articles in the limit
6371 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6374 @kindex / d (Summary)
6375 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6376 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6377 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6380 @kindex / M (Summary)
6381 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6382 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6385 @kindex / T (Summary)
6386 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6387 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6390 @kindex / c (Summary)
6391 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6392 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6393 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6396 @kindex / C (Summary)
6397 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6398 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6399 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6400 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6403 @kindex / N (Summary)
6404 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6405 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6406 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6409 @kindex / o (Summary)
6410 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6411 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6412 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6420 @cindex article threading
6422 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6423 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6424 hierarchical fashion.
6426 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6427 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6428 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6429 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6430 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6431 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6432 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6434 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6438 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6441 A tree-like article structure.
6444 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6447 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6448 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6449 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6450 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6451 called loose threads.
6453 @item thread gathering
6454 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6456 @item sparse threads
6457 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6458 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6464 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6465 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6469 @node Customizing Threading
6470 @subsection Customizing Threading
6471 @cindex customizing threading
6474 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6475 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6476 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6477 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6482 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6485 @cindex loose threads
6488 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6489 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6490 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6491 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6492 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6493 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6495 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6496 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6497 There are four possible values:
6501 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6502 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6503 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6504 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6505 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6510 @cindex adopting articles
6515 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6516 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6517 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6518 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6521 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6522 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6523 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6524 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6525 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6526 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6527 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6528 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6529 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6530 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6533 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6534 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6535 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6539 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6540 display them after one another.
6543 Don't gather loose threads.
6546 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6547 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6548 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6549 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6550 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6551 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6552 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6553 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6554 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6555 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6556 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6558 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6559 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6560 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6563 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6564 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6565 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6566 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6567 simplification is used.
6569 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6570 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6571 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6572 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6574 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6576 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6582 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6583 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6584 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6585 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6590 (mapconcat 'identity
6591 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6593 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6596 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6599 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6600 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6601 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6602 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6603 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6604 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6606 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6609 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6610 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6611 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6613 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6614 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6617 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6618 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6619 Remove excessive whitespace.
6621 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6622 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6623 Remove all whitespace.
6626 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6629 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6630 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6631 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6632 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6633 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6634 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6635 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6636 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6638 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6639 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6640 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6641 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6642 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6643 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6644 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6645 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6646 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6650 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6651 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6652 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6653 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6655 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6656 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6657 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6660 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6664 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6665 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6671 @node Filling In Threads
6672 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6675 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6676 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6677 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6678 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
6679 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
6680 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
6681 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
6682 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
6683 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
6684 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6685 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6686 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
6689 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6690 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6691 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6693 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6694 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6695 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6698 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6699 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6700 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6701 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6702 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6703 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6704 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6705 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6706 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6707 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6708 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6709 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6710 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6711 @code{nil} by default.
6713 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6714 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6715 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6716 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6717 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6718 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6719 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6721 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6722 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6723 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6728 @node More Threading
6729 @subsubsection More Threading
6732 @item gnus-show-threads
6733 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6734 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6735 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6736 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6737 slower and more awkward.
6739 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6740 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6741 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6744 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6745 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6746 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6751 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6752 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6753 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6756 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6757 unread, but you get my drift.)
6760 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6761 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6762 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6763 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6764 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6765 threads are expunged.
6767 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6768 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6769 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6772 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6773 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6774 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6775 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6776 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6777 result in a new thread.
6779 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6780 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6781 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6784 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6785 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6786 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6787 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6788 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6789 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6790 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6791 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6792 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6793 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6794 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6799 @node Low-Level Threading
6800 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6804 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6805 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6806 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6808 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6809 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6810 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6811 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6812 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6813 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6814 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6815 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6816 meaningful. Here's one example:
6819 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6821 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6822 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6824 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6826 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6833 @node Thread Commands
6834 @subsection Thread Commands
6835 @cindex thread commands
6841 @kindex T k (Summary)
6842 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6843 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6844 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6845 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6846 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6851 @kindex T l (Summary)
6852 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6853 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6854 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6855 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6858 @kindex T i (Summary)
6859 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6860 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6861 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6864 @kindex T # (Summary)
6865 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6866 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6867 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6870 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6871 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6872 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6873 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6876 @kindex T T (Summary)
6877 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6878 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6881 @kindex T s (Summary)
6882 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6883 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
6884 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6887 @kindex T h (Summary)
6888 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6889 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6892 @kindex T S (Summary)
6893 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6894 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6897 @kindex T H (Summary)
6898 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6899 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6902 @kindex T t (Summary)
6903 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6904 Re-thread the current article's thread
6905 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6906 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6909 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6910 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6911 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6912 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6916 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6917 understand the numeric prefix.
6922 @kindex T n (Summary)
6924 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6926 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6927 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6928 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6931 @kindex T p (Summary)
6933 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6935 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6936 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6937 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6940 @kindex T d (Summary)
6941 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6942 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6945 @kindex T u (Summary)
6946 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6947 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6950 @kindex T o (Summary)
6951 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6952 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6955 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6956 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6957 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6958 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6959 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6960 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6961 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6962 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6963 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6964 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6965 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6966 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6970 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6971 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6973 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6974 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6975 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6976 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6977 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6978 @c @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
6979 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6980 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6981 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6982 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
6983 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
6984 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6985 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6986 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6987 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6989 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6990 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6991 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6992 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6993 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6994 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6995 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6996 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6998 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6999 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
7000 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
7002 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
7003 last function in the list. You should probably always include
7004 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
7005 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
7006 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
7007 ascending article order.
7009 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
7010 by number, you could do something like:
7013 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7014 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7015 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7016 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
7019 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
7020 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
7021 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
7022 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
7023 which the articles arrived.
7025 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
7029 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7031 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
7032 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7035 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7036 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7037 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7038 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7041 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7042 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7043 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7044 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7045 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7046 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7047 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7048 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7049 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7050 variable. It is very similar to the
7051 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7052 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7053 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7054 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7055 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7056 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7057 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7059 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7063 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7064 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7065 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7070 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7071 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7072 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7073 @cindex article pre-fetch
7076 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7077 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7078 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7079 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7080 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7082 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7083 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
7085 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7086 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7087 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7088 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7089 connection is blocked.
7091 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7092 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7093 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7094 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
7096 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7097 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7098 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7099 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7102 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7105 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7106 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7107 happen automatically.
7109 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7110 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7111 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7112 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7113 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7114 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7115 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7117 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7118 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7119 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7120 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7121 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7122 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7123 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7124 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7125 article data structure as the only parameter.
7127 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7128 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7131 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7132 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7133 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7134 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7137 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7140 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7141 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
7142 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7144 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7145 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7146 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7147 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7151 Remove articles when they are read.
7154 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7157 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7159 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7160 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7161 @c from the next group.
7164 @node Article Caching
7165 @section Article Caching
7166 @cindex article caching
7169 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7170 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7171 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7172 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7173 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7175 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7177 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7178 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7179 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7180 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7181 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7182 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7183 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7184 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7186 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7187 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7188 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7189 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7190 as dormant, and don't worry.
7192 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7194 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7195 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7196 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7197 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7198 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7199 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7200 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7201 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7202 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7203 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7205 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7206 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7207 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7208 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7209 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7210 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7211 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7212 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7213 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7214 not then be downloaded by this command.
7216 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7217 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7218 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7219 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7220 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7221 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7223 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7224 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7225 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7226 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7227 variables, the group is not cached.
7229 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7230 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7231 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7232 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7233 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7234 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
7235 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7236 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7237 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7240 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7241 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7242 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7243 where, isn't that cool?
7245 @node Persistent Articles
7246 @section Persistent Articles
7247 @cindex persistent articles
7249 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7250 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7251 useful in my opinion.
7253 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7254 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7255 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7256 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7257 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7258 the expiry going on at the news server.
7260 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7261 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7262 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7268 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7269 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7272 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7273 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7274 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7275 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7279 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7281 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7282 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7283 interested in persistent articles:
7286 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7290 @node Article Backlog
7291 @section Article Backlog
7293 @cindex article backlog
7295 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7296 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7297 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7298 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7299 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7300 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7301 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7302 increase memory usage some.
7304 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7305 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7306 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7307 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7308 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7309 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7310 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7312 The default value is 20.
7315 @node Saving Articles
7316 @section Saving Articles
7317 @cindex saving articles
7319 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7320 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7321 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7322 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7323 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7325 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7326 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7327 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7329 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7330 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7331 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7333 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7334 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7335 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7336 deleted before saving.
7342 @kindex O o (Summary)
7344 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7345 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7346 Save the current article using the default article saver
7347 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7350 @kindex O m (Summary)
7351 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7352 Save the current article in mail format
7353 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7356 @kindex O r (Summary)
7357 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7358 Save the current article in Rmail format
7359 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7362 @kindex O f (Summary)
7363 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7364 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7365 Save the current article in plain file format
7366 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7369 @kindex O F (Summary)
7370 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7371 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7372 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7375 @kindex O b (Summary)
7376 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7377 Save the current article body in plain file format
7378 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7381 @kindex O h (Summary)
7382 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7383 Save the current article in mh folder format
7384 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7387 @kindex O v (Summary)
7388 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7389 Save the current article in a VM folder
7390 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7394 @kindex O p (Summary)
7396 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7397 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7398 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7399 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7400 complete headers in the piped output.
7403 @kindex O P (Summary)
7404 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7405 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7406 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7407 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7408 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7409 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7410 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7414 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7415 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7416 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7417 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7418 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7419 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7420 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7421 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7422 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7423 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7424 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7425 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7429 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7430 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7431 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7432 functions below, or you can create your own.
