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4 @settitle Red Gnus 0.73 Manual
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233 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
240 \thispagestyle{empty}
242 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
244 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
245 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
246 are preserved on all copies.
248 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
249 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
250 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
251 permission notice identical to this one.
253 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
254 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
263 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
265 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
267 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
268 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
269 are preserved on all copies.
272 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
273 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
274 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
275 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
278 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
279 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
280 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
281 permission notice identical to this one.
283 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
284 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
290 @title Red Gnus 0.73 Manual
292 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
295 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
296 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
299 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
300 are preserved on all copies.
302 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
303 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
304 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
305 permission notice identical to this one.
307 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
308 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
317 @top The Red Gnus Newsreader
321 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
322 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
323 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
326 This manual corresponds to Red Gnus 0.73
337 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
338 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
340 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
341 being accused of plagiarism:
343 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
344 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
345 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
346 even read news with it!
348 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
349 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
350 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
351 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
352 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
359 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
360 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
361 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
362 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
363 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
364 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
365 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
366 * Various:: General purpose settings.
367 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
368 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
369 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
370 * Key Index:: Key Index.
374 @chapter Starting Gnus
379 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
380 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
383 @findex gnus-other-frame
384 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
385 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
386 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
388 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
392 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
393 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
394 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
395 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
396 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
397 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
398 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
399 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
400 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
401 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
402 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
406 @node Finding the News
407 @section Finding the News
410 @vindex gnus-select-method
412 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
413 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
414 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
415 native method. All groups that are not fetched with this method are
418 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
419 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
422 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
425 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
428 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
431 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
432 certainly be much faster.
434 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
436 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
437 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
438 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
439 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
440 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
441 that fails as well, Gnus will will try to use the machine that is
442 running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
444 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
445 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
446 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
447 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
449 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
450 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
451 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
452 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
453 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
454 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
456 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
458 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
459 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
460 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
461 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
462 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
463 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
465 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
467 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
468 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
469 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
470 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
471 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
472 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
475 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
476 would typically set this variable to
479 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
484 @section The First Time
485 @cindex first time usage
487 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
488 be subscribed by default.
490 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
491 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
492 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
493 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
496 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
497 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is here
498 defined as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
500 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
501 help you with most common problems.
503 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
504 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
508 @node The Server is Down
509 @section The Server is Down
510 @cindex server errors
512 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
513 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
514 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
516 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
517 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
518 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
519 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
520 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
521 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
522 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
524 @findex gnus-no-server
525 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
527 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
528 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
529 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
530 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
531 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
532 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
537 @section Slave Gnusae
540 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
541 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
542 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
543 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
545 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
548 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
549 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
550 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
551 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
552 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
553 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
554 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
556 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
557 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
558 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
559 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
560 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
561 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
562 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
563 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
565 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
566 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
569 @node Fetching a Group
570 @section Fetching a Group
571 @cindex fetching a group
573 @findex gnus-fetch-group
574 It it sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
575 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
576 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
577 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
578 It takes the group name as a parameter.
586 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
587 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
588 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
589 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
590 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
591 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
592 is @code{t} by default. If you set this variable to @code{always}, then
593 Gnus will query the backends for new groups even when you do the @kbd{g}
594 command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
597 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
598 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
599 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
603 @node Checking New Groups
604 @subsection Checking New Groups
606 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
607 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
608 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
609 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
610 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
611 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
612 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
613 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
614 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
615 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
617 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
618 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
619 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
620 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
621 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
622 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
623 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
624 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
625 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
626 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
627 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
629 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
630 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
631 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
632 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
633 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
634 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
637 @node Subscription Methods
638 @subsection Subscription Methods
640 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
641 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
642 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
644 This variable should contain a function. Some handy pre-fab values
649 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
650 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
651 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
652 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
653 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
655 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
656 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
657 Subscribe all new groups randomly.
659 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
660 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
661 Subscribe all new groups alphabetically.
663 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
664 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
665 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
666 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
667 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
668 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
669 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
670 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
671 up. Or something like that.
673 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
674 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
675 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
676 you about @strong{all} new groups.
678 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
679 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
684 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
685 A closely related variable is
686 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
687 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
688 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
689 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
692 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above to
693 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
694 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
697 @node Filtering New Groups
698 @subsection Filtering New Groups
700 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
701 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
702 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
705 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
708 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
709 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
710 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
711 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
712 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
713 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
714 subscribing these groups.
715 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
716 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
718 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
719 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
720 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
721 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
722 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
723 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
724 and if the the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
725 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
727 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
728 Yet another variable that meddles here is
729 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
730 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
731 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
732 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
733 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
734 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
735 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
736 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
738 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
739 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
742 @node Changing Servers
743 @section Changing Servers
744 @cindex changing servers
746 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
747 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
748 very flaky and you want to use another.
750 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
751 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
755 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
756 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
757 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
758 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
761 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
762 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
763 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
764 functions more than absolutely necessary.
766 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
767 @findex gnus-change-server
768 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
769 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
770 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
771 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
772 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
774 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
775 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
776 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
777 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
778 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
780 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
781 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
782 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
783 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
784 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
785 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
789 @section Startup Files
790 @cindex startup files
795 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
796 information is traditionally stored in this file.
798 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
799 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
800 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
801 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
802 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
803 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
804 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
806 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
807 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
808 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
809 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file.
811 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
812 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
813 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
814 the file and save some space, as well as making exit from Gnus faster.
815 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
816 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
818 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
819 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
820 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
821 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
822 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
823 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
824 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
825 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
826 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
827 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
828 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
829 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
831 @vindex gnus-startup-file
832 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
833 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
834 file being whatever that one is with a @samp{.eld} appended.
836 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
837 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
838 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
839 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
840 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
841 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
842 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
843 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
844 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
845 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
848 (defun turn-off-backup ()
849 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
851 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
852 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
855 @vindex gnus-init-file
856 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
857 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus.el} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
858 (@file{~/.gnus.el} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
859 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{.emacs} and
860 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff.
868 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
869 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
870 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
871 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
872 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
875 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
876 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
879 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
880 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
881 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
883 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
884 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
885 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
886 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
887 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
888 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
891 @node The Active File
892 @section The Active File
894 @cindex ignored groups
896 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
897 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
898 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
900 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
901 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
902 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
903 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
904 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
905 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
906 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
909 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
910 @c if you set it to anything else.
912 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
914 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
915 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
916 reading the active file. This variable is @code{t} by default.
918 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
919 you actually subscribe to.
921 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
922 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
923 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
924 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
926 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
927 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
928 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
929 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
930 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
931 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
933 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
934 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
935 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
936 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
937 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
938 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
940 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
941 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
944 @node Startup Variables
945 @section Startup Variables
950 @vindex gnus-load-hook
951 A hook that is run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
952 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
953 times you start Gnus.
955 @item gnus-startup-hook
956 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
957 A hook that is run after starting up Gnus successfully.
959 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
960 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
961 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
962 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
963 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
964 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
965 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
966 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
968 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
969 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
970 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
971 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
972 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
973 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
975 @item gnus-no-groups-message
976 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
977 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
979 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
980 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
981 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
983 @item gnus-startup-jingle
984 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
985 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
986 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
991 @node The Group Buffer
992 @chapter The Group Buffer
995 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
996 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
997 long as Gnus is active.
1000 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1001 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1002 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1003 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1004 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1005 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1006 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1007 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1008 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1009 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1010 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1011 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1012 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1013 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1014 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1015 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1016 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1020 @node Group Buffer Format
1021 @section Group Buffer Format
1024 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1025 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1026 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1030 @node Group Line Specification
1031 @subsection Group Line Specification
1032 @cindex group buffer format
1034 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1035 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1037 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1040 25: news.announce.newusers
1041 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1046 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1047 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1048 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1049 asterisk at the beginning of the line?)
1051 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1052 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1053 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1054 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1055 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1056 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1058 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1060 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1061 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1062 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1063 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1066 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1067 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1068 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1070 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1075 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1078 Whether the group is subscribed.
1081 Level of subscribedness.
1084 Number of unread articles.
1087 Number of dormant articles.
1090 Number of ticked articles.
1093 Number of read articles.
1096 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1097 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1100 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1103 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1112 Newsgroup description.
1115 @samp{m} if moderated.
1118 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1127 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1131 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1134 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1135 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1136 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1137 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1138 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1141 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1143 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1147 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1151 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1152 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
1153 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1154 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1155 paratere as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1156 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1161 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1162 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1163 group, or a bogus native group.
1166 @node Group Modeline Specification
1167 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1168 @cindex group modeline
1170 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1171 The mode line can be changed by setting
1172 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). It
1173 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1177 The native news server.
1179 The native select method.
1183 @node Group Highlighting
1184 @subsection Group Highlighting
1185 @cindex highlighting
1186 @cindex group highlighting
1188 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1189 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1190 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1191 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1192 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1194 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1198 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1200 ,(custom-face-lookup "Red" nil nil t nil nil))
1201 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) .
1202 ,(custom-face-lookup "SeaGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1204 ,(custom-face-lookup "SpringGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1206 ,(custom-face-lookup "SteelBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1208 ,(custom-face-lookup "SkyBlue" nil nil t nil nil))))
1211 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1218 The number of unread articles in the group.
1222 Whether the group is a mail group.
1224 The level of the group.
1226 The score of the group.
1228 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1230 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1233 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1234 topic being inserted.
1237 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1238 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1239 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1241 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1242 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1243 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1244 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1245 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1248 @node Group Maneuvering
1249 @section Group Maneuvering
1250 @cindex group movement
1252 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1253 expected, hopefully.
1259 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1260 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1261 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1267 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1268 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1269 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1273 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1274 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1278 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1279 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1283 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1284 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1285 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1289 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1290 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1291 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1294 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1300 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1301 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1302 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1307 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1308 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1309 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1313 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1314 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1315 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1318 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1319 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1320 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1321 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1325 @node Selecting a Group
1326 @section Selecting a Group
1327 @cindex group selection
1332 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1333 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1334 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1335 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1336 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1337 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1338 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1339 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1340 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1341 negative, Gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1345 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1346 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1347 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1348 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1349 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1353 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1354 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1355 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1356 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1357 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1358 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1359 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1360 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer.
1361 This might be useful if you want to toggle threading before entering the
1365 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1366 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1367 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1368 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1369 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1372 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1373 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1374 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1375 doing any processing of its contents
1376 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1377 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1378 manner will have no permanent effects.
1382 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1383 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1384 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1385 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1386 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1387 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1388 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1389 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1392 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1393 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1394 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1395 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1400 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1401 full summary buffer.
1404 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1407 Select the most high-scored article in the group when entering the
1411 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1412 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1413 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1417 @node Subscription Commands
1418 @section Subscription Commands
1419 @cindex subscription
1427 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1428 Toggle subscription to the current group
1429 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1435 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1436 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1437 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1438 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1444 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1445 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1451 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1452 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1455 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1456 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1457 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1458 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1459 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1465 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1466 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1470 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1471 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1474 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1475 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1476 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1477 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1478 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1479 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1480 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1481 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1482 @file{.newsrc} file.
1486 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1496 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1497 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1498 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1499 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1500 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1505 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1506 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1507 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1511 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1512 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1513 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1515 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1516 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1517 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1518 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1519 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1520 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1527 @section Group Levels
1531 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1532 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1533 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1534 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1535 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1537 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1543 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1544 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1545 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1546 prompted for a level.
1549 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1550 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1551 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1552 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1553 Gnus considers groups on between levels 1 and
1554 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1555 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1556 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1557 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1558 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (default 9),
1559 completely dead. Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly
1560 the same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what
1561 articles you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and
1562 living groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely
1563 for reasons of efficiency.
1565 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1566 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1568 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1569 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1570 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1572 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1573 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1574 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1575 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1576 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1577 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1578 relevant legal ranges.
1580 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1581 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1582 will only move to groups that are of the same level (or lower). In
1583 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1584 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1585 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1588 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1589 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1590 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1593 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1594 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1595 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1596 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1599 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1600 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1601 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1602 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1604 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1605 Gnus will normally just activate groups that are on level
1606 @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to activate
1607 unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable to
1608 5. The default is 6.
1612 @section Group Score
1615 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1616 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1617 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1620 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1621 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1622 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1623 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1624 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1625 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1626 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1628 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1629 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1630 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1631 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1632 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1633 action after each summary exit, you can add
1634 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1635 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1636 slow things down somewhat.
1639 @node Marking Groups
1640 @section Marking Groups
1641 @cindex marking groups
1643 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1644 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1645 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1646 bidding on those groups.