7436 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7437 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7438 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7439 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7440 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7441 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7442 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7444 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7445 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7446 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7447 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7448 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7449 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7451 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7452 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7453 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7454 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7455 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7456 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7457 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7459 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7460 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7461 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7462 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7463 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7464 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7466 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7467 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7468 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7469 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7470 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7472 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7473 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7474 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7475 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7476 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7479 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7480 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7481 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7482 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7483 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7485 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7486 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7487 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7488 reader to use this setting.
7491 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7492 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7493 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7494 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7497 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7498 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7499 available functions that generate names:
7503 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7504 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7505 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7507 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7508 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7509 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7511 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7512 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7513 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7515 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7516 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7517 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7519 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7520 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7521 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7524 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7525 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7526 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7527 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7528 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7532 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7533 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7534 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7535 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7538 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7539 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7540 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7541 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7542 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7543 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7544 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7545 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7546 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7548 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7549 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7550 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7551 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7553 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7554 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7555 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7558 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7559 lots of mail groups called things like
7560 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7561 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7562 following will do just that:
7565 (defun my-save-name (group)
7566 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7567 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7569 (setq gnus-split-methods
7570 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7575 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7576 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7577 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7578 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7579 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7580 all the files in the top level directory
7581 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7582 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7583 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7584 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7586 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7587 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7588 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7589 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7590 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7593 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7597 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7598 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7599 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7602 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7603 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7604 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7605 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7608 @node Decoding Articles
7609 @section Decoding Articles
7610 @cindex decoding articles
7612 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7613 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7616 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7617 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7618 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7619 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7620 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7621 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7625 @cindex article series
7626 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7627 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7628 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7629 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7630 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7632 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7633 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7634 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7636 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7637 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7638 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7640 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7641 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7642 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7645 @node Uuencoded Articles
7646 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7648 @cindex uuencoded articles
7653 @kindex X u (Summary)
7654 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7655 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7656 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7659 @kindex X U (Summary)
7660 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7661 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7662 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7665 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7666 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7667 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7670 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7671 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7672 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7673 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7677 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7678 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7679 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7680 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7681 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7683 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7684 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7685 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7686 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7689 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7690 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7691 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7692 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7693 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7694 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7698 @node Shell Archives
7699 @subsection Shell Archives
7701 @cindex shell archives
7702 @cindex shared articles
7704 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7705 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7706 some commands to deal with these:
7711 @kindex X s (Summary)
7712 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7713 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7716 @kindex X S (Summary)
7717 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7718 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7721 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7722 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7723 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7726 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7727 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7728 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7729 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7733 @node PostScript Files
7734 @subsection PostScript Files
7740 @kindex X p (Summary)
7741 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7742 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7745 @kindex X P (Summary)
7746 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7747 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7748 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7751 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7752 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7753 View the current PostScript series
7754 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7757 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7758 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7759 View and save the current PostScript series
7760 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7765 @subsection Other Files
7769 @kindex X o (Summary)
7770 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7771 Save the current series
7772 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7775 @kindex X b (Summary)
7776 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7777 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7778 doesn't really work yet.
7782 @node Decoding Variables
7783 @subsection Decoding Variables
7785 Adjective, not verb.
7788 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7789 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7790 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7794 @node Rule Variables
7795 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7796 @cindex rule variables
7798 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7799 variables are of the form
7802 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7809 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7810 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7812 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7813 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7816 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7817 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7820 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7821 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7822 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7823 user and default view rules.
7825 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7826 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7827 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7832 @node Other Decode Variables
7833 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7836 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7838 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7839 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7840 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7841 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7842 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7846 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7847 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7850 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7851 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7852 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7855 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7856 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7857 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7858 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7859 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7862 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7863 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7864 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7866 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7867 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7868 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7869 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7870 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
7873 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7874 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7875 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7877 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7878 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7879 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7880 looking for files to display.
7882 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7883 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7884 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7887 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7888 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7889 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7892 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7893 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7894 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7897 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7898 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7899 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7902 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7903 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7904 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7905 decoded articles as unread.
7907 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7908 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7909 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7910 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7912 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7913 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7914 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7916 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7917 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7919 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7920 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
7921 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7922 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7924 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7925 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7926 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7927 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7928 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7929 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7930 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7931 simply dropped them.
7936 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7937 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7941 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7942 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7943 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7944 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7945 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7946 for you when you post the article.
7948 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7949 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7950 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7951 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7953 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7954 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7955 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7956 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7957 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7958 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7959 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
7961 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7962 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7963 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7964 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7965 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7966 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7967 Default is @code{t}.
7973 @subsection Viewing Files
7974 @cindex viewing files
7975 @cindex pseudo-articles
7977 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7978 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7979 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7980 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7981 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7982 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7983 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7985 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7986 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7987 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7988 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7990 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7991 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7992 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7994 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7995 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7996 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7997 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7998 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
8000 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
8001 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
8002 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
8003 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
8004 a list of parameters to that command.
8006 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
8007 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
8008 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
8010 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
8011 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
8012 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
8015 @node Article Treatment
8016 @section Article Treatment
8018 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
8019 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
8020 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
8021 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
8022 these articles easier.
8025 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
8026 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
8027 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
8028 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
8029 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
8030 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8031 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8032 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8033 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
8034 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8035 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8039 @node Article Highlighting
8040 @subsection Article Highlighting
8041 @cindex highlighting
8043 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8044 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8049 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8050 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8051 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8052 Do much highlighting of the current article
8053 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8054 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8057 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8058 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8059 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8060 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8061 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8062 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8063 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8064 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8065 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8066 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8067 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8068 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8071 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8072 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8073 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8075 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8078 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8080 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8081 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
8082 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8084 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8085 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8086 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8088 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8089 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8090 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8091 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8092 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8093 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8095 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8096 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8097 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8099 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8100 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8101 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8103 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8104 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8105 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8106 that it's a citation.
8108 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8109 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8110 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8112 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8113 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8114 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8116 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8117 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8118 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8119 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8121 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8122 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8123 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
8124 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
8125 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
8132 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8133 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8134 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8135 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8136 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8137 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8138 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8139 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8144 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8147 @node Article Fontisizing
8148 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8150 @cindex article emphasis
8152 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8153 @kindex W e (Summary)
8154 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8155 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8156 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8157 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8159 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8160 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8161 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8162 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8163 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8164 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8165 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8166 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8170 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8171 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8172 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8181 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8182 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8183 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8184 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8185 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8186 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8187 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8188 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8189 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8190 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8191 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8192 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8193 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8195 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8196 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8197 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8201 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8204 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8206 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8207 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8208 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8209 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8211 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8214 @node Article Hiding
8215 @subsection Article Hiding
8216 @cindex article hiding
8218 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8219 too much cruft in most articles.
8224 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8225 @findex gnus-article-hide
8226 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8227 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8228 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8231 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8232 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8233 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8237 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8238 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8239 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8240 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8243 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8244 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8245 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8249 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8250 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8251 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8252 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8253 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8254 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8255 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8256 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8260 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8261 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8262 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8263 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8268 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8269 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8270 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8271 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8274 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8275 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8276 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8277 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8280 @cindex stripping advertisements
8281 @cindex advertisements
8282 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8283 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8284 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8285 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8286 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8287 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8288 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8289 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8290 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8291 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8294 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8295 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8296 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8300 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8301 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8302 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8303 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8304 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8305 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8306 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8307 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8308 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8309 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8310 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8313 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8314 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8320 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8321 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8322 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8323 customizing the hiding:
8327 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8328 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8329 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8330 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8331 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8332 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8333 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8338 Starting point of the hidden text.
8340 Ending point of the hidden text.
8342 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8344 Number of lines of hidden text.
8347 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8348 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8349 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8350 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8351 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8356 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8357 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8359 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8360 following two variables:
8363 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8364 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8365 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8366 50), hide the cited text.
8368 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8369 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8370 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8375 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8376 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8377 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8378 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8379 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8380 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8384 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8385 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8386 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8388 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8389 citation customization.
8391 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8395 @node Article Washing
8396 @subsection Article Washing
8398 @cindex article washing
8400 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8401 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8403 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8404 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8407 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8408 articles by default.
8413 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8414 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8418 Force redisplaying of the current article
8419 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8420 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8421 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8422 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8425 @kindex W l (Summary)
8426 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8427 Remove page breaks from the current article
8428 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8432 @kindex W r (Summary)
8433 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8434 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8435 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8436 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8437 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8438 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8440 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8441 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8442 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8443 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8446 @kindex W m (Summary)
8447 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8448 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8452 @kindex W t (Summary)
8454 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8455 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8456 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8459 @kindex W v (Summary)
8460 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8461 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8462 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8465 @kindex W o (Summary)
8466 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8467 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8470 @kindex W d (Summary)
8471 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8472 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8474 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8476 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8477 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8478 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8479 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8482 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8483 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8484 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8485 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8488 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8489 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8490 @cindex Outlook Express
8491 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8492 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8493 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8496 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8497 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8498 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8499 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8500 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8501 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8502 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8503 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
8504 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8505 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8508 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8509 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8510 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8511 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8514 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8515 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8516 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8517 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8520 @kindex W w (Summary)
8521 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8522 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8524 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8528 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8529 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8530 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8533 @kindex W C (Summary)
8534 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8535 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8536 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8539 @kindex W c (Summary)
8540 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8541 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8542 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8543 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8544 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8547 @kindex W q (Summary)
8548 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8549 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8550 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8551 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8552 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
8553 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
8554 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8555 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8556 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8559 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8560 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8561 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8562 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8563 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8564 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8565 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8566 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8569 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8570 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8571 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8572 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8573 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8576 @kindex W A (Summary)
8577 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
8578 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
8579 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
8580 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
8581 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
8584 @kindex W u (Summary)
8585 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8586 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8587 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8588 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8589 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8592 @kindex W h (Summary)
8593 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8594 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8595 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8596 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8598 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8600 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8601 The default is to use the function specified by
8602 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8603 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8604 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8605 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8613 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8616 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8619 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8622 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8627 @kindex W b (Summary)
8628 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8629 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8630 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8633 @kindex W B (Summary)
8634 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8635 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8636 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8639 @kindex W p (Summary)
8640 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8641 Verify a signed control message
8642 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8643 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8644 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8645 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8646 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8647 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8650 @kindex W s (Summary)
8651 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8652 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8653 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8654 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8657 @kindex W a (Summary)
8658 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8659 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8660 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8663 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8664 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8665 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8666 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8669 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8670 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8671 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8672 lines with a single empty line.