1648 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1649 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1650 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1658 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1659 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1665 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1666 Remove the mark from the current group
1667 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1671 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1672 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1676 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1677 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1681 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1682 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1686 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1687 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1688 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1691 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1693 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1694 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1695 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1696 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1697 the command to be executed.
1700 @node Foreign Groups
1701 @section Foreign Groups
1702 @cindex foreign groups
1704 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1705 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1706 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1707 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1714 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1715 @cindex making groups
1716 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1717 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1718 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1722 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1723 @cindex renaming groups
1724 Rename the current group to something else
1725 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is legal only on some
1726 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1732 @findex gnus-group-customize
1733 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1737 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1738 @cindex renaming groups
1739 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1740 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1744 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1745 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1746 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1750 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1751 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1752 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1756 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1758 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1759 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1764 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1765 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1769 @cindex (ding) archive
1770 @cindex archive group
1771 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1772 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1773 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1774 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1775 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1776 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1777 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1781 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1783 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1784 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1785 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1786 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1790 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1792 Read an arbitrary directory as if with were a newsgroup with the
1793 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1794 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1798 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1799 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1801 Make a group based on some file or other
1802 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1803 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1804 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1805 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs}, and
1806 @code{forward}. If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will
1807 guess at the file type. @xref{Document Groups}.
1811 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1816 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1817 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1818 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1819 search engine type and the search string. Legal search engine types
1820 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1821 @xref{Web Searches}.
1824 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1825 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1826 This function will delete the current group
1827 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1828 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1829 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1830 absolutely sure of what you are doing.
1834 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1835 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1836 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1840 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1841 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1842 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1845 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1848 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1849 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1850 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1851 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1852 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers.
1855 @node Group Parameters
1856 @section Group Parameters
1857 @cindex group parameters
1859 The group parameters store information local to a particular group:
1864 If the group parameter list contains an element that looks like
1865 @code{(to-address . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used by
1866 the backend when doing followups and posts. This is primarily useful in
1867 mail groups that represent closed mailing lists---mailing lists where
1868 it's expected that everybody that writes to the mailing list is
1869 subscribed to it. Since using this parameter ensures that the mail only
1870 goes to the mailing list itself, it means that members won't receive two
1871 copies of your followups.
1873 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
1874 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
1875 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
1876 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
1877 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
1878 list address instead.
1882 If the group parameter list has an element that looks like
1883 @code{(to-list . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used when
1884 doing a @kbd{a} in any group. It is totally ignored when doing a
1885 followup---except that if it is present in a news group, you'll get mail
1886 group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
1888 @item broken-reply-to
1889 @cindex broken-reply-to
1890 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
1891 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
1892 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
1893 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
1894 broken behavior. So there!
1898 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
1899 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
1903 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list, Gnus will treat
1904 all responses as if they were responses to news articles. This can be
1905 useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a news group.
1909 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list and set to
1910 @code{t}, new composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current
1911 group. If it is present and set to @code{none}, no @code{Gcc:} header
1912 will be generated, if it is present and a string, this string will be
1913 inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header (this symbol takes precedence over
1914 any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later).
1918 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list, all articles that
1919 are read will be marked as expirable. For an alternative approach,
1920 @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
1923 @cindex total-expire
1924 If this symbol is present, all read articles will be put through the
1925 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
1930 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
1931 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
1932 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
1933 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
1934 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
1935 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
1938 @cindex score file group parameter
1939 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
1940 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. This
1941 means that all score commands you issue will end up in that file.
1944 @cindex adapt file group parameter
1945 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
1946 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
1947 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
1950 When unsubscribing to a mailing list you should never send the
1951 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
1952 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
1953 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
1956 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} says which articles to
1957 display on entering the group. Legal values are:
1961 Display all articles, both read and unread.
1964 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
1969 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
1970 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
1971 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
1974 @item @var{(variable form)}
1975 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
1976 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
1977 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
1978 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
1979 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
1980 @code{eval}ed there.
1982 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
1983 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
1984 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
1985 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
1986 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
1990 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group.
1992 Also @pxref{Topic Parameters}.
1995 @node Listing Groups
1996 @section Listing Groups
1997 @cindex group listing
1999 These commands all list various slices of the groups that are available.
2007 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2008 List all groups that have unread articles
2009 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2010 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2011 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2012 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2019 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2020 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2021 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2022 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2023 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2024 unsubscribed groups).
2028 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2029 List all unread groups on a specific level
2030 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2031 with no unread articles.
2035 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2036 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2037 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2038 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2043 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2044 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2048 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2049 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2050 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2054 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2055 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2059 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2060 List absolutely all groups that are in the active file(s) of the
2061 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2062 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2063 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2064 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list group that
2065 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they are killed groups.
2066 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2070 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2071 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2072 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2076 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2077 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2078 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2082 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2083 @cindex visible group parameter
2084 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2085 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2086 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2087 get the same effect.
2089 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2090 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2091 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2092 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2093 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2096 @node Sorting Groups
2097 @section Sorting Groups
2098 @cindex sorting groups
2100 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2101 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2102 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2103 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2104 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2105 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2110 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2111 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2112 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2114 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2115 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2116 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2118 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2119 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2120 Sort by group level.
2122 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2123 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2124 Sort by group score.
2126 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2127 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2128 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2129 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}.
2131 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2132 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2133 Sort by number of unread articles.
2135 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2136 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2137 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2142 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2143 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2147 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2148 some sorting criteria:
2152 @kindex G S a (Group)
2153 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2154 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2155 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2158 @kindex G S u (Group)
2159 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2160 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2161 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2164 @kindex G S l (Group)
2165 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2166 Sort the group buffer by group level
2167 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2170 @kindex G S v (Group)
2171 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2172 Sort the group buffer by group score
2173 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}).
2176 @kindex G S r (Group)
2177 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2178 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2179 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}).
2182 @kindex G S m (Group)
2183 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2184 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2185 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2189 When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
2191 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2195 @kindex G P a (Group)
2196 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2197 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2198 group name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2201 @kindex G P u (Group)
2202 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2203 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by the number of
2204 unread articles (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2207 @kindex G P l (Group)
2208 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2209 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group level
2210 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2213 @kindex G P v (Group)
2214 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2215 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group score
2216 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}).
2219 @kindex G P r (Group)
2220 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2221 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group rank
2222 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}).
2225 @kindex G P m (Group)
2226 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2227 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2228 backend name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2234 @node Group Maintenance
2235 @section Group Maintenance
2236 @cindex bogus groups
2241 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2242 Find bogus groups and delete them
2243 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2247 @findex gnus-find-new-newsgroups
2248 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-find-new-newsgroups}). If
2249 given a prefix, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server for
2253 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2254 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2255 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2256 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2259 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2260 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2261 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2262 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2267 @node Browse Foreign Server
2268 @section Browse Foreign Server
2269 @cindex foreign servers
2270 @cindex browsing servers
2275 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2276 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2277 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2278 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2281 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2282 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2283 will be use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2284 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2286 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2291 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2292 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2296 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2297 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2300 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2301 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2302 Enter the current group and display the first article
2303 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2306 @kindex RET (Browse)
2307 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2308 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2312 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2313 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2314 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2320 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2321 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2325 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2326 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2327 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2332 @section Exiting Gnus
2333 @cindex exiting Gnus
2335 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2340 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2341 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2342 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2343 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2347 @findex gnus-group-exit
2348 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2352 @findex gnus-group-quit
2353 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2354 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2357 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2358 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2359 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2360 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2361 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2366 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2367 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2368 trying to customize meta-variables.
2373 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2374 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2375 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2381 @section Group Topics
2384 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2385 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2386 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2387 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2388 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2389 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2397 2: alt.religion.emacs
2400 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2402 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2403 13: comp.sources.unix
2406 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2408 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2409 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2410 is a toggling command.)
2412 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2413 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2414 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2415 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2418 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2419 the hook for the group mode:
2422 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2426 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2427 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2428 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2429 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2430 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2434 @node Topic Variables
2435 @subsection Topic Variables
2436 @cindex topic variables
2438 Now, if you select a topic, if will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2439 really neat, I think.
2441 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2442 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2443 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2456 Number of groups in the topic.
2458 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2460 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2463 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2464 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2465 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2468 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2469 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2471 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2472 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2473 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2476 @node Topic Commands
2477 @subsection Topic Commands
2478 @cindex topic commands
2480 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2481 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2482 definitions slightly.
2488 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2489 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2490 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2494 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2495 Move the current group to some other topic
2496 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2497 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2501 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2502 Copy the current group to some other topic
2503 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2504 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2508 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2509 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2510 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2511 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2515 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2516 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2517 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2521 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2522 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2523 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2527 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2528 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2529 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2532 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2533 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2534 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2535 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2539 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2541 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2542 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2543 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2544 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2545 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2546 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2549 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2550 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2551 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2552 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2553 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2557 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2558 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2559 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2563 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2564 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2565 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2570 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2571 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2574 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2575 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2576 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2580 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2581 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2582 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2586 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2587 @cindex group parameters
2588 @cindex topic parameters
2590 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2591 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2597 @subsection Topic Sorting
2598 @cindex topic sorting
2600 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2606 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2607 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2608 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2609 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2612 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2613 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2614 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2615 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2618 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2619 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2620 Sort the current topic by group level
2621 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2624 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2625 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2626 Sort the current topic by group score
2627 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}).
2630 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2631 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2632 Sort the current topic by group rank
2633 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}).
2636 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2637 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2638 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2639 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2643 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2646 @node Topic Topology
2647 @subsection Topic Topology
2648 @cindex topic topology
2651 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2657 2: alt.religion.emacs
2660 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2662 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2663 13: comp.sources.unix
2666 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2667 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2668 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2673 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2674 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2678 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2679 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2680 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2681 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2682 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2683 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2685 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2686 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2687 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2690 @node Topic Parameters
2691 @subsection Topic Parameters
2692 @cindex topic parameters
2694 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2695 ancestor) topic parameters. All legal group parameters are legal topic
2696 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2698 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2699 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2700 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2701 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2707 2: alt.religion.emacs
2711 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2713 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2714 13: comp.sources.unix
2718 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2719 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2720 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2721 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2722 @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2723 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2725 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2726 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2727 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2728 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2729 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2731 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2732 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2733 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2734 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2735 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2736 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2737 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2738 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2741 @node Misc Group Stuff
2742 @section Misc Group Stuff
2745 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2746 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
2747 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
2748 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
2755 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2756 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
2757 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
2761 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2762 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). The current
2763 group name will be used as the default.
2767 @findex gnus-group-mail
2768 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2772 Variables for the group buffer:
2776 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2777 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2778 @code{gnus-group-mode-hook} is called after the group buffer has been
2781 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2782 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2783 @code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} is called after the group buffer is
2784 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2787 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2788 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2789 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
2790 whether they are empty or not.
2795 @node Scanning New Messages
2796 @subsection Scanning New Messages
2797 @cindex new messages
2798 @cindex scanning new news
2804 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
2805 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
2806 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
2807 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
2808 command will force a total rereading of the active file(s) from the
2813 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
2814 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
2815 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
2816 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
2817 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
2818 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
2820 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
2821 @cindex activating groups
2823 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
2824 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
2829 @findex gnus-group-restart
2830 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
2831 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
2832 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
2836 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
2837 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
2839 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
2840 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
2844 @node Group Information
2845 @subsection Group Information
2846 @cindex group information
2847 @cindex information on groups
2855 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
2856 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
2859 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
2860 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
2861 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
2862 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
2863 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
2864 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
2865 for fetching the file.
2867 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
2868 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
2873 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
2874 @cindex describing groups
2875 @cindex group description
2876 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
2877 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
2878 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
2882 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
2883 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
2884 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
2889 @findex gnus-version
2890 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
2894 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
2895 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
2898 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
2901 @findex gnus-info-find-node
2902 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
2906 @node Group Timestamp
2907 @subsection Group Timestamp
2909 @cindex group timestamps
2911 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
2912 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
2913 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
2916 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
2919 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
2921 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
2922 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
2925 (setq gnus-group-line-format
2926 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
2929 This will result in lines looking like:
2932 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
2933 0: custom 19961002T012713
2936 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
2937 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
2941 (setq gnus-group-line-format
2942 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
2947 @subsection File Commands
2948 @cindex file commands
2954 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
2955 @vindex gnus-init-file
2956 @cindex reading init file
2957 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
2958 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
2962 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
2963 @cindex saving .newsrc
2964 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
2965 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
2966 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
2969 @c @kindex Z (Group)
2970 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
2971 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
2976 @node The Summary Buffer
2977 @chapter The Summary Buffer
2978 @cindex summary buffer
2980 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
2981 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
2983 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
2984 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
2986 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
2989 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
2990 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
2991 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
2992 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
2993 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
2994 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
2995 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
2996 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
2997 * Threading:: How threads are made.