8673 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8676 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8677 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8678 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8679 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8682 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8683 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8684 Do all the three commands above
8685 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8688 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8689 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8690 Remove all blank lines
8691 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8694 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8695 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8696 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8697 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8700 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8701 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8702 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8703 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8707 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8710 @node Article Header
8711 @subsection Article Header
8713 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8718 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8719 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8720 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8723 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8724 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8725 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8726 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8729 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8730 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8731 Fold all the message headers
8732 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8735 @kindex W E w (Summary)
8736 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8737 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8738 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8743 @node Article Buttons
8744 @subsection Article Buttons
8747 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8748 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8749 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8750 button on these references.
8752 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8753 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8754 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
8755 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
8756 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
8760 @item gnus-button-alist
8761 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8762 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8765 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8771 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8772 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8773 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8774 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8775 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
8778 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8779 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8780 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8783 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8784 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8785 avoid false matches. Often variables named
8786 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
8787 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
8789 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
8792 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8795 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8796 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8800 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8803 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8806 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8807 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8808 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8809 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8810 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8813 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8816 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8819 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
8822 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
8823 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
8825 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
8827 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8828 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8829 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8830 default values of the variables above.
8832 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
8834 @item gnus-button-man-handler
8835 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8836 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
8837 argument with a string naming the man page.
8839 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
8841 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8842 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8843 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
8845 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8846 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8847 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
8848 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
8849 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
8850 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
8851 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
8852 @code{ask}, always query the user what do do. If it is a function, this
8853 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
8854 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
8855 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
8856 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8858 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8859 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8860 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
8861 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
8862 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
8865 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8866 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8867 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
8868 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8870 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
8872 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
8873 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
8874 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
8875 argument, the string naming the URL.
8878 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
8879 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
8880 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
8884 @item gnus-article-button-face
8885 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8886 Face used on buttons.
8888 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8889 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8890 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8894 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8897 @node Article Button Levels
8898 @subsection Article button levels
8899 @cindex button levels
8900 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
8901 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
8902 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
8903 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
8904 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
8905 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
8906 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
8907 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
8910 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
8911 (setq gnus-parameters
8912 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
8913 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
8914 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
8919 @item gnus-button-browse-level
8920 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
8921 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
8922 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
8923 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
8924 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
8926 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
8927 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
8928 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
8929 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
8930 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
8931 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
8932 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
8933 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
8934 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
8935 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
8936 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
8937 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
8938 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
8940 @item gnus-button-man-level
8941 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
8942 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
8943 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
8945 @item gnus-button-message-level
8946 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
8947 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
8948 Related variables and functions include
8949 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
8950 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
8951 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
8952 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
8954 @item gnus-button-tex-level
8955 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
8956 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
8957 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
8958 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
8959 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
8960 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
8966 @subsection Article Date
8968 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8969 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8970 when the article was sent.
8975 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8976 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8977 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8978 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8981 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8982 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8984 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8985 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8988 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8989 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8990 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8993 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8994 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8995 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8996 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8999 @kindex W T s (Summary)
9000 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
9001 @findex gnus-article-date-user
9002 @findex format-time-string
9003 Display the date using a user-defined format
9004 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
9005 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
9006 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
9007 for a list of possible format specs.
9010 @kindex W T e (Summary)
9011 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
9012 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
9013 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
9014 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
9015 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
9018 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
9021 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
9022 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
9023 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
9026 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
9027 into wonderful absurdities.
9029 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
9032 (gnus-start-date-timer)
9035 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
9036 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
9040 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9041 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9042 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9043 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9044 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9045 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9046 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9050 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9051 preferred format automatically.
9054 @node Article Display
9055 @subsection Article Display
9060 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9061 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9063 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9064 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9066 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9067 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9069 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9070 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9072 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9073 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9075 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9080 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9081 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9082 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9083 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9086 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9087 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9088 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9089 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9092 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9093 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9094 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9097 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9098 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9099 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9102 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9103 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9104 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9105 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9108 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9109 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9110 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9111 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9114 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9115 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9116 Remove all images from the article buffer
9117 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9123 @node Article Signature
9124 @subsection Article Signature
9126 @cindex article signature
9128 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9129 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9130 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9131 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9132 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9133 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9134 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9135 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9136 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9139 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9140 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9141 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9142 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9143 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9144 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9145 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9146 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9149 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9152 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9153 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9154 signature when displaying articles.
9158 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9161 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9164 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9165 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9167 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9168 in question is not a signature.
9171 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9172 listed above. Here's an example:
9175 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9176 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9179 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9180 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9181 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9182 signature after all.
9185 @node Article Miscellanea
9186 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9190 @kindex A t (Summary)
9191 @findex gnus-article-babel
9192 Translate the article from one language to another
9193 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9199 @section MIME Commands
9200 @cindex MIME decoding
9202 @cindex viewing attachments
9204 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9205 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9211 @kindex K v (Summary)
9212 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9215 @kindex K o (Summary)
9216 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9219 @kindex K c (Summary)
9220 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9223 @kindex K e (Summary)
9224 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9227 @kindex K i (Summary)
9228 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9231 @kindex K | (Summary)
9232 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9235 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9240 @kindex K b (Summary)
9241 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9242 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9246 @kindex K m (Summary)
9247 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9248 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9249 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9250 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9251 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9254 @kindex X m (Summary)
9255 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9256 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9257 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9258 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9261 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9262 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9263 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9264 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9267 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9268 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9269 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9270 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9273 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9274 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9275 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9276 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9278 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9279 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9280 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9281 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9282 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9283 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9286 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9287 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9288 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9289 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9296 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9297 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9298 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9299 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9302 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9305 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9309 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9310 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9311 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9312 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9313 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9314 default is @code{nil}.
9316 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9317 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9318 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9319 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9320 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9321 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9322 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9324 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9325 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9326 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9327 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9328 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9329 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9330 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9331 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9333 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9334 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9335 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9336 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9337 displayed. This variable overrides
9338 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9339 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9342 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9343 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9344 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9346 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9347 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9348 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9349 default value is @code{nil}.
9351 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9352 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9353 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9354 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9355 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9356 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9357 save all jpegs into some directory).
9359 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9362 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9363 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9365 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9366 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9367 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9368 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9369 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9372 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9373 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9374 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9376 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9377 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9378 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9380 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9381 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9382 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9384 If displaying "text/html" is discouraged, see
9385 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} in @ref{Display Customization,
9386 Display Customization, , emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}. Images or
9387 other material inside a "multipart/related" part might be overlooked
9388 when this variable is @code{nil}.
9390 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9391 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9392 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
9393 overrides @code{nil} values of
9394 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
9395 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
9397 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9398 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9399 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9400 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9402 Ready-made functions include@*
9403 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9404 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9405 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9406 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9407 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9408 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9409 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9410 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9411 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9412 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9413 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9414 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9416 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9417 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9419 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9420 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9421 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9424 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9425 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9426 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9427 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9431 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9440 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9441 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9442 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9443 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9444 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9445 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9446 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9448 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9449 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9450 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9451 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9453 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9454 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9455 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9456 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9457 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9458 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9459 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9460 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9461 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9463 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9464 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9465 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9466 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9467 quoted-printable header encoding.
9469 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9470 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9471 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9475 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9478 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9479 means encode all charsets),
9481 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9482 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9483 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9490 @cindex coding system aliases
9491 @cindex preferred charset
9493 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
9494 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
9495 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
9497 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9499 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9500 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9503 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9504 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9507 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9508 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9510 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9513 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9516 This will almost do the right thing.
9518 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9522 (codepage-setup 1251)
9523 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9527 @node Article Commands
9528 @section Article Commands
9535 @kindex A P (Summary)
9536 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9537 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9538 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9539 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9540 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9541 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9546 @node Summary Sorting
9547 @section Summary Sorting
9548 @cindex summary sorting
9550 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9551 can't really see why you'd want that.
9556 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9557 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9558 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9561 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9562 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9563 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9566 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
9567 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
9568 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
9571 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9572 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9573 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9576 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9577 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9578 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9581 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9582 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9583 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9586 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9587 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9588 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9591 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9592 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9593 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9596 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9597 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9598 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9601 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9602 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9603 Sort using the default sorting method
9604 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9607 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9608 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9609 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9610 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9611 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9615 @node Finding the Parent
9616 @section Finding the Parent
9617 @cindex parent articles
9618 @cindex referring articles
9623 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9624 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9625 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9626 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9627 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9628 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9629 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9630 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9631 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9633 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9634 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9635 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
9636 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9637 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9641 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9642 @kindex A R (Summary)
9643 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9644 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9647 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9648 @kindex A T (Summary)
9649 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9650 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9651 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9652 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9653 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9654 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9655 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9657 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9658 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9659 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9660 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9661 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9662 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9665 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9666 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9668 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9669 You can also ask the @acronym{NNTP} server for an arbitrary article, no
9670 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9671 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9672 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9673 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9674 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9677 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9678 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9679 by giving this command a prefix.