2998 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
2999 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3000 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3001 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3002 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3003 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3004 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3005 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3006 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3007 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3008 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3009 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3010 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3011 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3012 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3013 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3014 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3015 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3019 @node Summary Buffer Format
3020 @section Summary Buffer Format
3021 @cindex summary buffer format
3024 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3025 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3026 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3029 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3030 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3031 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3032 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3033 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3034 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined function exist:
3035 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3036 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3037 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3038 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3039 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead.
3041 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3042 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3043 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3044 with those specs that require it. The default is @samp{}.
3047 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3048 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3050 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3051 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3052 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3053 lines a a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3054 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3056 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3058 The following format specification characters are understood:
3066 Subject if the article is the root or the previous article had a
3067 different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3068 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @samp{}.)
3070 Full @code{From} header.
3072 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3074 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3075 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3076 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3077 may be more thorough.
3079 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3082 Number of lines in the article.
3084 Number of characters in the article.
3086 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3088 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3089 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3091 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3092 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3094 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3095 for adopted articles.
3097 One space for each thread level.
3099 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3107 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3108 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3109 default level. If the difference between
3110 @code{gnus-summary-default-level} and the score is less than
3111 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3119 The @code{Date} in @code{YY-MMM} format.
3121 The @code{Date} in @code{YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS} format.
3127 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3128 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3130 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3131 article has any children.
3135 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3136 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
3137 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3138 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3139 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3140 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3143 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3144 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3145 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3146 that. This means that it is illegal to have these specs after a
3147 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3148 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3150 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3151 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3153 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3156 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3157 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3159 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3160 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar. Set
3161 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you like. The default
3162 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3164 Here are the elements you can play with:
3170 Unprefixed group name.
3172 Current article number.
3176 Number of unread articles in this group.
3178 Number of unselected articles in this group.
3180 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3181 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3182 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3183 and no unselected ones.
3185 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3186 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3188 Subject of the current article.
3192 Name of the current score file.
3194 Number of dormant articles.
3196 Number of ticked articles.
3198 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3200 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3204 @node Summary Highlighting
3205 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3209 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3210 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3211 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3212 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3213 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3215 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3216 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3217 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3218 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3220 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3221 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3222 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) that is used to
3223 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3225 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3226 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3227 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3228 list where the elements are on the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3229 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3230 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3232 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3233 ((> score default) . bold))
3235 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3236 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3240 @node Summary Maneuvering
3241 @section Summary Maneuvering
3242 @cindex summary movement
3244 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3245 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3247 None of these commands select articles.
3252 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3253 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3254 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3255 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3256 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3260 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3261 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3262 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3263 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3264 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3269 @kindex G j (Summary)
3270 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3271 Ask for an article number and then go to that article
3272 (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3275 @kindex G g (Summary)
3276 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3277 Ask for an article number and then go the summary line of that article
3278 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3281 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3282 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3283 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3284 to the group buffer.
3286 Variables related to summary movement:
3290 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3291 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3292 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3293 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
3294 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3295 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3296 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
3297 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3298 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
3299 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3300 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3301 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3302 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3303 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3305 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3306 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3307 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3308 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3309 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3310 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) This variable is not
3311 particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3313 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3314 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3315 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3316 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3317 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3319 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3320 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3321 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3322 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3323 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3324 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3325 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3326 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3332 @node Choosing Articles
3333 @section Choosing Articles
3334 @cindex selecting articles
3337 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3338 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3342 @node Choosing Commands
3343 @subsection Choosing Commands
3345 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3346 and they all select and display an article.
3350 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3351 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3352 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3353 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3358 @kindex G n (Summary)
3359 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3360 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3365 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3366 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3371 @kindex G N (Summary)
3372 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3373 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3378 @kindex G P (Summary)
3379 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3380 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3383 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3384 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3385 Go to the next article with the same subject
3386 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3389 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3390 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3391 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3392 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3396 @kindex G f (Summary)
3398 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3399 Go to the first unread article
3400 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3404 @kindex G b (Summary)
3406 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3407 Go to the article with the highest score
3408 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3413 @kindex G l (Summary)
3414 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3415 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3418 @kindex G p (Summary)
3419 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3420 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3421 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3422 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3423 history as you like.
3427 @node Choosing Variables
3428 @subsection Choosing Variables
3430 Some variables that are relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3433 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3434 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3435 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3436 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3437 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3438 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3440 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3441 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3442 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3443 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3445 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3446 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3447 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3448 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3449 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3450 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3451 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3452 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3453 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3454 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3455 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3456 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3457 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3458 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3463 @node Paging the Article
3464 @section Scrolling the Article
3465 @cindex article scrolling
3470 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3471 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3472 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3473 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3474 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3477 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3478 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3479 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3482 @kindex RET (Summary)
3483 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3484 Scroll the current article one line forward
3485 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3489 @kindex A g (Summary)
3491 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3492 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3493 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3494 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3495 the way it came from the server.
3500 @kindex A < (Summary)
3501 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3502 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3503 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3508 @kindex A > (Summary)
3509 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3510 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3514 @kindex A s (Summary)
3516 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3517 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3518 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3523 @node Reply Followup and Post
3524 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3527 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3528 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3532 @node Summary Mail Commands
3533 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3535 @cindex composing mail
3537 Commands for composing a mail message:
3543 @kindex S r (Summary)
3545 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3546 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3547 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3552 @kindex S R (Summary)
3553 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3554 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3555 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3556 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3559 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3560 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3561 Forward the current article to some other person
3562 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3563 headers of the forwarded article.
3568 @kindex S m (Summary)
3569 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3570 Send a mail to some other person
3571 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3574 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3575 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3576 @cindex bouncing mail
3577 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3578 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3579 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3580 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3581 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3582 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
3583 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3584 very well fail, though.
3587 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3588 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3589 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3590 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3591 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3592 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3593 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3594 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3595 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3596 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3598 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3599 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3600 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3601 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3602 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
3605 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3606 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3607 Digest the current series and forward the result using mail
3608 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3609 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3612 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
3613 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
3614 @cindex crossposting
3615 @cindex excessive crossposting
3616 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
3617 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
3619 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
3620 This command is provided as a way to fight back agains the current
3621 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
3622 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
3623 command understands the process/prefix convention
3624 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
3629 @node Summary Post Commands
3630 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3632 @cindex composing news
3634 Commands for posting a news article:
3640 @kindex S p (Summary)
3641 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
3642 Post an article to the current group
3643 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
3648 @kindex S f (Summary)
3649 @findex gnus-summary-followup
3650 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
3654 @kindex S F (Summary)
3656 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
3657 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
3658 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
3659 process/prefix convention.
3662 @kindex S n (Summary)
3663 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
3664 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3665 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
3668 @kindex S n (Summary)
3669 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
3670 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3671 message through mail and include the original message
3672 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
3673 the process/prefix convention.
3676 @kindex S o p (Summary)
3677 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
3678 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
3679 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3680 headers of the forwarded article.
3683 @kindex S O p (Summary)
3684 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
3685 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
3686 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}).
3689 @kindex S u (Summary)
3690 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
3691 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
3692 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
3696 @node Canceling and Superseding
3697 @section Canceling Articles
3698 @cindex canceling articles
3699 @cindex superseding articles
3701 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
3702 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
3704 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
3706 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
3708 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
3709 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
3710 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
3711 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
3713 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
3714 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
3717 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
3718 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
3719 your original article.
3721 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
3723 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
3724 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
3725 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
3728 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
3729 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
3730 have posted almost the same article twice.
3732 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
3733 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
3734 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
3735 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
3736 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
3737 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
3738 header by substituting one of those words for the word
3739 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
3740 you would do normally. The previous article will be
3741 canceled/superseded.
3743 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
3746 @node Marking Articles
3747 @section Marking Articles
3748 @cindex article marking
3749 @cindex article ticking
3752 There are several marks you can set on an article.
3754 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
3755 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
3756 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
3758 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
3761 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
3762 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
3763 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
3767 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
3771 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
3772 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
3776 @node Unread Articles
3777 @subsection Unread Articles
3779 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
3784 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
3785 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
3787 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
3788 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
3789 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
3790 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
3791 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
3795 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
3796 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
3798 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
3799 are followups to it.
3802 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
3803 Markes as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
3805 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
3810 @subsection Read Articles
3811 @cindex expirable mark
3813 All the following marks mark articles as read.
3818 @vindex gnus-del-mark
3819 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
3820 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
3823 @vindex gnus-read-mark
3824 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
3827 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
3828 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
3829 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
3832 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
3833 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
3836 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
3837 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
3840 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
3841 Marked as read by having a too low score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
3844 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
3845 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
3848 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
3849 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
3852 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
3853 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
3856 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
3857 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
3861 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
3862 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
3863 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
3867 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
3868 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
3870 One more special mark, though:
3874 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
3875 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
3877 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
3878 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
3879 control the expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
3880 articles that are marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
3886 @subsection Other Marks
3887 @cindex process mark
3890 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
3896 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
3897 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
3898 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
3899 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
3900 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}
3903 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
3904 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
3905 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
3906 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
3909 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
3910 Articles that are stored in the article cache will be marked with an
3911 @samp{*} in the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}).
3914 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
3915 Articles that are ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
3916 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
3917 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}.
3920 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
3921 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
3922 It the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
3923 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
3924 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
3927 @vindex gnus-process-mark
3928 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}. A
3929 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
3930 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
3931 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
3932 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
3936 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
3937 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
3938 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
3940 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
3941 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
3942 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
3946 @subsection Setting Marks
3947 @cindex setting marks
3949 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
3955 @kindex M t (Summary)
3956 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
3957 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
3962 @kindex M ? (Summary)
3963 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
3964 Mark the current article as dormant
3965 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}).
3969 @kindex M d (Summary)
3971 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
3972 Mark the current article as read
3973 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
3977 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
3978 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
3979 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
3984 @kindex M k (Summary)
3985 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
3986 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
3987 and then select the next unread article
3988 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
3992 @kindex M K (Summary)
3993 @kindex C-k (Summary)
3994 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
3995 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
3996 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
3999 @kindex M C (Summary)
4000 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4001 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4004 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4005 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4006 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4007 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4010 @kindex M H (Summary)
4011 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4012 Catchup the current group to point
4013 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4016 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4017 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4018 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4019 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4022 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4023 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4024 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4025 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4029 @kindex M c (Summary)
4030 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4031 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4032 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4033 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}).
4037 @kindex M e (Summary)
4039 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4040 Mark the current article as expirable
4041 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4044 @kindex M b (Summary)
4045 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4046 Set a bookmark in the current article
4047 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4050 @kindex M B (Summary)
4051 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4052 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4053 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4056 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4057 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4058 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4059 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4062 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4063 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4064 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4065 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4068 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4069 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4070 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4071 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4072 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4075 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4076 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4077 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4078 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4079 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4080 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4081 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4082 The default is @code{t}.
4085 @node Setting Process Marks
4086 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4087 @cindex setting process marks
4094 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4095 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4096 Mark the current article with the process mark
4097 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4098 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4102 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4103 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4104 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4105 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4108 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4109 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4110 Remove the process mark from all articles
4111 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4114 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4115 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4116 Invert the list of process marked articles
4117 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4120 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4121 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4122 Mark articles by a regular expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4125 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4126 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4127 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4130 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4131 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4132 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4133 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4136 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4137 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4138 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4139 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4142 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4143 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4144 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4145 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4148 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4149 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4150 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4153 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4154 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4155 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4156 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4159 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4160 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4161 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4164 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4165 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4166 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4167 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4170 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4171 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4172 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4173 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4176 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4177 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4178 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4179 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4182 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4183 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4184 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4185 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4194 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4195 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4196 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4203 @kindex / / (Summary)
4204 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4205 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4206 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4209 @kindex / a (Summary)
4210 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4211 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4212 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4216 @kindex / u (Summary)
4218 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4219 Limit the summary buffer to articles that are not marked as read
4220 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4221 buffer to articles that are strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4222 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4225 @kindex / m (Summary)
4226 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4227 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have not been marked
4228 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4231 @kindex / n (Summary)
4232 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4233 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4234 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4235 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4238 @kindex / w (Summary)
4239 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4240 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4241 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4245 @kindex / v (Summary)
4246 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4247 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4248 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4252 @kindex M S (Summary)
4253 @kindex / E (Summary)
4254 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4255 Display all expunged articles
4256 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4259 @kindex / D (Summary)
4260 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4261 Display all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4264 @kindex / d (Summary)
4265 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4266 Hide all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4269 @kindex / c (Summary)
4270 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4271 Hide all dormant articles that have no children
4272 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4275 @kindex / C (Summary)
4276 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4277 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4278 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4279 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4287 @cindex article threading
4289 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put replies to
4290 articles directly after the articles they reply to---in a hierarchical
4294 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4295 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4299 @node Customizing Threading
4300 @subsection Customizing Threading
4301 @cindex customizing threading
4307 @item gnus-show-threads
4308 @vindex gnus-show-threads
4309 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
4310 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
4311 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
4312 slower and more awkward.