9681 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9682 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9683 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9684 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
9685 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
9686 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9689 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9690 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9691 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9694 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9695 then ask Google if that fails:
9698 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9700 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9703 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9704 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9705 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
9706 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9707 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
9708 group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
9709 not support this at all.
9712 @node Alternative Approaches
9713 @section Alternative Approaches
9715 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9716 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9719 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9720 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9725 @subsection Pick and Read
9726 @cindex pick and read
9728 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9729 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9730 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9731 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9733 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9734 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9735 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9736 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9737 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9738 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9740 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9745 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9746 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9747 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9748 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9749 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9750 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9751 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9752 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9755 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9756 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9757 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9758 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9762 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9763 Unpick the thread or article
9764 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9765 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9766 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9767 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9768 the thread or article at that line.
9772 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9773 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9774 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9775 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9776 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9777 will still be visible when you are reading.
9781 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9782 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9783 which is mapped to the same function
9784 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9786 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9789 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9792 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9793 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9795 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9796 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9797 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9799 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9800 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9801 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9802 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9803 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9804 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9805 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9809 @subsection Binary Groups
9810 @cindex binary groups
9812 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9813 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9814 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9815 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9816 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9817 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9818 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9821 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9822 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9823 command, when you have turned on this mode
9824 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9826 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9827 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9831 @section Tree Display
9834 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9835 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9836 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9837 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9840 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9843 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9844 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9845 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9847 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9848 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9849 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9850 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9851 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9853 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9854 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9855 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9856 default is @code{modeline}.
9858 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9859 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9860 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9861 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9862 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9863 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9864 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9870 The name of the poster.
9872 The @code{From} header.
9874 The number of the article.
9876 The opening bracket.
9878 The closing bracket.
9883 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9885 Variables related to the display are:
9888 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9889 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9890 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9891 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
9893 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9894 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
9895 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
9897 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9899 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9900 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9901 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9902 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9906 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9907 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9908 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9909 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9910 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9911 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9912 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9913 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9914 other windows displayed next to it.
9916 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9920 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9921 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9924 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9925 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9926 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9927 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9928 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9929 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9930 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9934 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9937 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9947 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9952 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9953 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9955 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9957 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9963 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9964 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9965 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
9968 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9969 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9970 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9971 (gnus-add-configuration
9975 (summary 0.75 point)
9980 @xref{Window Layout}.
9983 @node Mail Group Commands
9984 @section Mail Group Commands
9985 @cindex mail group commands
9987 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9988 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9990 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9991 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9996 @kindex B e (Summary)
9997 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9998 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9999 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
10000 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
10001 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
10004 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
10005 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
10006 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
10007 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
10008 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
10009 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
10012 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
10013 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
10014 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
10015 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
10016 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
10017 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
10020 @kindex B m (Summary)
10022 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
10023 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
10024 Move the article from one mail group to another
10025 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10026 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10029 @kindex B c (Summary)
10031 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
10032 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
10033 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
10034 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10035 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10038 @kindex B B (Summary)
10039 @cindex crosspost mail
10040 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
10041 Crosspost the current article to some other group
10042 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
10043 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
10044 be properly updated.
10047 @kindex B i (Summary)
10048 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
10049 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
10050 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
10051 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10054 @kindex B I (Summary)
10055 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
10056 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
10057 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
10058 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10061 @kindex B r (Summary)
10062 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
10063 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
10064 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
10065 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
10066 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
10067 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
10068 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
10069 (which is the default).
10073 @kindex B w (Summary)
10074 @kindex e (Summary)
10075 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10076 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10077 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10078 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10079 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10080 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10081 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10084 @kindex B q (Summary)
10085 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10086 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10087 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10088 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10091 @kindex B t (Summary)
10092 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10093 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10094 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10097 @kindex B p (Summary)
10098 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10099 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10100 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10101 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10102 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10103 article from your news server (or rather, from
10104 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10105 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10106 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10107 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10108 just not have arrived yet.
10111 @kindex K E (Summary)
10112 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10113 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10114 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10115 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10116 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10120 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10121 @cindex moving articles
10122 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
10123 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10124 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10125 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10126 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10127 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10128 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10131 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10132 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10133 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10134 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10138 @node Various Summary Stuff
10139 @section Various Summary Stuff
10142 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10143 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10144 * Summary Generation Commands::
10145 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10149 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10150 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10151 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10152 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10153 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10154 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10156 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10157 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10158 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10161 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10162 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10163 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10165 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10166 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10167 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10168 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10169 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10170 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10173 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10174 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10175 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10176 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10177 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10179 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10180 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10181 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10184 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10185 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10186 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10187 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10188 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10189 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10190 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
10191 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10192 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10193 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10195 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10196 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10197 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10198 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10199 list of articles to be selected.
10201 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10202 the list in one particular group:
10205 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10206 (if (string= group "some.group")
10207 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10211 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10212 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10213 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10214 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
10215 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
10218 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
10219 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
10220 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
10221 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
10222 variable will be used instead.
10224 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
10225 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
10226 buffers. For example:
10229 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10230 '(message-use-followup-to
10231 (gnus-visible-headers .
10232 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10235 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
10239 @node Summary Group Information
10240 @subsection Summary Group Information
10245 @kindex H f (Summary)
10246 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10247 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10248 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10249 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10250 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10251 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10252 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10253 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10254 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10257 @kindex H d (Summary)
10258 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10259 Give a brief description of the current group
10260 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10261 rereading the description from the server.
10264 @kindex H h (Summary)
10265 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10266 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10267 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10270 @kindex H i (Summary)
10271 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10272 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10276 @node Searching for Articles
10277 @subsection Searching for Articles
10282 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10283 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10284 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10285 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10288 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10289 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10290 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10291 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10294 @kindex & (Summary)
10295 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10296 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10297 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10298 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10299 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10300 search backward instead.
10302 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10303 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10306 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10307 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10308 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10309 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10312 @node Summary Generation Commands
10313 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10318 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10319 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10320 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10323 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10324 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10325 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10326 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10329 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10330 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10331 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10332 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10337 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10338 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10344 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10345 @kindex A D (Summary)
10346 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10347 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10348 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10349 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10350 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10351 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10352 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10353 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10357 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10358 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10359 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10360 several documents into one biiig group
10361 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10362 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10363 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10364 command understands the process/prefix convention
10365 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10368 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10369 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10370 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10371 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10372 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10373 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10376 @kindex = (Summary)
10377 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10378 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10379 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10382 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10383 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10384 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10385 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10388 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10389 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10390 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10391 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10396 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10397 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10398 @cindex summary exit
10399 @cindex exiting groups
10401 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10402 group and return you to the group buffer.
10409 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10410 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
10411 @kindex q (Summary)
10412 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10413 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10414 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10415 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10416 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10417 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10418 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10419 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10420 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10421 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10422 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10423 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10427 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10428 @kindex Q (Summary)
10429 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10430 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10431 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10435 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10436 @kindex c (Summary)
10437 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10438 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10439 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10440 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10443 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10444 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10445 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10446 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10449 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10450 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10451 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10452 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10456 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10457 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
10458 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10459 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10460 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10461 all articles, both read and unread.
10465 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10466 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10467 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10468 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10469 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10470 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10471 articles, both read and unread.
10474 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10475 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10476 Exit the group and go to the next group
10477 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10480 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10481 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10482 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10483 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10486 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10487 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10488 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10489 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10490 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10491 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10494 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10495 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10496 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10497 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10499 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10500 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10501 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10502 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10503 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10504 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10505 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10506 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10507 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10508 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10509 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10510 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10512 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10514 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10515 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10516 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10517 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10518 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10519 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10520 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10521 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10522 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10525 @node Crosspost Handling
10526 @section Crosspost Handling
10530 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10531 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10532 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10533 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10534 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10535 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10538 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10539 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10540 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10541 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10542 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10544 @cindex cross-posting
10546 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10547 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10548 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10549 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10550 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10551 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10552 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10553 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10554 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10555 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10556 the cross reference mechanism.
10558 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10559 @cindex overview.fmt
10560 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10561 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10562 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10563 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10564 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10565 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10568 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10569 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10570 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10575 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10578 @node Duplicate Suppression
10579 @section Duplicate Suppression
10581 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10582 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10583 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10584 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10589 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10590 is evil and not very common.
10593 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10594 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10597 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10598 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10601 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10604 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10605 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10607 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10608 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10609 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10610 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10611 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10612 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10613 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10616 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10617 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10618 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10619 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10620 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10621 saw the article in.
10624 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10625 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10626 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10628 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10629 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10630 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10631 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10632 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
10633 session are suppressed.
10635 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10636 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10637 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10638 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10640 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10641 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10642 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10643 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10646 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
10647 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10648 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10649 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10650 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
10651 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10652 to you to figure out, I think.
10657 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10658 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
10659 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
10664 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
10665 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
10666 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
10667 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10670 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10671 or newer is recommended.
10675 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10676 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10679 @item mm-verify-option
10680 @vindex mm-verify-option
10681 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10682 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10683 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10685 @item mm-decrypt-option
10686 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10687 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10688 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10689 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10692 @vindex mml1991-use
10693 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10694 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10695 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10699 @vindex mml2015-use
10700 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10701 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10702 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10707 @cindex snarfing keys
10708 @cindex importing PGP keys
10709 @cindex PGP key ring import
10710 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
10711 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
10712 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
10713 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
10714 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
10715 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
10716 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
10717 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
10718 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
10721 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
10724 This happens to also be the default action defined in
10725 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
10728 @section Mailing List
10729 @cindex mailing list
10732 @kindex A M (summary)
10733 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10734 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10735 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10736 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10739 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10744 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10745 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10746 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10749 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10750 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10751 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10754 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10755 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10756 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10760 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10761 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10762 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10765 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10766 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10767 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10770 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10771 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
10772 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10777 @node Article Buffer
10778 @chapter Article Buffer
10779 @cindex article buffer
10781 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10782 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10783 tell Gnus otherwise.