4314 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4315 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4316 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4317 more old headers---headers to articles that are marked as read. If you
4318 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
4319 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
4320 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
4321 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
4322 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
4323 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
4324 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
4325 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
4327 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
4328 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
4329 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
4330 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
4331 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
4332 articles that belong in the same thread together. This will leave
4333 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
4334 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
4335 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
4336 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
4337 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
4338 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
4339 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
4340 @code{nil} by default.
4342 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4343 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4344 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4345 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
4346 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4347 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4348 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subjects lines. If
4349 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4350 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4351 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
4352 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4354 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4355 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
4356 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects.
4358 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4359 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4360 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4361 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4362 simplification is used.
4364 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4365 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4366 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4367 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4369 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4371 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4377 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4378 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4379 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4380 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4385 (mapconcat 'identity
4386 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4388 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4391 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4394 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4395 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4396 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4397 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4398 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4399 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4400 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process. The
4401 default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4403 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4404 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4405 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4406 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4407 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4408 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4409 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever includes unrelated
4410 articles, but it's also means that people who have posted with broken
4411 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4415 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4416 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4417 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4418 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4420 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4421 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4422 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4425 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4429 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4430 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4433 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4434 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4435 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4436 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4437 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4438 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4440 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
4441 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
4442 There are four possible values:
4444 @cindex adopting articles
4449 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4450 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4451 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4452 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4455 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4456 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4457 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4458 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4459 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4460 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4461 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4464 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4465 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4466 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4470 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4471 display them after one another.
4474 Don't gather loose threads.
4477 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4478 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4479 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
4482 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
4483 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
4484 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
4487 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4488 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4489 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
4490 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
4491 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
4494 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
4495 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
4496 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
4501 @node Thread Commands
4502 @subsection Thread Commands
4503 @cindex thread commands
4509 @kindex T k (Summary)
4510 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
4511 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
4512 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
4513 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
4514 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
4519 @kindex T l (Summary)
4520 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
4521 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
4522 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
4523 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
4526 @kindex T i (Summary)
4527 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
4528 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
4529 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
4532 @kindex T # (Summary)
4533 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4534 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
4535 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4538 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
4539 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4540 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
4541 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4544 @kindex T T (Summary)
4545 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
4546 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
4549 @kindex T s (Summary)
4550 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
4551 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
4552 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
4555 @kindex T h (Summary)
4556 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
4557 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
4560 @kindex T S (Summary)
4561 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
4562 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
4565 @kindex T H (Summary)
4566 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
4567 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
4570 @kindex T t (Summary)
4571 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
4572 Re-thread the thread the current article is part of
4573 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
4574 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
4577 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
4578 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
4579 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
4580 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}.
4584 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
4585 understand the numeric prefix.
4590 @kindex T n (Summary)
4591 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
4592 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
4595 @kindex T p (Summary)
4596 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
4597 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
4600 @kindex T d (Summary)
4601 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
4602 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
4605 @kindex T u (Summary)
4606 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
4607 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
4610 @kindex T o (Summary)
4611 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
4612 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
4615 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
4616 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
4617 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
4618 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
4619 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
4620 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
4621 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If is
4622 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
4623 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
4624 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
4625 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
4626 that have subjects that are fuzzily equal will be included.
4632 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
4633 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
4634 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
4635 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4636 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
4637 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4638 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
4639 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
4640 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
4641 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
4642 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
4643 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
4644 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
4645 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
4647 Each function takes two threads and return non-@code{nil} if the first
4648 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
4649 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
4650 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
4651 in the list. You should probably always include
4652 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
4653 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
4654 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
4655 ascending article order.
4657 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
4658 number, you could do something like:
4661 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4662 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4663 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4664 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
4667 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
4668 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
4669 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
4670 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
4671 which the articles arrived.
4673 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
4677 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4679 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
4680 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
4683 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
4684 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
4685 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
4686 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
4689 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
4690 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
4691 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
4692 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
4693 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
4694 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
4695 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
4696 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
4697 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
4698 is uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
4699 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
4700 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
4701 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
4703 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
4707 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
4708 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
4709 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
4714 @node Asynchronous Fetching
4715 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
4716 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
4717 @cindex article pre-fetch
4720 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
4721 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
4722 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
4723 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
4724 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
4726 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
4727 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
4729 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
4730 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
4731 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
4732 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
4733 connection is blocked.
4735 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
4736 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
4737 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
4738 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
4740 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
4741 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
4742 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
4743 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
4746 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
4749 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
4750 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
4751 happen automatically.
4753 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
4754 You can control how many articles that are to be pre-fetched by setting
4755 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
4756 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
4757 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
4758 pre-fetch all the articles that it can without bound. If it is
4759 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be made.
4761 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
4762 @findex gnus-async-read-p
4763 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
4764 articles, for instance. Which articles to pre-fetch is controlled by
4765 the @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable. This function should
4766 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
4767 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
4768 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
4769 data structure as the only parameter.
4771 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles that are
4772 shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
4775 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
4776 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
4777 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
4778 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
4781 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
4784 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
4785 preferrably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
4786 It's also probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
4788 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
4789 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
4790 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
4791 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
4795 Remove articles when they are read.
4798 Remove articles when exiting the group.
4801 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
4803 @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
4804 If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
4805 from the next group.
4808 @node Article Caching
4809 @section Article Caching
4810 @cindex article caching
4813 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
4814 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
4815 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
4816 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
4817 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
4819 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
4821 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
4822 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
4823 @vindex gnus-use-cache
4824 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
4825 all articles that are ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
4826 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
4827 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
4828 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
4830 When re-select a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
4831 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
4832 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
4833 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
4834 as dormant, and don't worry.
4836 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
4838 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
4839 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
4840 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
4841 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
4842 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
4843 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
4844 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
4845 articles that are marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
4846 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
4847 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
4849 @findex gnus-jog-cache
4850 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
4851 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
4852 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, and store them in
4853 the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this command if 1)
4854 your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really, really slow
4855 and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk. Seriously.
4857 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
4858 It is likely that you do not want caching on some groups. For instance,
4859 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
4860 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
4861 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space. To limit the caching,
4862 you could set the @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to
4863 @samp{^nnml}, for instance. This variable is @code{nil} by
4866 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
4867 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
4868 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
4869 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
4870 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
4871 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
4872 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
4873 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
4874 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
4878 @node Persistent Articles
4879 @section Persistent Articles
4880 @cindex persistent articles
4882 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
4883 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
4884 useful in my opinion.
4886 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
4887 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
4888 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
4889 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
4890 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
4891 the expiry going on at the news server.
4893 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
4894 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
4895 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
4901 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
4902 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
4905 @kindex M-* (Summary)
4906 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
4907 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
4908 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
4912 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
4914 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
4915 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
4916 interested in persistent articles:
4919 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
4923 @node Article Backlog
4924 @section Article Backlog
4926 @cindex article backlog
4928 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
4929 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
4930 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
4931 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
4932 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
4933 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
4934 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
4935 increase memory usage some.
4937 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
4938 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
4939 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
4940 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
4941 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
4942 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
4943 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
4945 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
4948 @node Saving Articles
4949 @section Saving Articles
4950 @cindex saving articles
4952 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
4953 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
4954 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
4955 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
4956 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
4958 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
4959 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
4960 unwanted headers before saving the article.
4962 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
4963 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
4964 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
4965 deleted before saving.
4971 @kindex O o (Summary)
4973 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
4974 Save the current article using the default article saver
4975 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
4978 @kindex O m (Summary)
4979 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
4980 Save the current article in mail format
4981 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
4984 @kindex O r (Summary)
4985 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
4986 Save the current article in rmail format
4987 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
4990 @kindex O f (Summary)
4991 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
4992 Save the current article in plain file format
4993 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
4996 @kindex O F (Summary)
4997 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
4998 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
4999 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5002 @kindex O b (Summary)
5003 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5004 Save the current article body in plain file format
5005 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5008 @kindex O h (Summary)
5009 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5010 Save the current article in mh folder format
5011 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5014 @kindex O v (Summary)
5015 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5016 Save the current article in a VM folder
5017 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5020 @kindex O p (Summary)
5021 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5022 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5023 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5026 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5027 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5028 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5029 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5030 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5031 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5032 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5033 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5034 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5035 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5036 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5037 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5041 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5042 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5043 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
5044 functions below, or you can create your own.
5048 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5049 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5050 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5051 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5052 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5053 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5054 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5056 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5057 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5058 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5059 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5060 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5061 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5063 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5064 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5065 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5066 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5067 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5068 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5069 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5071 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5072 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5073 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5074 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5075 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5077 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5078 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5079 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5080 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5081 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5084 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5085 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5086 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5087 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5088 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}. The former creates capitalized names, and
5089 the latter does not.
5091 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5092 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5093 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5094 reader to use this setting.
5097 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5098 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5099 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5100 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5103 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5104 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5105 available functions that generate names:
5109 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5110 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5111 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5113 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5114 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5115 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5117 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5118 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5119 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5121 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5122 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5123 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5126 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5127 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
5128 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
5129 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
5130 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
5134 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5135 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5136 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5137 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5140 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5141 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5142 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5143 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5144 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5145 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5146 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5147 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5148 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5150 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5151 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5152 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5153 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5155 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5156 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5157 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5160 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5161 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5162 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5163 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5164 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5165 all the files in the toplevel directory
5166 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5167 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5168 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5169 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5171 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5172 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5173 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5174 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5175 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5178 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5182 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5183 (setq gnus-default-article-save 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5186 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5187 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5188 the toplevel directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5189 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5192 @node Decoding Articles
5193 @section Decoding Articles
5194 @cindex decoding articles
5196 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5197 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5200 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5201 * Shared Articles:: Unshar articles.
5202 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5203 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5204 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5207 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5208 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5209 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5210 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5211 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5213 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5214 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5215 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5217 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
5218 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5219 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5221 Subjects that are nonstandard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5222 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5223 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5226 @node Uuencoded Articles
5227 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5229 @cindex uuencoded articles
5234 @kindex X u (Summary)
5235 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5236 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5239 @kindex X U (Summary)
5240 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5241 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5242 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5245 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5246 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5247 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5250 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5251 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5252 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5253 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5256 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5257 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5258 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5259 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5260 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5262 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5263 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5264 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5265 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5268 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5269 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5270 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5271 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5272 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5273 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5277 @node Shared Articles
5278 @subsection Shared Articles
5280 @cindex shared articles
5285 @kindex X s (Summary)
5286 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5287 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5290 @kindex X S (Summary)
5291 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5292 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5295 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5296 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5297 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5300 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5301 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5302 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5303 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5307 @node PostScript Files
5308 @subsection PostScript Files
5314 @kindex X p (Summary)
5315 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5316 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5319 @kindex X P (Summary)
5320 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5321 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5322 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5325 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5326 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5327 View the current PostScript series
5328 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5331 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5332 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5333 View and save the current PostScript series
5334 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5338 @node Decoding Variables
5339 @subsection Decoding Variables
5341 Adjective, not verb.
5344 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
5345 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
5346 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
5350 @node Rule Variables
5351 @subsubsection Rule Variables
5352 @cindex rule variables
5354 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
5355 variables are on the form
5358 (list '(regexp1 command2)
5365 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5366 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5368 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
5369 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
5372 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5373 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
5376 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5377 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5378 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
5379 user and default view rules.
5381 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5382 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5383 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
5388 @node Other Decode Variables
5389 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
5392 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5394 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5395 All functions in this list will be called right each file has been
5396 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
5397 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
5398 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
5402 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
5403 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
5406 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
5407 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
5408 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
5411 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5412 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5413 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
5414 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
5415 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
5418 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5419 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5420 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
5422 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5423 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5424 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
5425 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
5426 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
5429 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5430 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5431 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
5433 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5434 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5435 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
5436 looking for files to display.
5438 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
5439 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
5440 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
5443 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5444 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5445 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
5448 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5449 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5450 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
5453 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5454 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5455 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
5458 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5459 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5460 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark articles that were
5461 unsuccessfully decoded as unread.
5463 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5464 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5465 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
5466 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
5468 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5469 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5471 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
5472 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
5473 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
5474 @code{metamail} for viewing.
5476 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5477 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5478 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
5479 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
5480 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
5481 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
5482 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
5483 simply dropped them.
5488 @node Uuencoding and Posting
5489 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
5493 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5494 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5495 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
5496 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
5497 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
5498 for you when you post the article.
5500 @item gnus-uu-post-length
5501 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
5502 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
5503 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
5505 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
5506 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
5507 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
5508 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen are able
5509 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
5510 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
5511 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
5513 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5514 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5515 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
5516 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
5517 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
5518 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
5519 Default is @code{t}.
5525 @subsection Viewing Files
5526 @cindex viewing files
5527 @cindex pseudo-articles
5529 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
5530 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
5531 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
5532 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
5533 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
5534 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
5535 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
5537 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
5538 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
5539 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
5540 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
5542 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
5543 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
5544 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
5546 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
5547 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
5548 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
5549 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
5550 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
5552 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
5553 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
5554 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
5555 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
5556 a list of parameters to that command.
5558 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
5559 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
5560 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
5562 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
5563 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
5564 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
5567 @node Article Treatment
5568 @section Article Treatment
5570 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
5571 object of newsreaders are to actually, like, read what people have
5572 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
5573 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
5574 these articles easier.
5577 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
5578 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look niced.
5579 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
5580 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
5581 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
5582 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
5583 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
5587 @node Article Highlighting
5588 @subsection Article Highlighting
5591 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
5592 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
5597 @kindex W H a (Summary)
5598 @findex gnus-article-highlight
5599 Highlight the current article (@code{gnus-article-highlight}).
5602 @kindex W H h (Summary)
5603 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
5604 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
5605 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
5606 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
5607 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
5608 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
5609 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name and
5610 @var{content} is the face for highlighting the header value. The first
5611 match made will be used. Note that @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^}
5612 prepended---Gnus will add one.
5615 @kindex W H c (Summary)
5616 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
5617 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
5619 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
5622 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
5624 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
5625 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
5626 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
5628 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
5629 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
5630 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
5632 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
5633 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
5634 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
5636 @item gnus-cite-face-list
5637 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
5638 List of faces used for highlighting citations. When there are citations
5639 from multiple articles in the same message, Gnus will try to give each
5640 citation from each article its own face. This should make it easier to
5643 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
5644 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
5645 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
5647 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
5648 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
5649 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
5651 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
5652 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
5653 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
5654 that it's a citation.
5656 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
5657 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
5658 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
5660 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
5661 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
5662 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
5664 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
5665 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
5666 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
5667 cited text belonging to the attribution.
5673 @kindex W H s (Summary)
5674 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
5675 @vindex gnus-signature-face
5676 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
5677 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
5678 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
5679 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
5680 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
5686 @node Article Fontisizing
5687 @subsection Article Fontisizing
5689 @cindex article emphasis
5691 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
5692 @kindex W e (Summary)
5693 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
5694 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*}. Gnus can make this look nicer by
5695 running the article through the @kbd{W e}
5696 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
5698 @vindex gnus-article-emphasis
5699 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
5700 @code{gnus-article-emphasis} variable. This is an alist where the first
5701 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
5702 that says what regular expression grouping used to find the entire
5703 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
5704 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
5705 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
5709 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
5710 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
5711 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
5714 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
5715 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
5716 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
5717 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
5718 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
5719 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
5720 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
5721 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
5722 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
5723 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
5724 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
5725 @code{gnus-emphasis-undeline-bold}, and
5726 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
5728 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
5729 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
5730 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
5734 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
5738 @node Article Hiding
5739 @subsection Article Hiding
5740 @cindex article hiding
5742 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
5743 too much cruft in most articles.
5748 @kindex W W a (Summary)
5749 @findex gnus-article-hide
5750 Do maximum hiding on the summary buffer (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}).
5753 @kindex W W h (Summary)
5754 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
5755 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
5759 @kindex W W b (Summary)
5760 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
5761 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
5762 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
5765 @kindex W W s (Summary)
5766 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
5767 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
5771 @kindex W W p (Summary)
5772 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
5773 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}).
5776 @kindex W W P (Summary)
5777 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
5778 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) gruft
5779 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
5782 @kindex W W c (Summary)
5783 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
5784 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
5785 customizing the hiding:
5789 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5790 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5791 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
5792 50), hide the cited text.
5794 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5795 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5796 The cited text must be have at least this length (default 10) before it
5799 @item gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5800 @vindex gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5801 Gnus adds buttons show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
5802 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
5803 by this format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
5808 Start point of the hidden text.
5810 End point of the hidden text.
5812 Length of the hidden text.
5815 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
5816 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
5817 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
5822 @kindex W W C (Summary)
5823 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
5824 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
5825 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
5826 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
5827 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
5831 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
5832 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
5833 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
5835 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
5836 citation customization.
5839 @node Article Washing
5840 @subsection Article Washing
5842 @cindex article washing
5844 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
5845 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
5847 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
5848 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
5854 @kindex W l (Summary)
5855 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
5856 Remove page breaks from the current article
5857 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}).
5860 @kindex W r (Summary)
5861 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
5862 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
5863 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
5866 @kindex W t (Summary)
5867 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
5868 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
5869 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
5872 @kindex W v (Summary)
5873 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
5874 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
5875 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
5878 @kindex W m (Summary)
5879 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
5880 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
5881 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
5884 @kindex W o (Summary)
5885 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
5886 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
5889 @kindex W w (Summary)
5890 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
5891 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}). If you use this
5892 function in @code{gnus-article-display-hook}, it should be run fairly
5893 late and certainly after any highlighting.
5896 @kindex W c (Summary)
5897 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
5898 Remove CR (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
5901 @kindex W q (Summary)
5902 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
5903 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
5906 @kindex W f (Summary)
5908 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
5909 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
5910 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
5911 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
5912 Look for and display any X-Face headers
5913 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
5914 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
5915 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
5916 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
5917 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
5918 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
5919 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
5920 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
5921 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
5922 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
5923 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
5924 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
5925 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
5929 @kindex W b (Summary)
5930 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
5931 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
5934 @kindex W B (Summary)
5935 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
5936 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
5937 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
5940 @kindex W E l (Summary)
5941 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
5942 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
5943 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
5946 @kindex W E m (Summary)
5947 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
5948 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
5949 lines with a single empty line.
5950 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
5953 @kindex W E t (Summary)
5954 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
5955 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
5956 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
5959 @kindex W E a (Summary)
5960 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
5961 Do all the three commands above
5962 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
5967 @node Article Buttons
5968 @subsection Article Buttons
5971 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
5972 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
5973 with the minimum of fuzz.
5975 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
5976 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
5977 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
5982 @item gnus-button-alist
5983 @vindex gnus-button-alist
5984 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
5987 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
5993 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
5994 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that match embedded URLs:
5995 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
5998 Gnus has to know which parts of the match is to be highlighted. This is
5999 a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp that is to be
6000 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6003 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6004 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6005 avoid false matches.
6008 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6011 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6012 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6016 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6019 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6022 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6023 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6024 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6025 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6026 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6029 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6032 @var{header} is a regular expression.
6034 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6035 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
6036 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
6037 default values of the variables above.
6039 @item gnus-article-button-face
6040 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
6041 Face used on buttons.
6043 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
6044 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
6045 Face is used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
6051 @subsection Article Date
6053 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
6054 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
6055 when the article was sent.
6060 @kindex W T u (Summary)
6061 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
6062 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
6063 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
6066 @kindex W T l (Summary)
6067 @findex gnus-article-date-local
6068 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
6071 @kindex W T e (Summary)
6072 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
6073 Say how much time has (e)lapsed between the article was posted and now
6074 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}).
6077 @kindex W T o (Summary)
6078 @findex gnus-article-date-original
6079 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
6080 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and is
6081 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
6082 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
6083 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
6088 @node Article Signature
6089 @subsection Article Signature
6091 @cindex article signature
6093 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6094 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
6095 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
6096 that says what is to be considered a signature is
6097 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
6098 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
6099 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
6100 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
6101 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
6104 (setq gnus-signature-separator
6105 '("^-- $" ; The standard
6106 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
6107 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
6108 ; line of dashes. Shame!
6109 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
6110 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
6111 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
6114 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
6117 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
6118 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
6123 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
6126 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
6129 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
6130 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
6132 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
6133 in question is not a signature.
6136 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
6140 @node Article Commands
6141 @section Article Commands
6148 @kindex A P (Summary)
6149 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
6150 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
6151 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}).
6156 @node Summary Sorting
6157 @section Summary Sorting
6158 @cindex summary sorting
6160 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
6161 can't really see why you'd want that.
6166 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
6167 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
6168 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
6171 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
6172 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
6173 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
6176 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
6177 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
6178 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
6181 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
6182 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
6183 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
6186 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
6187 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
6188 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
6191 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
6192 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
6193 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
6196 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
6197 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
6198 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
6199 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
6200 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
6204 @node Finding the Parent
6205 @section Finding the Parent
6206 @cindex parent articles
6207 @cindex referring articles
6209 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
6211 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
6212 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
6213 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
6214 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
6215 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
6216 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
6217 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
6218 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
6220 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
6221 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
6222 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
6223 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
6224 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
6227 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
6228 @kindex A R (Summary)
6229 You can have Gnus fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References}
6230 header of the article by pushing @kbd{A R}
6231 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
6233 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
6234 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
6236 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
6237 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
6238 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
6239 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
6240 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
6241 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
6242 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
6244 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
6245 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
6246 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
6247 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
6248 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the same
6249 as the one that keeps the spool you are reading from updated, but that's
6250 not really necessary.
6252 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
6253 not do a particularly excellent job of it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
6254 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
6255 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
6256 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
6257 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
6260 @node Alternative Approaches
6261 @section Alternative Approaches
6263 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
6264 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
6267 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
6268 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
6273 @subsection Pick and Read
6274 @cindex pick and read
6276 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{nn}) use a two-phased
6277 reading interface. The user first marks the articles she wants to read
6278 from a summary buffer. Then she starts reading the articles with just
6279 an article buffer displayed.
6281 @findex gnus-pick-mode
6282 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
6283 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
6284 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
6285 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
6286 it makes one additional command for switching to the summary buffer
6289 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
6294 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6295 Pick the article on the current line
6296 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}). If given a numerical prefix,
6297 go to the article on that line and pick that article. (The line number
6298 is normally displayed on the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
6301 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
6302 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
6303 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
6304 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
6308 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6309 Unpick the article (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6313 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6314 Unpick all articles (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6318 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6319 Pick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6323 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6324 Unpick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6328 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6329 Pick the region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6333 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6334 Unpick the region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6338 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6339 Pick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6343 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6344 Unpick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6348 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6349 Pick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6353 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-buffer
6354 Unpick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-buffer}).
6358 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
6359 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
6360 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
6361 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
6362 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
6363 will still be visible when you are reading.
6367 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
6370 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
6373 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
6374 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
6376 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
6377 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
6378 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
6380 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
6381 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different than the
6382 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
6383 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
6384 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
6385 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
6386 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
6390 @subsection Binary Groups
6391 @cindex binary groups
6393 @findex gnus-binary-mode
6394 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
6395 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
6396 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
6397 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
6398 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
6399 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
6402 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
6403 In fact, the only way to see the actual articles if you have turned this
6404 mode on is the @kbd{g} command (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
6406 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
6407 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
6411 @section Tree Display
6414 @vindex gnus-use-trees
6415 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
6416 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
6417 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
6420 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
6423 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
6424 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
6425 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
6427 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6428 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6429 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers. The default
6430 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}. For a list of legal specs, @pxref{Summary
6433 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
6434 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
6435 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
6436 default is @code{modeline}.
6438 @item gnus-tree-line-format
6439 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
6440 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
6441 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
6442 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
6443 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
6444 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
6450 The name of the poster.
6452 The @code{From} header.
6454 The number of the article.
6456 The opening bracket.
6458 The closing bracket.
6463 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6465 Variables related to the display are:
6468 @item gnus-tree-brackets
6469 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
6470 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
6471 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
6472 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
6473 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}))}.