10786 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10787 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
10788 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10789 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10790 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10794 @node Hiding Headers
10795 @section Hiding Headers
10796 @cindex hiding headers
10797 @cindex deleting headers
10799 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10800 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10802 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10803 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10804 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10805 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10806 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10807 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10808 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
10809 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10810 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10812 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10816 @item gnus-visible-headers
10817 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10818 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10819 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10820 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10822 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10823 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10826 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10829 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10832 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10833 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10834 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10835 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10836 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10837 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10839 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
10840 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
10843 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10846 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10849 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10850 variable will have no effect.
10854 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10855 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10856 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10857 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10858 the headers are to be displayed.
10860 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10861 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10864 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10867 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10868 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10870 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10871 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10872 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10873 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10874 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10875 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
10876 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10879 These conditions are:
10882 Remove all empty headers.
10884 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10885 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10887 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
10888 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
10891 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10894 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10895 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
10897 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10898 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10900 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
10901 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10903 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10906 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10908 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10911 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10914 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10915 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10918 This is also the default value for this variable.
10922 @section Using MIME
10923 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
10925 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10926 while people stand around yawning.
10928 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10929 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10931 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10932 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10933 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10935 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10936 @findex gnus-display-mime
10937 Gnus pushes @acronym{MIME} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10938 to display the @acronym{MIME} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10939 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10940 display, save and manipulate the @acronym{MIME} objects.
10942 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10943 @acronym{MIME} button:
10946 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10947 @item RET (Article)
10948 @kindex RET (Article)
10949 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10950 Toggle displaying of the @acronym{MIME} object
10951 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If built-in viewers can not display
10952 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
10953 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
10954 object is displayed inline.
10956 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
10957 @item M-RET (Article)
10958 @kindex M-RET (Article)
10960 Prompt for a method, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
10961 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
10963 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
10965 @kindex t (Article)
10966 View the @acronym{MIME} object as if it were a different @acronym{MIME} media type
10967 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
10969 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
10971 @kindex C (Article)
10972 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
10973 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
10975 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
10977 @kindex o (Article)
10978 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @acronym{MIME} object
10979 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
10981 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
10982 @item C-o (Article)
10983 @kindex C-o (Article)
10984 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} object and strip it from
10985 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
10986 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
10987 like. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred via the
10988 message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
10989 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
10991 @findex gnus-mime-delete-part
10993 @kindex d (Article)
10994 Delete the @acronym{MIME} object from the article and replace it with some
10995 information about the removed @acronym{MIME} object
10996 (@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
10998 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
11000 @kindex c (Article)
11001 Copy the @acronym{MIME} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
11002 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
11003 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
11004 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
11005 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
11007 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
11009 @kindex p (Article)
11010 Print the @acronym{MIME} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
11011 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
11012 @file{.mailcap} file.
11014 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
11016 @kindex i (Article)
11017 Insert the contents of the @acronym{MIME} object into the buffer
11018 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
11019 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
11020 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
11021 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @ref{Paging the
11024 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
11026 @kindex E (Article)
11027 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
11028 viewer is available, use an external viewer
11029 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
11031 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
11033 @kindex e (Article)
11034 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an external viewer.
11035 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
11037 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
11039 @kindex | (Article)
11040 Output the @acronym{MIME} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
11042 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
11044 @kindex . (Article)
11045 Interactively run an action on the @acronym{MIME} object
11046 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
11050 Gnus will display some @acronym{MIME} objects automatically. The way Gnus
11051 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
11052 @acronym{MIME} manual.
11054 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
11055 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
11056 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @acronym{MIME} has
11057 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
11058 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
11059 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
11060 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
11061 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
11062 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
11064 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
11066 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
11069 @node Customizing Articles
11070 @section Customizing Articles
11071 @cindex article customization
11073 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
11074 exist. You can call these functions interactively
11075 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
11076 called automatically when you select the articles.
11078 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
11079 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
11080 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
11081 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
11083 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
11084 for sensible values.
11088 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
11091 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
11094 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
11097 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
11100 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
11104 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
11105 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
11106 regexps in the list.
11109 A list where the first element is not a string:
11111 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
11112 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
11113 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
11117 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
11122 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
11123 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
11124 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
11125 considered to contain just a single part.
11127 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
11128 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
11129 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
11130 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
11131 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
11132 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
11133 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
11135 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
11136 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
11137 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
11138 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
11141 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11142 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11144 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11146 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11147 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11148 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11149 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11150 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
11151 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11152 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11153 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11154 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11155 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11157 @xref{Article Washing}.
11159 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
11160 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
11161 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
11162 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
11163 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
11164 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
11165 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
11167 @xref{Article Date}.
11169 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11170 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11171 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11175 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11177 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11179 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11180 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11181 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11185 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
11189 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
11193 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
11194 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
11195 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
11196 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
11197 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
11198 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
11199 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
11200 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
11201 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
11202 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
11204 @xref{Article Hiding}.
11206 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
11207 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
11208 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
11210 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
11212 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
11213 @item gnus-treat-translate
11214 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
11215 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
11217 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
11218 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
11219 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
11220 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
11222 @xref{Article Header}.
11227 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
11228 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
11229 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
11230 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
11231 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11235 @node Article Keymap
11236 @section Article Keymap
11238 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11239 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11240 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11241 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11244 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11249 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11250 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11251 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11252 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11255 @kindex DEL (Article)
11256 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11257 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11258 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11261 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11262 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11263 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11264 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11265 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11268 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11269 @findex gnus-article-mail
11270 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11271 given a prefix, include the mail.
11274 @kindex s (Article)
11275 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11276 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11277 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11280 @kindex ? (Article)
11281 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11282 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11283 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11286 @kindex TAB (Article)
11287 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11288 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11289 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11292 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11293 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11294 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11297 @kindex R (Article)
11298 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11299 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11300 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11301 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11305 @kindex F (Article)
11306 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11307 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11308 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11309 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11317 @section Misc Article
11321 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11322 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11323 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11324 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11327 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11328 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11329 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11330 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11331 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11333 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11334 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11335 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11336 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11337 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11338 the contents of the article buffer.
11340 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11341 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11342 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11344 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11345 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11346 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11347 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11349 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11350 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11351 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11352 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11354 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11355 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11356 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11357 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
11358 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
11359 with two extensions:
11364 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11365 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11366 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11371 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11374 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11377 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11378 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11379 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11382 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11385 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11388 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11393 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11397 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11399 @item gnus-break-pages
11400 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11401 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11402 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11403 paging will not be done.
11405 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11406 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11407 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11411 @cindex internationalized domain names
11412 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11413 @item gnus-use-idna
11414 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11415 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11416 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
11417 for how to compose such messages. This requires
11418 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11419 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11424 @node Composing Messages
11425 @chapter Composing Messages
11426 @cindex composing messages
11429 @cindex sending mail
11434 @cindex using s/mime
11435 @cindex using smime
11437 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11438 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11439 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11440 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11441 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11442 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11445 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11446 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11447 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
11448 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11449 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11450 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11451 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11452 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11453 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11456 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11457 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11463 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11466 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11467 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11468 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11469 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11470 @code{nil} include all headers.
11472 @item gnus-add-to-list
11473 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11474 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11475 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11477 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11478 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11479 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
11480 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
11481 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
11482 confirmation is should be asked for.
11484 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11485 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11487 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11488 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11489 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11490 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11491 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11496 @node Posting Server
11497 @section Posting Server
11499 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11500 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11502 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11504 It can be quite complicated.
11506 @vindex gnus-post-method
11507 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11508 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11509 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11510 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11511 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11512 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11513 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11514 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11515 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11518 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11521 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11522 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11523 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11524 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11526 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11527 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11529 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11530 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11533 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11534 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11536 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11537 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11538 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11539 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11540 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
11541 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11542 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11543 package correctly. An example:
11546 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11547 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11550 To the thing similar to this, there is
11551 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your @acronym{ISP}
11552 requires the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication.
11553 @xref{POP before SMTP}.
11555 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11556 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11557 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11559 @node POP before SMTP
11560 @section POP before SMTP
11561 @cindex pop before smtp
11562 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
11563 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
11565 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
11566 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
11567 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
11568 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
11569 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
11572 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
11573 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
11577 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
11578 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
11579 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
11580 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
11581 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
11582 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
11583 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
11584 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
11586 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
11587 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
11588 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
11589 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
11590 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
11591 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
11594 (setq mail-source-primary-source
11595 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11596 :password "secret"))
11600 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
11601 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
11604 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
11606 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
11607 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11608 :password "secret")))
11609 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
11612 @node Mail and Post
11613 @section Mail and Post
11615 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11619 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11620 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11621 @cindex mailing lists
11623 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11624 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
11625 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11626 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11627 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11628 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11629 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11630 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11631 still a pain, though.
11633 @item gnus-user-agent
11634 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11637 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11638 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11639 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11640 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11641 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11642 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11643 use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
11647 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11648 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11649 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11652 @findex ispell-message
11654 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11657 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11658 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11661 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11665 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11666 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11668 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11671 Modify to suit your needs.