6475 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
6476 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
6477 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
6478 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
6482 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
6483 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
6484 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
6485 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
6486 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
6487 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}.
6489 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
6490 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
6491 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
6492 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
6493 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
6494 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
6495 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
6499 Here's and example from a horizontal tree buffer:
6502 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
6512 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
6516 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
6517 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
6519 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
6521 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
6527 @node Mail Group Commands
6528 @section Mail Group Commands
6529 @cindex mail group commands
6531 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
6532 illegal in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
6534 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
6535 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6540 @kindex B e (Summary)
6541 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
6542 Expire all expirable articles in the group
6543 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
6546 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
6547 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
6548 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
6549 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
6550 articles that are eligible for expiry in the current group will
6551 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
6554 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
6555 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
6556 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
6557 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
6558 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
6561 @kindex B m (Summary)
6563 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
6564 Move the article from one mail group to another
6565 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
6568 @kindex B c (Summary)
6570 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
6571 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
6572 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
6575 @kindex B C (Summary)
6576 @cindex crosspost mail
6577 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
6578 Crosspost the current article to some other group
6579 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
6580 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
6581 be properly updated.
6584 @kindex B i (Summary)
6585 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
6586 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
6587 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
6588 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
6591 @kindex B r (Summary)
6592 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
6593 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
6597 @kindex B w (Summary)
6599 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
6600 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
6601 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
6602 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
6603 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}).
6606 @kindex B q (Summary)
6607 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
6608 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
6609 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
6610 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
6613 @kindex B p (Summary)
6614 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
6615 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
6616 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
6617 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
6618 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
6619 article from your news server (or rather, from
6620 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
6621 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
6622 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
6623 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
6624 just not have arrived yet.
6628 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
6629 @cindex moving articles
6630 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
6631 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
6632 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
6633 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
6634 suggestions you find reasonable.
6637 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
6638 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
6639 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
6640 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
6644 @node Various Summary Stuff
6645 @section Various Summary Stuff
6648 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
6649 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
6650 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
6651 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
6655 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
6656 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
6657 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
6659 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
6660 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
6661 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
6662 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
6663 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
6664 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
6667 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
6668 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
6669 Is is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
6670 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
6671 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
6676 @node Summary Group Information
6677 @subsection Summary Group Information
6682 @kindex H f (Summary)
6683 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
6684 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
6685 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
6686 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
6687 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
6688 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
6689 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
6690 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} probably will be used for
6694 @kindex H d (Summary)
6695 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
6696 Give a brief description of the current group
6697 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
6698 rereading the description from the server.
6701 @kindex H h (Summary)
6702 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
6703 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
6704 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
6707 @kindex H i (Summary)
6708 @findex gnus-info-find-node
6709 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
6713 @node Searching for Articles
6714 @subsection Searching for Articles
6719 @kindex M-s (Summary)
6720 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
6721 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
6722 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
6725 @kindex M-r (Summary)
6726 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
6727 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
6728 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
6732 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
6733 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
6734 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
6735 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}).
6738 @kindex M-& (Summary)
6739 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
6740 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
6741 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
6744 @node Summary Generation Commands
6745 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
6750 @kindex Y g (Summary)
6751 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
6752 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
6755 @kindex Y c (Summary)
6756 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
6757 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
6758 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
6763 @node Really Various Summary Commands
6764 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
6769 @kindex C-d (Summary)
6770 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
6771 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
6772 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
6773 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
6774 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
6775 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
6776 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages on
6777 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
6781 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
6782 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
6783 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
6784 several documents into one biiig group
6785 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
6786 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
6787 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
6788 command understands the process/prefix convention
6789 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6792 @kindex C-t (Summary)
6793 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
6794 Toggle truncation of summary lines
6795 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
6796 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
6797 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
6801 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
6802 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
6803 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
6808 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
6809 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
6810 @cindex summary exit
6811 @cindex exiting groups
6813 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
6814 group and return you to the group buffer.
6820 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
6822 @findex gnus-summary-exit
6823 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
6824 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
6825 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
6826 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
6827 called before doing much of the exiting, and calls
6828 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
6829 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exiting
6834 @kindex Z E (Summary)
6836 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
6837 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
6838 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
6842 @kindex Z c (Summary)
6844 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
6845 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
6846 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
6849 @kindex Z C (Summary)
6850 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
6851 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
6852 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
6855 @kindex Z n (Summary)
6856 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
6857 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
6858 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
6861 @kindex Z R (Summary)
6862 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
6863 Exit this group, and then enter it again
6864 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
6865 all articles, both read and unread.
6869 @kindex Z G (Summary)
6870 @kindex M-g (Summary)
6871 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
6872 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
6873 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
6874 articles, both read and unread.
6877 @kindex Z N (Summary)
6878 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
6879 Exit the group and go to the next group
6880 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
6883 @kindex Z P (Summary)
6884 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
6885 Exit the group and go to the previous group
6886 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
6889 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
6890 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
6893 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
6894 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
6895 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
6896 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
6897 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
6898 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
6899 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
6900 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
6901 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
6902 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
6903 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
6904 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
6906 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
6908 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
6909 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
6910 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
6911 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
6912 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
6913 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
6914 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
6915 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
6916 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
6919 @node Crosspost Handling
6920 @section Crosspost Handling
6924 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
6925 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
6926 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
6927 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
6928 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
6929 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
6932 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
6933 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
6934 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
6935 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
6936 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
6938 @cindex cross-posting
6941 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
6942 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
6943 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
6944 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
6945 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
6946 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
6947 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
6948 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
6949 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
6950 the cross reference mechanism.
6952 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
6953 @cindex overview.fmt
6954 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
6955 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
6956 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
6957 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
6958 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
6959 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
6962 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
6963 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
6964 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
6969 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
6972 @node Duplicate Suppression
6973 @section Duplicate Suppression
6975 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
6976 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
6977 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
6978 approach may not work satisfactorily for some users for various
6983 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
6984 is evil and not very common.
6987 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
6988 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
6991 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
6992 different @sc{nntp} servers.
6995 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
6998 I'm sure there are other situations that @code{Xref} handling fails as
6999 well, but these four are the most common situations.
7001 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
7002 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
7003 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
7004 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
7005 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
7006 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
7007 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
7010 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
7011 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
7012 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
7013 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
7014 article as read the the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
7018 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
7019 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
7020 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
7022 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
7023 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
7024 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
7025 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
7026 However, this means that only duplicate articles that is read in a
7027 single Gnus session are suppressed.
7029 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
7030 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
7031 This variables says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
7032 suppression list. The default is 10000.
7034 @item gnus-duplicate-file
7035 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
7036 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list. The
7037 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
7040 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
7041 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
7042 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
7043 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
7044 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
7045 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
7046 to you to figure out, I think.
7049 @node The Article Buffer
7050 @chapter The Article Buffer
7051 @cindex article buffer
7053 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
7054 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
7055 tell Gnus otherwise.
7058 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
7059 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
7060 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
7061 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
7062 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
7066 @node Hiding Headers
7067 @section Hiding Headers
7068 @cindex hiding headers
7069 @cindex deleting headers
7071 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
7072 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
7074 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
7075 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
7076 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
7077 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
7078 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
7079 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
7080 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
7081 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
7082 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
7084 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
7088 @item gnus-visible-headers
7089 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
7090 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
7091 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
7092 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
7094 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
7095 the article and the subject, you'd say:
7098 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
7101 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
7104 @item gnus-ignored-headers
7105 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
7106 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
7107 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
7108 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
7109 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
7111 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
7112 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
7115 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
7118 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
7121 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
7122 variable will have no effect.
7126 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
7127 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
7128 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
7129 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
7130 the headers are to be displayed.
7132 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
7133 and then the subject, you might say something like:
7136 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
7139 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
7140 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers that
7141 are listed in this variable.
7143 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7144 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7145 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
7146 You can hide further boring headers by entering
7147 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
7148 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
7149 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
7150 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
7151 @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove from sight.
7153 These conditions are:
7156 Remove all empty headers.
7158 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
7161 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
7162 @code{Newsgroups} header.
7164 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
7167 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
7171 To include the four first elements, you could say something like;
7174 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
7175 '(empty newsgroups followup-to reply-to))
7178 This is also the default value for this variable.
7182 @section Using @sc{mime}
7185 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
7186 while people stand around yawning.
7188 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
7189 while all newsreaders die of fear.
7191 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
7192 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
7193 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
7195 @vindex gnus-show-mime
7196 @vindex gnus-show-mime-method
7197 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
7198 @findex metamail-buffer
7199 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
7200 @code{gnus-show-mime-method}, which is @code{metamail-buffer} by
7201 default. Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
7202 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
7203 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
7204 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
7205 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
7206 buffer. These can't be avoided.
7208 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the summary
7209 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
7210 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
7211 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
7212 comes streaming out out your speakers, and you can't find the volume
7213 button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you,
7214 and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the
7215 program to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly
7216 decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
7218 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
7221 @node Customizing Articles
7222 @section Customizing Articles
7223 @cindex article customization
7225 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7226 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
7227 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
7228 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
7230 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7231 By default this hook just contains @code{gnus-article-hide-headers},
7232 @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}, and
7233 @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight}, but there are thousands, nay
7234 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
7235 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
7236 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
7237 Date}. Note that the order of functions in this hook might affect
7238 things, so you may have to fiddle a bit to get the desired results.
7240 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
7241 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
7242 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
7243 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
7244 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
7247 @node Article Keymap
7248 @section Article Keymap
7250 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
7251 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
7252 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
7253 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
7256 A few additional keystrokes are available:
7261 @kindex SPACE (Article)
7262 @findex gnus-article-next-page
7263 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
7266 @kindex DEL (Article)
7267 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
7268 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
7271 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
7272 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
7273 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
7274 @kbd{r}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
7275 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
7278 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
7279 @findex gnus-article-mail
7280 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
7281 given a prefix, include the mail.
7285 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
7286 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
7287 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
7291 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
7292 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
7293 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
7296 @kindex TAB (Article)
7297 @findex gnus-article-next-button
7298 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}. This
7299 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
7302 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
7303 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
7304 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}.
7310 @section Misc Article
7314 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
7315 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
7316 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
7317 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
7320 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
7321 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
7322 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
7323 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
7324 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
7325 the contents of the article buffer.
7327 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7328 @item gnus-article-display-hook
7329 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
7330 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
7331 hiding headers, and the like.
7333 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
7334 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
7335 Hook called in article mode buffers.
7337 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
7338 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
7339 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
7340 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
7342 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
7343 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
7344 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
7345 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. It accepts the same
7346 format specifications as that variable, with one extension:
7350 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
7351 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
7355 @vindex gnus-break-pages
7357 @item gnus-break-pages
7358 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
7359 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
7360 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
7361 paging will not be done.
7363 @item gnus-page-delimiter
7364 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
7365 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
7370 @node Composing Messages
7371 @chapter Composing Messages
7376 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
7377 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
7378 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
7379 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
7380 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
7381 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
7382 to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
7385 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
7386 * Post:: Posting and following up.
7387 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
7388 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
7389 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
7390 @c * Posting Styles:: An easier way to configure some key elements.
7391 @c * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
7392 @c * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
7395 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
7396 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
7402 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
7405 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
7406 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
7407 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
7408 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
7416 Variables for composing news articles:
7419 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
7420 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
7421 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
7422 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
7423 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
7424 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to sent the
7425 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
7426 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
7427 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
7430 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
7431 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
7432 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
7433 file. It is 1000 by default.
7438 @node Posting Server
7439 @section Posting Server
7441 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
7442 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
7444 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
7446 @vindex gnus-post-method
7448 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
7449 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
7450 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
7451 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
7452 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
7455 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
7458 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
7459 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
7460 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
7461 the ``current'' server for posting.
7463 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
7464 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
7466 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
7467 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
7472 @section Mail and Post
7474 Here's a list of variables that are relevant to both mailing and
7478 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
7479 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
7480 @cindex mailing lists
7482 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists that are
7483 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
7484 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
7485 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
7486 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
7487 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that match the groups that
7488 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
7489 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
7490 still a pain, though.
7494 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
7495 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
7496 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
7499 @findex ispell-message
7501 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
7505 @node Archived Messages
7506 @section Archived Messages
7507 @cindex archived messages
7508 @cindex sent messages
7510 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail you send.
7511 The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to store
7512 the mail. If you want to disable this completely, you should set
7513 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil}.