11674 @node Archived Messages
11675 @section Archived Messages
11676 @cindex archived messages
11677 @cindex sent messages
11679 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11680 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11681 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11682 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11685 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11686 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11689 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11690 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
11691 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11694 (nnfolder "archive"
11695 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11696 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11697 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11698 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11701 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11702 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11703 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11704 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11707 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11708 '(nnfolder "archive"
11709 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11710 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11711 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11714 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11716 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11717 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11718 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11720 This variable can be used to do the following:
11724 Messages will be saved in that group.
11726 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11727 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11728 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11729 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11730 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11731 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11732 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11733 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11736 @item a list of strings
11737 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11739 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11740 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11743 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11748 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11750 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11753 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11755 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11758 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11760 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11761 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11762 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11763 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11766 More complex stuff:
11768 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11769 '((if (message-news-p)
11774 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11775 messages in one file per month:
11778 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11779 '((if (message-news-p)
11781 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11784 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11785 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11787 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11788 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11789 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11790 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11791 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11792 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11793 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11794 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11795 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11796 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11798 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11799 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11800 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11801 this will disable archiving.
11804 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11805 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11806 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11807 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11808 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11811 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11812 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11813 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11816 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11817 but the latter is the preferred method.
11819 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11820 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11821 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11823 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11824 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11825 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11826 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11827 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11828 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11829 changed in the future.
11834 @node Posting Styles
11835 @section Posting Styles
11836 @cindex posting styles
11839 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11841 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11842 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11843 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11846 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11847 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11848 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11849 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11850 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11855 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11856 (organization "What me?"))
11858 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11859 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11860 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11863 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11864 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11865 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11866 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11867 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11868 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11869 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11870 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11872 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11873 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11874 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11875 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11876 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11877 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
11878 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11879 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11880 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11881 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11882 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11883 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11884 said to @dfn{match}.
11886 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11887 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
11888 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
11889 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
11890 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
11891 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
11892 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
11893 name can be one of:
11896 @item @code{signature}
11897 @item @code{signature-file}
11898 @item @code{x-face-file}
11899 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
11900 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
11904 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
11905 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
11906 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
11907 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
11908 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
11910 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11911 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11912 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11913 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11914 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11915 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11916 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11917 references chars lines xref extra.
11919 @vindex message-reply-headers
11921 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11922 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11923 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11925 @findex message-mail-p
11926 @findex message-news-p
11928 So here's a new example:
11931 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11933 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11935 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11936 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11938 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11939 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
11940 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11941 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
11942 (signature my-news-signature))
11943 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
11944 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11945 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
11946 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11947 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11948 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
11949 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11950 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11951 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11952 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11954 (From (save-excursion
11955 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11956 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11958 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11961 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11962 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11963 if you fill many roles.
11970 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11971 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11972 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11973 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11974 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11976 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11977 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11978 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11979 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11980 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11984 @vindex nndraft-directory
11985 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11986 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11987 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11988 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11989 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11990 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11992 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11993 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11994 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
11995 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
11996 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
11997 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
11998 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
11999 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
12000 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
12002 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
12003 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
12004 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
12005 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
12006 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
12007 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
12008 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
12009 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
12010 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
12011 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
12012 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
12013 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
12014 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
12015 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
12017 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
12018 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
12019 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
12021 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
12022 @kindex D e (Draft)
12023 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
12024 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
12025 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
12027 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
12030 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
12031 @kindex D s (Draft)
12032 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
12033 @kindex D S (Draft)
12034 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
12035 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
12036 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
12037 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
12038 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
12041 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
12042 @kindex D t (Draft)
12043 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
12044 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
12045 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
12048 @node Rejected Articles
12049 @section Rejected Articles
12050 @cindex rejected articles
12052 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
12053 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
12054 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
12055 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
12057 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
12058 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
12059 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
12060 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
12061 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
12063 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
12064 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
12065 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
12067 @node Signing and encrypting
12068 @section Signing and encrypting
12070 @cindex using s/mime
12071 @cindex using smime
12073 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
12074 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
12075 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
12076 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
12078 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
12079 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
12080 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
12081 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
12082 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
12083 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
12084 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
12085 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
12086 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
12087 automatically encrypted messages.
12089 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
12090 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
12091 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
12096 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
12097 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
12099 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12102 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
12103 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12105 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12108 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
12109 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12111 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12114 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
12115 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
12117 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12120 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
12121 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
12123 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12126 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
12127 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
12129 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12132 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
12133 @findex mml-unsecure-message
12134 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
12138 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
12140 @node Select Methods
12141 @chapter Select Methods
12142 @cindex foreign groups
12143 @cindex select methods
12145 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
12146 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
12147 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
12148 personal mail group.
12150 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
12151 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
12152 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
12153 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
12154 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
12155 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
12157 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
12158 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
12160 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
12163 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
12164 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
12165 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
12166 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
12167 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
12169 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
12172 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
12173 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
12174 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
12175 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
12176 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
12177 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
12178 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
12179 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
12183 @node Server Buffer
12184 @section Server Buffer
12186 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
12187 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
12188 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
12189 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
12190 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
12191 back end represents a virtual server.
12193 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
12194 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
12195 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
12196 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
12198 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
12199 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
12200 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
12201 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
12202 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
12203 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
12204 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
12206 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
12207 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
12210 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
12211 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
12212 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
12213 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
12214 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
12215 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
12216 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
12219 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
12220 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
12223 @node Server Buffer Format
12224 @subsection Server Buffer Format
12225 @cindex server buffer format
12227 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
12228 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
12229 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
12230 variable, with some simple extensions:
12235 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
12238 The name of this server.
12241 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
12244 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
12247 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
12248 The mode line can also be customized by using the
12249 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
12250 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
12260 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
12263 @node Server Commands
12264 @subsection Server Commands
12265 @cindex server commands
12271 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12272 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12276 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12277 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12280 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12281 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12282 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12286 @findex gnus-server-exit
12287 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12291 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12292 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12296 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12297 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12301 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12302 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12306 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12307 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12311 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12312 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12313 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12318 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12319 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12320 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12321 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12326 @node Example Methods
12327 @subsection Example Methods
12329 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12332 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12335 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12341 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12342 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12345 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12346 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12348 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12349 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12353 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12356 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12357 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12359 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12360 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12361 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12365 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12368 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12371 Here's the method for a public spool:
12375 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12376 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12382 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12383 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12384 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12385 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12386 should probably look something like this:
12390 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12391 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12392 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12393 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12396 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12397 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12398 configuration to the example above:
12401 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12404 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
12406 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12407 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12408 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12412 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12413 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12414 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12415 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12418 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12419 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12420 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12421 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12424 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12425 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12427 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12428 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12430 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12431 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
12432 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12434 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
12436 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
12437 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12438 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12439 will contain the following:
12449 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
12450 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12453 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12454 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12455 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12458 @node Server Variables
12459 @subsection Server Variables
12460 @cindex server variables
12461 @cindex server parameters
12463 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12464 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12465 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12466 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12467 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12469 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12470 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12471 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12472 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12473 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12474 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12475 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12476 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12477 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12481 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12482 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12483 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12486 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
12488 @node Servers and Methods
12489 @subsection Servers and Methods
12491 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12492 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12493 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12494 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12498 @node Unavailable Servers
12499 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12501 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12502 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12503 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12504 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12505 actually the case or not.
12507 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12508 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12509 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12510 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12511 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12512 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12513 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12514 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12516 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12517 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12519 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12520 with the following commands:
12526 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12527 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12528 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12532 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12533 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12534 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12538 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12539 Mark the current server as unreachable
12540 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12543 @kindex M-o (Server)
12544 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12545 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12546 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12549 @kindex M-c (Server)
12550 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12551 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12552 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12556 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12557 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12558 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12562 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12563 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12569 @section Getting News
12570 @cindex reading news
12571 @cindex news back ends
12573 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12574 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
12575 or it can read from a local spool.
12578 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12579 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12587 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
12588 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
12589 server as the, uhm, address.
12591 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12592 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12593 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12594 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12596 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12597 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12598 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12600 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12605 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12606 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12607 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12609 @cindex authentification
12610 @cindex nntp authentification
12611 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12612 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12613 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12614 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
12615 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12616 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12617 present in this hook.
12619 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12620 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12621 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12622 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12623 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
12624 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12625 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12626 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12627 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12628 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12629 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12630 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12634 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12637 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12639 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12640 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12641 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12642 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12643 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12644 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12645 @samp{force} is explained below.
12649 Here's an example file:
12652 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12653 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12656 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12657 have to be first, for instance.
12659 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12660 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12661 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12662 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12663 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12664 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12665 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12667 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12668 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12674 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12675 previously mentioned.
12677 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12679 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12680 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12681 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12682 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12683 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12686 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12687 '(("innd" (ding))))
12690 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12692 The default value is
12695 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12696 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12697 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12700 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12701 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12703 @item nntp-maximum-request
12704 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12705 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
12706 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12707 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12708 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12709 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12710 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12712 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12713 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12714 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12715 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
12716 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12717 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12718 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12719 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12720 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12721 no timeouts are done.
12723 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12724 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12725 @c @cindex PPP connections
12726 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12727 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12728 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12729 @c changes after connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will simply sit
12730 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12731 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12732 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12733 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12734 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12735 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12737 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12738 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12739 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12740 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12741 @c described above.
12743 @item nntp-server-hook
12744 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12745 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @acronym{NNTP}
12748 @item nntp-buggy-select
12749 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12750 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12752 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12753 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12754 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
12755 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
12758 @item nntp-xover-commands
12759 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12760 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
12762 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
12763 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12767 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12768 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
12769 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12770 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12771 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
12772 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12773 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12774 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12775 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12776 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12777 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12779 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12780 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12781 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12783 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12784 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12785 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12786 server closes connection.
12788 @item nntp-record-commands
12789 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12790 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12791 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12792 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
12793 that doesn't seem to work.
12795 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12796 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12797 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12798 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12799 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12800 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12801 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12802 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12804 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12805 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12806 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12807 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12808 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12809 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12810 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12813 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12816 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12817 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12819 @item nntp-read-timeout
12820 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12821 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12822 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12823 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12824 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12830 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12831 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12832 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12833 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
12837 @node Direct Functions
12838 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12839 @cindex direct connection functions
12841 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12842 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
12843 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12844 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12847 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12848 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12849 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12852 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
12853 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
12854 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12855 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
12856 installed. You then define a server as follows:
12859 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12860 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
12862 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12863 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
12864 (nntp-port-number )
12865 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12868 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12869 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12870 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12871 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
12872 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
12873 then define a server as follows:
12876 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12877 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
12879 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12880 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12881 (nntp-port-number 563)
12882 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12885 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12886 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12887 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12888 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12889 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12890 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12891 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12892 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12896 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12897 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12898 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12901 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12902 session, which is not a good idea.
12906 @node Indirect Functions
12907 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12908 @cindex indirect connection functions
12910 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12911 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12912 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12913 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12914 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12915 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12918 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12919 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12920 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12921 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12922 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12924 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12927 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12928 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12929 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12930 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12932 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12933 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12934 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12935 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12936 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
12937 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12938 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
12939 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
12943 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
12944 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12946 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
12947 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
12948 Does essentially the same, but uses
12949 @uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/, netcat} instead of @samp{telnet}
12950 to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
12952 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
12955 @item nntp-via-netcat-command
12956 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-command
12957 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
12958 intermediate host. The default is @samp{nc}. You can also use other
12959 programs like @uref{http://www.imasy.or.jp/~gotoh/ssh/connect.html,
12962 @item nntp-via-netcat-switches
12963 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-switches
12964 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12965 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{nil}.
12967 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12968 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12969 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12970 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12972 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12973 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12974 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12975 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}.
12978 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12979 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12980 Does essentially also the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12981 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12983 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12986 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12987 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12988 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12991 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12992 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12993 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12994 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12996 @item nntp-via-user-password
12997 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12998 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
13000 @item nntp-via-envuser
13001 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
13002 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
13003 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
13004 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
13006 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
13007 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
13008 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
13009 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
13013 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13014 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13018 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
13023 @item nntp-via-user-name
13024 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
13025 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
13027 @item nntp-via-address
13028 @vindex nntp-via-address
13029 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
13034 @node Common Variables
13035 @subsubsection Common Variables
13037 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
13038 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
13043 @item nntp-pre-command
13044 @vindex nntp-pre-command
13045 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
13046 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
13047 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is
13048 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
13051 @vindex nntp-address
13052 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13054 @item nntp-port-number
13055 @vindex nntp-port-number
13056 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13057 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
13058 @acronym{tls}/@acronym{ssl}, you may want to use integer ports rather
13059 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
13060 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
13061 not work with named ports.
13063 @item nntp-end-of-line
13064 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
13065 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
13066 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
13067 using a non native telnet connection function.
13069 @item nntp-telnet-command
13070 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
13071 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
13072 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
13073 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13076 @item nntp-telnet-switches
13077 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
13078 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
13084 @subsubsection NNTP marks
13085 @cindex storing NNTP marks
13087 Gnus stores marks (@pxref{Marking Articles}) for @acronym{NNTP}
13088 servers in marks files. A marks file records what marks you have set
13089 in a group and each file is specific to the corresponding server.
13090 Marks files are stored in @file{~/News/marks}
13091 (@code{nntp-marks-directory}) under a classic hierarchy resembling
13092 that of a news server, for example marks for the group
13093 @samp{gmane.discuss} on the news.gmane.org server will be stored in
13094 the file @file{~/News/marks/news.gmane.org/gmane/discuss/.marks}.
13096 Marks files are useful because you can copy the @file{~/News/marks}
13097 directory (using rsync, scp or whatever) to another Gnus installation,
13098 and it will realize what articles you have read and marked. The data
13099 in @file{~/News/marks} has priority over the same data in
13100 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13102 Note that marks files are very much server-specific: Gnus remembers
13103 the article numbers so if you don't use the same servers on both
13104 installations things are most likely to break (most @acronym{NNTP}
13105 servers do not use the same article numbers as any other server).
13106 However, if you use servers A, B, C on one installation and servers A,
13107 D, E on the other, you can sync the marks files for A and then you'll
13108 get synchronization for that server between the two installations.
13110 Using @acronym{NNTP} marks can possibly incur a performance penalty so
13111 if Gnus feels sluggish, try setting the @code{nntp-marks-is-evil}
13112 variable to @code{t}. Marks will then be stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13118 @item nntp-marks-is-evil
13119 @vindex nntp-marks-is-evil
13120 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any marks files. The
13121 default is @code{nil}.
13123 @item nntp-marks-directory
13124 @vindex nntp-marks-directory
13125 The directory where marks for nntp groups will be stored.
13131 @subsection News Spool
13135 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
13136 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
13137 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
13140 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
13141 anything else) as the address.
13143 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
13144 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
13145 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
13146 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
13150 @item nnspool-inews-program
13151 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
13152 Program used to post an article.
13154 @item nnspool-inews-switches
13155 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
13156 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
13158 @item nnspool-spool-directory
13159 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
13160 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
13161 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
13163 @item nnspool-nov-directory
13164 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
13165 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
13166 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
13168 @item nnspool-lib-dir
13169 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
13170 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
13172 @item nnspool-active-file
13173 @vindex nnspool-active-file
13174 The name of the active file.
13176 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
13177 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
13178 The name of the group descriptions file.
13180 @item nnspool-history-file
13181 @vindex nnspool-history-file
13182 The name of the news history file.
13184 @item nnspool-active-times-file
13185 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
13186 The name of the active date file.
13188 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
13189 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
13190 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
13193 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13194 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13196 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
13197 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
13198 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
13205 @section Getting Mail
13206 @cindex reading mail
13209 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
13213 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
13214 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
13215 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
13216 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
13217 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
13218 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
13219 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
13220 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
13221 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
13222 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
13223 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
13224 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
13225 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
13229 @node Mail in a Newsreader
13230 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
13232 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
13233 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
13234 of a culture shock.
13236 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
13237 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
13239 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
13240 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
13241 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
13242 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
13244 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
13246 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
13247 deleted? How awful!
13249 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
13250 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
13251 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
13252 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
13255 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
13256 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
13257 they want to treat a message.
13259 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
13260 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
13261 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
13262 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
13263 archived somewhere else.
13265 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
13266 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
13267 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
13268 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
13269 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
13271 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
13272 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
13273 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
13275 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
13276 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
13279 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
13280 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
13281 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
13282 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
13283 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
13285 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
13286 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
13287 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
13288 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
13289 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
13290 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
13294 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
13295 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
13297 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
13298 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
13299 and things will happen automatically.
13301 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
13302 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13305 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13308 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
13309 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
13310 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
13311 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13312 like any other group.
13314 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13317 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13318 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13319 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13323 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13324 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13325 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13328 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13329 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13330 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13333 @node Splitting Mail
13334 @subsection Splitting Mail
13335 @cindex splitting mail
13336 @cindex mail splitting
13337 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
13339 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13340 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13341 to be split into groups.
13344 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13345 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13346 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13347 ("mail.other" "")))
13350 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13351 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13352 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13353 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13354 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13355 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13356 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13359 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13363 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
13364 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
13366 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13367 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13368 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13369 mail belongs in that group.
13371 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13372 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{*} so that it matches any mails
13373 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13374 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
13375 rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled.
13376 In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) When new groups are
13377 created by splitting mail, you may want to run
13378 @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to see the new groups.
13380 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13381 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13382 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13383 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13384 thinks should carry this mail message.
13386 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13387 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13388 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13389 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13391 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13392 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13393 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13394 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13395 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{*}) group.
13397 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13400 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13401 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13402 links. If that's the case for you, set
13403 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13404 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13406 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13407 @findex nnmail-split-history
13408 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13409 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13410 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13411 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13414 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13415 Header lines longer than the value of
13416 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13419 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13420 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13421 By default the splitting codes @acronym{MIME} decodes headers so you
13422 can match on non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. The
13423 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset} variable specifies the default
13424 charset for decoding. The behaviour can be turned off completely by
13425 binding @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to @code{nil}, which is
13426 useful if you want to match articles based on the raw header data.
13428 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13429 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13430 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13431 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
13432 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13433 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13434 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13435 other kinds of entries.)
13437 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13438 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13439 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13440 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13441 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13442 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13443 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13444 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13445 month's rent money.
13449 @subsection Mail Sources
13451 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
13452 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
13453 maildir, for instance.
13456 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
13457 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
13458 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
13462 @node Mail Source Specifiers
13463 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
13465 @cindex mail server
13468 @cindex mail source
13470 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
13471 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
13476 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
13479 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
13480 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
13481 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
13484 The following mail source types are available:
13488 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
13494 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
13495 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
13496 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
13500 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13503 An example file mail source:
13506 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
13509 Or using the default file name:
13515 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
13516 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
13517 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
13518 mail spool while moving the mail.
13520 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
13524 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
13527 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
13531 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
13534 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
13536 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
13539 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
13543 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
13544 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
13545 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
13546 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
13547 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
13548 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
13549 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
13550 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
13551 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
13552 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
13554 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13555 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
13556 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
13557 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13563 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13567 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13571 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13572 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13573 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13574 predicate are considered.
13578 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13582 An example directory mail source:
13585 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13590 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13596 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
13597 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13600 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
13601 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13602 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13603 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13604 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13607 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
13611 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
13612 the user is prompted.