7515 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
7516 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
7517 use to store sent messages. The default is:
7521 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive/"))
7524 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
7525 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
7526 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
7527 directory chosen, you could say something like:
7530 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
7531 '(nnfolder "archive"
7532 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
7533 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
7534 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
7537 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
7539 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
7540 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
7541 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
7543 This variable can be:
7547 Messages will be saved in that group.
7548 @item a list of strings
7549 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
7550 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
7551 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
7553 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
7558 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
7560 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
7563 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
7565 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
7568 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
7570 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7571 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
7572 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
7573 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
7578 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7579 '((if (message-news-p)
7584 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
7585 messages in one file per month:
7588 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7589 '((if (message-news-p)
7591 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
7592 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
7595 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
7596 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
7597 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
7598 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
7599 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
7600 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
7601 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
7602 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
7603 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
7604 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
7606 That's the default method of archiving sent mail. Gnus also a different
7607 way for the people who don't like the default method. In that case you
7608 should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil}; this will
7611 XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
7612 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.
7615 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
7616 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
7617 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
7618 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
7619 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
7622 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
7623 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
7624 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
7629 @c @node Posting Styles
7630 @c @section Posting Styles
7631 @c @cindex posting styles
7634 @c All them variables, they make my head swim.
7636 @c So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
7637 @c on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
7638 @c and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
7641 @c @vindex gnus-posting-styles
7642 @c One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
7643 @c variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
7644 @c came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
7645 @c a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
7650 @c (signature . "Peace and happiness")
7651 @c (organization . "What me?"))
7653 @c (signature . "Death to everybody"))
7654 @c ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
7655 @c (organization . "Emacs is it")))
7658 @c As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
7659 @c @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
7660 @c ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
7661 @c over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
7662 @c applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
7663 @c the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
7664 @c @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
7665 @c signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
7667 @c The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
7668 @c string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
7669 @c If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
7670 @c arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
7671 @c referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
7672 @c any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
7675 @c Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
7676 @c attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
7677 @c can be one of @code{signature}, @code{organization} or @code{from}. The
7678 @c attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
7679 @c a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
7682 @c The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
7683 @c return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
7684 @c list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
7686 @c So here's a new example:
7689 @c (setq gnus-posting-styles
7691 @c (signature . "~/.signature")
7692 @c (from . "user@@foo (user)")
7693 @c ("X-Home-Page" . (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
7694 @c (organization . "People's Front Against MWM"))
7696 @c (signature . my-funny-signature-randomizer))
7697 @c ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
7698 @c (signature . my-quote-randomizer))
7699 @c (posting-from-work-p
7700 @c (signature . "~/.work-signature")
7701 @c (from . "user@@bar.foo (user)")
7702 @c (organization . "Important Work, Inc"))
7704 @c (signature . "~/.mail-signature"))))
7711 @c If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
7712 @c you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
7713 @c craazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save the
7714 @c message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some other
7715 @c day, and send it when you feel its finished.
7717 @c Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
7718 @c some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
7719 @c automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
7720 @c If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
7721 @c article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
7725 @c @vindex gnus-draft-group-directory
7726 @c The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
7727 @c @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
7728 @c @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{gnus-draft-group-directory}
7729 @c controls both the name of the group and the location---the leaf element
7730 @c in the path will be used as the name of the group. What makes this
7731 @c group special is that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any
7732 @c articles as read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
7734 @c If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
7737 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
7738 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
7739 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
7740 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
7741 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
7742 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
7743 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
7744 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
7745 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
7746 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
7747 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
7748 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
7749 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
7750 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
7752 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
7753 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
7754 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
7756 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-draft
7757 @c @kindex S D c (Summary)
7758 @c When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
7759 @c draft group and push @kbd{S D c} (@code{gnus-summary-send-draft}) to do
7760 @c that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
7762 @c Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
7765 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-all-drafts
7766 @c If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
7767 @c doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{S D a} command
7768 @c (@code{gnus-summary-send-all-drafts}). This command understands the
7769 @c process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7772 @c @node Rejected Articles
7773 @c @section Rejected Articles
7774 @c @cindex rejected articles
7776 @c Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
7777 @c doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
7778 @c @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
7779 @c Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
7781 @c These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
7782 @c (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
7783 @c fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
7784 @c you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
7785 @c articles until some later time when the server feels better.
7787 @c The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
7788 @c (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
7789 @c typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
7792 @node Select Methods
7793 @chapter Select Methods
7794 @cindex foreign groups
7795 @cindex select methods
7797 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group that is not read by the usual (or
7798 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
7799 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
7800 personal mail group.
7802 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
7803 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
7804 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
7805 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
7806 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
7807 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
7809 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
7810 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
7812 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
7815 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
7816 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
7817 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
7818 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
7819 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
7821 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
7824 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
7825 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
7826 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
7827 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
7828 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
7832 @node The Server Buffer
7833 @section The Server Buffer
7835 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
7836 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
7837 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
7838 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
7839 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
7840 backend represents a virtual server.
7842 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
7843 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
7844 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
7845 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
7847 These select methods specifications can sometimes become quite
7848 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
7849 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
7850 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
7851 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
7852 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
7853 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
7855 To enter the server buffer, user the @kbd{^}
7856 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
7859 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
7860 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
7861 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
7862 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
7863 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
7864 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
7867 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
7868 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
7871 @node Server Buffer Format
7872 @subsection Server Buffer Format
7873 @cindex server buffer format
7875 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
7876 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
7877 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
7878 variable, with some simple extensions:
7883 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
7886 The name of this server.
7889 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
7892 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
7895 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
7896 The mode line can also be customized by using the
7897 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable. The following specs are
7908 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
7911 @node Server Commands
7912 @subsection Server Commands
7913 @cindex server commands
7919 @findex gnus-server-add-server
7920 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
7924 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
7925 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
7928 @kindex SPACE (Server)
7929 @findex gnus-server-read-server
7930 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
7934 @findex gnus-server-exit
7935 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
7939 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
7940 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
7944 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
7945 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
7949 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
7950 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
7954 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
7955 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
7959 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
7960 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
7961 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
7966 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
7967 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
7968 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
7969 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
7974 @node Example Methods
7975 @subsection Example Methods
7977 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
7980 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
7983 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
7989 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
7990 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
7993 After these two elements, there may be a arbitrary number of
7994 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
7996 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
7997 port 15 from that machine. This is what the select method should
8001 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
8004 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
8005 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example.
8007 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
8008 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
8009 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
8013 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
8016 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
8019 Here's the method for a public spool:
8023 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
8024 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
8028 @node Creating a Virtual Server
8029 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
8031 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
8032 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
8034 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
8035 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
8036 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
8038 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
8040 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
8041 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
8042 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
8043 will contain the following:
8053 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
8054 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
8055 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
8058 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
8059 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
8060 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
8063 @node Servers and Methods
8064 @subsection Servers and Methods
8066 Wherever you would normally use a select method
8067 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
8068 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
8069 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
8073 @node Unavailable Servers
8074 @subsection Unavailable Servers
8076 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
8077 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
8078 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
8079 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
8080 actually the case or not.
8082 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
8083 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to the server
8084 @samp{nepholococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
8085 away from you, the machine is quite, so it takes 1 minute just to find
8086 out that it refuses connection from you today. If Gnus were to attempt
8087 to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't attempt to do
8088 that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'', it will
8089 regard that server as ``down''.
8091 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
8092 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
8094 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
8095 with the following commands:
8101 @findex gnus-server-open-server
8102 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
8103 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
8107 @findex gnus-server-close-server
8108 Close the connection (if any) to the server
8109 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
8113 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
8114 Mark the current server as unreachable
8115 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
8118 @kindex M-o (Server)
8119 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
8120 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
8121 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
8124 @kindex M-c (Server)
8125 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
8126 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
8127 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
8131 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
8132 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from all servers
8133 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
8139 @section Getting News
8140 @cindex reading news
8141 @cindex news backends
8143 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
8144 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
8145 or it can read from a local spool.
8148 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
8149 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
8154 @subsection @sc{nntp}
8157 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
8158 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
8159 server as the, uhm, address.
8161 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
8162 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
8163 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
8164 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
8166 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
8167 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
8168 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
8170 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
8175 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
8176 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
8177 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
8179 @cindex authentification
8180 @cindex nntp authentification
8181 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8182 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
8183 @code{nntp-server-opened-hook} is run after a connection has been made.
8184 It can be used to send commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has
8185 been contacted. By default is sends the command @code{MODE READER} to
8186 the server with the @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function.
8188 @item nntp-authinfo-function
8189 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
8190 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
8191 server. Available functions include:
8194 @item nntp-send-authinfo
8195 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8196 This function will used you current login name as the user name and will
8197 prompt you for the password. This is the default.
8199 @item nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
8200 @findex nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
8201 This function will prompt you for both user name and password.
8203 @item nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
8204 @findex nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
8205 This function will use your current login name as the user name and will
8206 read the @sc{nntp} password from @file{~/.nntp-authinfo}.
8209 @item nntp-server-action-alist
8210 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
8211 This is an list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
8212 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
8213 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
8216 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
8220 You probably don't want to do that, though.
8222 The default value is
8225 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
8226 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook nntp-send-mode-reader)))
8229 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
8230 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
8232 @item nntp-maximum-request
8233 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
8234 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
8235 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
8236 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
8237 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
8238 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
8239 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
8241 @item nntp-connection-timeout
8242 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
8243 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
8244 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
8245 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
8246 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
8247 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
8248 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
8249 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
8250 no timeouts are done.
8252 @item nntp-command-timeout
8253 @vindex nntp-command-timeout
8254 @cindex PPP connections
8255 @cindex dynamic IP addresses
8256 If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
8257 address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
8258 changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
8259 waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
8260 unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
8261 then, if it sits waiting longer than that number of seconds for a reply
8262 from the server, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
8263 the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
8264 likely number is 30 seconds.
8266 @item nntp-retry-on-break
8267 @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
8268 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
8269 hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
8272 @item nntp-server-hook
8273 @vindex nntp-server-hook
8274 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
8277 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
8278 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
8279 @item nntp-open-server-function
8280 @vindex nntp-open-server-function
8281 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Two pre-made
8282 functions are @code{nntp-open-network-stream}, which is the default, and
8283 simply connects to some port or other on the remote system. The other
8284 is @code{nntp-open-rlogin}, which does an rlogin on the remote system,
8285 and then does a telnet to the @sc{nntp} server available there.
8287 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
8288 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
8289 If you use @code{nntp-open-rlogin} as the
8290 @code{nntp-open-server-function}, this list will be used as the
8291 parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
8293 @item nntp-end-of-line
8294 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
8295 String to use as end-of-line markers when talking to the @sc{nntp}
8296 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
8297 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
8299 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
8300 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
8301 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
8305 @vindex nntp-address
8306 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
8308 @item nntp-port-number
8309 @vindex nntp-port-number
8310 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
8313 @item nntp-buggy-select
8314 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
8315 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
8317 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
8318 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
8319 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
8320 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks whether @sc{nov}
8321 can be used automatically.
8323 @item nntp-xover-commands
8324 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
8327 List of strings that are used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
8328 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
8332 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
8333 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
8334 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
8335 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
8336 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
8337 lines that you do not want, and will not use. This variable says how
8338 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
8339 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
8340 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
8341 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
8342 @code{nntp} will never split requests.
8344 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
8345 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
8346 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
8348 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
8349 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
8350 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
8351 server closes connection.
8357 @subsection News Spool
8361 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
8362 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
8363 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
8366 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @samp{} (or
8367 anything else) as the address.
8369 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
8370 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
8371 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
8372 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
8376 @item nnspool-inews-program
8377 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
8378 Program used to post an article.
8380 @item nnspool-inews-switches
8381 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
8382 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
8384 @item nnspool-spool-directory
8385 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
8386 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
8387 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
8389 @item nnspool-nov-directory
8390 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
8391 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
8392 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
8394 @item nnspool-lib-dir
8395 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
8396 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
8398 @item nnspool-active-file
8399 @vindex nnspool-active-file
8400 The path of the active file.
8402 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
8403 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
8404 The path of the group descriptions file.
8406 @item nnspool-history-file
8407 @vindex nnspool-history-file
8408 The path of the news history file.
8410 @item nnspool-active-times-file
8411 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
8412 The path of the active date file.
8414 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
8415 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
8416 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
8419 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
8420 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
8422 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
8423 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
8424 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
8430 @section Getting Mail
8431 @cindex reading mail
8434 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
8438 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
8439 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
8440 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
8441 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
8442 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
8443 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
8444 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
8445 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
8446 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
8447 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
8448 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
8452 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
8453 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
8455 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
8456 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
8457 and things will happen automatically.