13615 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
13616 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13619 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13622 The valid format specifier characters are:
13626 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13627 included in this string.
13630 The name of the server.
13633 The port number of the server.
13636 The user name to use.
13639 The password to use.
13642 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13643 corresponding keywords.
13646 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13647 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13650 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13651 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13654 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
13655 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
13656 mail should be moved to.
13658 @item :authentication
13659 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13660 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13665 @vindex pop3-movemail
13666 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
13667 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13668 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If the
13669 @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server} is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be
13670 left on the @acronym{POP} server after fetching when using
13671 @code{pop3-movemail}. Note that POP servers maintain no state
13672 information between sessions, so what the client believes is there and
13673 what is actually there may not match up. If they do not, then the whole
13674 thing can fall apart and leave you with a corrupt mailbox.
13676 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server,
13677 using the default user name, and default fetcher:
13683 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13686 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13687 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13690 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13693 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13697 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13698 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13699 contains exactly one mail.
13705 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13706 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13709 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13710 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13712 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13713 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13714 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13717 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13718 from locking problems).
13722 Two example maildir mail sources:
13725 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13726 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13730 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13735 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
13736 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
13737 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
13738 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
13739 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
13741 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
13742 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13748 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
13749 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13752 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13753 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
13756 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
13760 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
13764 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13765 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13766 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
13767 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13769 @item :authentication
13770 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13771 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13772 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13773 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13776 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13777 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13778 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13784 The valid format specifier characters are:
13788 The name of the server.
13791 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13794 The port number of the server.
13797 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13798 corresponding keywords.
13801 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13802 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13805 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13806 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13807 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
13808 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13809 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13810 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13813 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13814 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13815 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13816 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13819 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
13820 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
13824 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
13827 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13829 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13833 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
13834 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
13835 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
13837 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13838 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13840 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13846 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13847 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13850 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13854 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13858 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
13859 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
13863 An example webmail source:
13866 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13868 :password "secret")
13873 @item Common Keywords
13874 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13880 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
13881 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
13886 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13891 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13892 useful when you use local mail and news.
13897 @subsubsection Function Interface
13899 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13900 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13901 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13902 consider the following mail-source setting:
13905 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13906 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13909 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13910 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13911 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13912 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13913 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13915 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13918 @node Mail Source Customization
13919 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13921 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13922 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13926 @item mail-source-crash-box
13927 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13928 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
13929 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13931 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13932 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13933 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
13934 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
13935 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
13936 (This will only happen, when receiving new mail). You may also set
13937 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
13938 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
13940 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13941 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13942 If non-@code{nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
13943 files. This variable only applies when
13944 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
13946 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
13947 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
13948 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
13950 @item mail-source-directory
13951 @vindex mail-source-directory
13952 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
13953 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
13954 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
13955 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
13957 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13958 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13959 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13960 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13961 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13962 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13964 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13965 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13966 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13968 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13969 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13970 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
13971 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13976 @node Fetching Mail
13977 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13979 @vindex mail-sources
13980 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13981 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13982 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13983 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13985 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13986 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13989 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
13990 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
13995 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13996 :password "secret")))
13999 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
14003 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
14004 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14007 :password "secret")))
14011 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
14012 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
14013 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
14014 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
14015 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
14016 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
14020 @node Mail Back End Variables
14021 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
14023 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
14027 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14028 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14029 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
14030 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
14032 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
14033 @item nnmail-split-hook
14034 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
14035 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
14036 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
14037 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
14038 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
14039 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
14040 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
14041 in the buffer will show up in any files.
14042 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
14045 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14046 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14047 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14048 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14049 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
14050 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
14051 starting to handle the new mail) and
14052 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
14053 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
14054 default file modes the new mail files get:
14057 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14058 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
14060 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14061 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
14064 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
14065 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
14066 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
14067 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
14068 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
14069 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
14070 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
14072 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
14073 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
14074 @findex delete-file
14075 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
14077 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14078 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14079 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
14080 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
14081 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
14083 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14084 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14085 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
14086 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
14087 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
14089 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
14090 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
14091 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
14096 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
14097 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
14098 @cindex mail splitting
14099 @cindex fancy mail splitting
14101 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
14102 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
14103 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
14104 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
14105 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
14106 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
14108 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
14111 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
14112 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
14113 ;; @r{from real errors.}
14114 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
14116 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
14117 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
14118 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
14119 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
14120 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
14121 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
14122 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
14123 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
14124 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
14125 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
14126 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
14127 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
14128 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
14129 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
14130 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
14131 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
14132 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
14136 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
14137 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
14138 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
14143 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
14144 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
14146 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split})
14147 If the split is a list, the first element of which is a string, then
14148 store the message as specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field}
14149 (a regexp) contains @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict}
14150 (yet another regexp) matches some string after @var{field} and before
14151 the end of the matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If
14152 none of the @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
14154 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
14155 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
14156 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
14157 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
14158 stored in one or more groups.
14160 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
14161 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
14162 process all @var{split}s in the list.
14165 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
14166 this message. Use with extreme caution.
14168 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
14169 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
14170 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
14171 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
14174 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
14175 body of the messages:
14178 (defun split-on-body ()
14182 (goto-char (point-min))
14183 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
14187 The buffer is narrowed to the message in question when @var{function}
14188 is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called after
14189 @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
14190 above. Also note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will
14191 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
14192 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
14193 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
14195 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
14196 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
14197 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
14198 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
14199 should return a split.
14202 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
14206 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
14207 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
14208 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
14209 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
14210 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
14212 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
14213 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
14214 they are expanded as specified by the variable
14215 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
14216 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
14217 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
14218 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
14222 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
14224 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
14225 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
14227 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
14230 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
14231 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
14232 when all this splitting is performed.
14234 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
14235 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
14236 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
14239 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
14242 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
14243 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
14245 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
14246 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
14247 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
14248 groupings 1 through 9.
14250 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
14251 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
14252 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
14253 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
14254 groups when users send to an address using different case
14255 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
14258 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
14259 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} controls whether partial
14260 words are matched during fancy splitting.
14262 Normally, regular expressions given in @code{nnmail-split-fancy} are
14263 implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers, which are word
14264 delimiters. If this variable is true, they are not implicitly
14265 surrounded by anything.
14268 (any "joe" "joemail")
14271 In this example, messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will
14272 normally not be filed in @samp{joemail}. With
14273 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} set to t, however, the
14274 match will happen. In effect, the requirement of a word boundary is
14275 removed and instead the match becomes more like a grep.
14277 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
14278 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
14279 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
14280 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
14281 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
14282 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
14283 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
14284 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
14285 it once per thread.
14287 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
14288 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
14289 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
14290 using the colon feature, like so:
14292 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
14293 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
14295 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
14296 ;; @r{other splits go here}
14300 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
14301 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
14302 in the file specified by the variable
14303 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
14304 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
14305 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
14306 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
14307 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
14308 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
14309 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
14310 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
14311 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
14312 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
14313 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
14314 300 kBytes in size.)
14315 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14316 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
14317 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
14318 messages goes into the new group.
14320 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
14321 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
14322 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
14323 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
14324 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
14325 ``outgoing'' group.
14328 @node Group Mail Splitting
14329 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
14330 @cindex mail splitting
14331 @cindex group mail splitting
14333 @findex gnus-group-split
14334 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
14335 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
14336 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
14337 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
14338 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
14339 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
14340 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
14341 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
14343 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
14344 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
14345 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
14346 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
14348 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
14349 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
14350 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14351 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
14352 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14353 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14354 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14356 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14357 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14358 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14359 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14360 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
14361 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14362 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14364 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14365 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14366 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14367 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14368 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14369 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14370 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14371 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14372 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14373 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14374 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14375 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14376 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14378 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14383 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14384 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14386 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14387 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14388 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14389 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14391 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14394 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14395 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14396 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14399 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14400 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14401 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14405 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14406 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14407 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14411 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14414 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14415 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14416 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14417 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
14418 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14419 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
14420 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
14421 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
14422 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
14424 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
14425 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
14426 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
14427 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
14428 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
14429 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
14430 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
14431 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
14432 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
14434 @findex gnus-group-split-update
14435 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
14436 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
14437 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
14438 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
14439 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
14442 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
14445 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
14446 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
14447 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
14448 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
14449 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
14452 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
14453 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
14454 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
14455 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
14457 @node Incorporating Old Mail
14458 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
14459 @cindex incorporating old mail
14460 @cindex import old mail
14462 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
14463 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
14464 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
14467 Doing so can be quite easy.
14469 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
14470 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
14471 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
14472 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
14473 your @code{nnml} groups.
14479 Go to the group buffer.
14482 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
14483 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14486 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
14489 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
14490 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14493 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
14494 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
14497 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
14498 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
14499 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
14500 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
14501 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
14503 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
14504 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
14505 using the new mail back end.
14508 @node Expiring Mail
14509 @subsection Expiring Mail
14510 @cindex article expiry
14512 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
14513 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
14514 different approach to mail reading.
14516 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
14517 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
14518 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
14519 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
14520 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
14521 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
14524 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
14525 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
14526 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
14527 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
14528 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
14529 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
14530 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
14531 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
14532 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
14534 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
14535 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
14536 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
14537 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
14538 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
14539 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
14540 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
14543 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
14544 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
14545 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
14546 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
14547 into its own group.)
14549 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
14550 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
14551 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
14552 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
14553 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
14554 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
14555 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
14556 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
14559 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14560 Groups that match the regular expression
14561 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
14562 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
14563 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
14565 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
14566 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
14567 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
14568 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
14569 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14571 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
14573 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
14574 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
14575 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
14578 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
14579 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
14580 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
14581 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will