8459 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a one file per
8460 mail backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
8463 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
8464 '((nnml "private")))
8467 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
8468 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
8469 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
8470 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
8471 like any other group.
8473 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
8476 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8477 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
8478 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
8482 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
8483 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
8484 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
8487 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
8488 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though,
8489 especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
8492 @node Splitting Mail
8493 @subsection Splitting Mail
8494 @cindex splitting mail
8495 @cindex mail splitting
8497 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
8498 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
8499 to be split into groups.
8502 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8503 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
8504 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
8508 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
8509 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
8510 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
8511 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
8512 determine if it belongs in this mail group.
8514 If the first element is the special symbol @code{junk}, then messages
8515 that match the regexp will disappear into the aether. Use with
8518 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
8519 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
8520 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
8521 mail belongs in that group.
8523 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
8524 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any
8525 mails that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps.
8527 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
8528 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
8529 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
8530 message. The function should return a list of groups names that it
8531 thinks should carry this mail message.
8533 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent
8534 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
8535 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
8536 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
8538 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
8539 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
8540 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
8541 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
8542 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
8544 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
8547 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
8548 the crossposted articles. However, not all files systems support hard
8549 links. If that's the case for you, set
8550 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
8551 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
8553 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
8554 @kindex nnmail-split-history
8555 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
8556 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
8558 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
8559 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
8560 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
8561 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
8562 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
8563 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
8564 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
8565 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
8569 @node Mail Backend Variables
8570 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
8572 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
8576 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
8577 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
8578 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
8579 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
8581 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
8582 @item nnmail-spool-file
8586 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
8587 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
8588 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
8589 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
8590 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
8591 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
8592 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
8593 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
8594 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
8595 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
8596 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
8597 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
8598 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
8599 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
8600 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
8602 Your Emacs has to have been configured with @samp{--with-pop} before
8603 compilation. This is the default, but some installations have it
8606 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
8607 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
8608 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
8609 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
8610 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
8611 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
8613 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
8614 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
8615 @item nnmail-use-procmail
8616 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
8617 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
8618 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
8619 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
8622 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
8623 @item nnmail-crash-box
8624 When the mail backends read a spool file, it is first moved to this
8625 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
8626 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
8629 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8630 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8631 This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and can be
8632 used for, well, anything, really.
8634 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
8635 @item nnmail-split-hook
8636 @findex article-decode-rfc1522
8637 @findex RFC1522 decoding
8638 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
8639 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
8640 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
8641 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
8642 in the buffer will show up in any files. @code{article-decode-rfc1522}
8643 is one likely function to add to this hook.
8645 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8646 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
8647 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8648 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
8649 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
8650 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
8651 starting to handle the new mail) and
8652 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
8653 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
8654 default file modes the new mail files get:
8657 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8658 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
8660 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
8661 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
8664 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
8665 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
8666 This variable says where to move the incoming mail to while processing
8667 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
8668 inhabits (i.e., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
8669 it will be used instead.
8671 @item nnmail-movemail-program
8672 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
8673 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
8674 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
8676 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be called
8677 with two parameters -- the name of the inbox, and the file to be moved
8680 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
8681 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
8682 @cindex incoming mail files
8683 @cindex deleting incoming files
8684 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
8685 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{nil} by
8686 default for reasons of security.
8688 Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
8689 (No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
8690 lost mail, I think, but that's not the point.) By not deleting the
8691 Incoming* files, one can be sure to not lose mail -- if Gnus totally
8692 whacks out, one can always recover what was lost.
8694 Delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
8696 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
8697 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
8698 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
8699 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories like
8700 @file{mail.misc/}. If it is @code{nil}, the same group will end up in
8703 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
8704 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
8706 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
8711 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
8712 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
8713 @cindex mail splitting
8714 @cindex fancy mail splitting
8716 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
8717 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
8718 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
8719 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
8720 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
8721 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
8723 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
8726 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
8727 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
8728 ;; from real errors.
8729 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
8731 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
8732 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
8733 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
8734 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
8735 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
8736 ;; Other mailing lists...
8737 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
8738 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
8740 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen"))
8741 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
8745 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
8746 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
8747 the five possible split syntaxes:
8752 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name.
8755 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, and the first
8756 element is a string, then that means that if header FIELD (a regexp)
8757 contains VALUE (also a regexp), then store the message as specified by
8761 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
8762 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
8763 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
8764 be stored in one or more groups.
8767 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
8768 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
8771 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
8772 this message anywhere.
8775 @var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
8776 element is @code{:}, then the second element will be called as a
8777 function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
8782 In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
8783 @var{VALUE} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
8784 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
8785 field names or words. In other words, all @var{VALUE}'s are wrapped in
8786 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
8788 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
8789 @var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
8790 are expanded as specified by the variable
8791 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
8792 the car of the cells contains the key, and the cdr contains a string.
8794 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
8795 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
8796 when all this splitting is performed.
8798 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
8799 information in the headers, you can say things like:
8802 (any "debian-\(\\w*\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
8805 That is, do @code{replace-match}-like substitions in the group names.
8808 @node Mail and Procmail
8809 @subsection Mail and Procmail
8814 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
8815 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
8816 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
8817 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
8818 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
8820 This also means that you probably don't want to set
8821 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
8824 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
8825 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
8826 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends (except
8827 @code{nnmh}) actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
8828 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
8829 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
8831 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) what groups
8834 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example.
8836 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
8837 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
8839 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
8840 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
8841 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
8842 to include all your mail groups.
8844 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
8845 method will be created automatically.
8847 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
8848 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
8849 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
8850 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
8851 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
8852 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
8853 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
8854 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
8856 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
8857 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
8858 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
8859 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
8860 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
8862 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
8863 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directory into an @code{nnmh}
8864 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
8865 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
8866 ever expiring the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is quite,
8869 Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
8870 @file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i. e., the incoming
8871 spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
8872 @code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
8873 @code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
8876 (setq nnfolder-directory "~/fMail/")
8877 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
8878 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/incoming/")
8879 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnfolder "")))
8880 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "")
8884 @node Incorporating Old Mail
8885 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
8887 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
8888 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
8889 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
8892 Doing so can be quite easy.
8894 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
8895 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
8896 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
8897 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
8898 your @code{nnml} groups.
8904 Go to the group buffer.
8907 Type `G f' and give the path of the mbox file when prompted to create an
8908 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
8911 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
8914 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group (@pxref{Setting
8918 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
8919 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
8922 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
8923 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
8924 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
8925 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
8926 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
8928 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
8929 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
8930 using the new mail backend.
8934 @subsection Expiring Mail
8935 @cindex article expiry
8937 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
8938 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
8939 different approach to mail reading.
8941 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
8942 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
8943 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
8944 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
8945 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
8946 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
8949 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
8950 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
8951 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
8952 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
8953 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
8954 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
8955 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
8956 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
8958 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
8959 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
8960 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
8961 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
8962 articles that are marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
8963 column in the summary buffer.
8965 Note that making a group auto-expirable don't mean that all read
8966 articles are expired---only the articles that are marked as expirable
8967 will be expired. Also note the using the @kbd{d} command won't make
8968 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
8969 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
8971 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
8972 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
8975 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
8976 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
8979 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
8980 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
8982 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
8983 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
8984 doesn't really mix very well.
8986 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
8987 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
8988 expirable article has to live. The default is seven days.
8990 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
8991 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
8992 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
8993 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
8996 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
8998 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
9000 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
9002 ((string= group "mail.junk")
9004 ((string= group "important")
9010 The group names that this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
9011 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
9013 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
9014 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can be either a number (not
9015 necessarily an integer) or the symbols @code{immediate} or
9018 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
9019 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9021 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
9022 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
9023 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
9024 easier for procmail users.
9026 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
9027 By the way, that line up there about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
9028 articles is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
9029 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
9030 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
9031 caution. Even more dangerous is the
9032 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
9033 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
9034 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
9035 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
9036 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
9037 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
9038 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
9041 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
9045 @subsection Washing Mail
9046 @cindex mail washing
9047 @cindex list server brain damage
9048 @cindex incoming mail treatment
9050 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
9051 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
9052 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
9053 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
9054 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
9055 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
9057 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
9058 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
9059 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
9062 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
9063 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
9064 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
9065 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
9068 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9069 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9070 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
9071 grand, sweeping gestures. Functions to be used include:
9074 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
9075 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
9076 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
9077 Emacs running on MS machines.
9081 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
9082 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
9083 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
9084 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
9087 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
9088 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
9089 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
9090 headers too make them look nice. Aaah.
9092 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
9093 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
9094 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
9095 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
9096 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
9097 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
9098 also be a list of regexp.
9100 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
9101 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
9104 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
9105 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
9108 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
9109 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
9110 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
9114 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
9115 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
9116 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
9120 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
9121 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
9122 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
9129 @subsection Duplicates
9131 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
9132 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
9133 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
9134 @cindex duplicate mails
9135 If you are a member of a couple of mailing list, you will sometime
9136 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
9137 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
9138 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
9139 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
9140 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
9141 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
9142 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
9143 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
9144 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
9145 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
9146 will generate a brand new @code{Message-ID} for the mail and insert a
9147 warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks that this is a
9148 duplicate of a different message.
9150 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
9151 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
9152 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
9153 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
9155 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
9158 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
9159 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
9163 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
9164 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
9165 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
9166 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
9167 (any mail "mail.misc")
9174 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9175 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
9180 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
9181 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
9182 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
9183 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
9184 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
9187 @node Not Reading Mail
9188 @subsection Not Reading Mail
9190 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
9191 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
9192 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
9194 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
9195 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
9197 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9198 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
9199 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
9200 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
9201 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
9202 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
9203 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
9204 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
9205 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
9206 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
9207 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
9209 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
9210 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
9214 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
9215 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
9217 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
9218 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
9219 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
9222 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
9223 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
9224 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
9225 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
9226 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
9231 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
9233 @cindex unix mail box
9235 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
9236 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
9237 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
9238 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
9239 which group it belongs in.
9241 Virtual server settings:
9244 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
9245 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
9246 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
9248 @item nnmbox-active-file
9249 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
9250 The name of the active file for the mail box.
9252 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
9253 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
9254 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
9260 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
9264 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
9265 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
9266 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
9267 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
9268 article to say which group it belongs in.
9270 Virtual server settings:
9273 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
9274 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
9275 The name of the rmail mbox file.
9277 @item nnbabyl-active-file
9278 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
9279 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
9281 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9282 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9283 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
9288 @subsubsection Mail Spool
9290 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
9292 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
9293 format. It should be used with some caution.
9295 @vindex nnml-directory
9296 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files;
9297 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the correct
9298 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
9299 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
9301 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
9304 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
9305 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
9306 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
9307 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
9308 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
9309 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
9310 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
9311 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
9313 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
9314 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
9315 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes is the fastest
9316 backend when it comes to reading mail.
9318 Virtual server settings:
9321 @item nnml-directory
9322 @vindex nnml-directory
9323 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
9325 @item nnml-active-file
9326 @vindex nnml-active-file
9327 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
9329 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
9330 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
9331 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
9334 @item nnml-get-new-mail
9335 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
9336 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
9338 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
9339 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
9340 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
9342 @item nnml-nov-file-name
9343 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
9344 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
9346 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
9347 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
9348 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
9352 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
9353 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
9354 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
9355 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
9356 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
9357 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
9358 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
9363 @subsubsection MH Spool
9365 @cindex mh-e mail spool
9367 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
9368 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
9369 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
9370 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
9372 Virtual server settings:
9375 @item nnmh-directory
9376 @vindex nnmh-directory
9377 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
9379 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
9380 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
9381 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
9384 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
9385 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
9386 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
9387 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
9388 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
9389 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
9390 to set this variable to @code{t}.
9395 @subsubsection Mail Folders
9397 @cindex mbox folders
9398 @cindex mail folders
9400 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
9401 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
9402 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
9405 Virtual server settings:
9408 @item nnfolder-directory
9409 @vindex nnfolder-directory
9410 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
9412 @item nnfolder-active-file
9413 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
9414 The name of the active file.
9416 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
9417 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
9418 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
9420 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
9421 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
9422 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
9425 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
9426 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
9427 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
9428 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
9429 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
9430 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
9434 @section Other Sources
9436 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
9437 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
9441 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
9442 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
9443 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
9444 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
9445 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
9446 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
9450 @node Directory Groups
9451 @subsection Directory Groups
9453 @cindex directory groups
9455 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
9456 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
9459 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp}, that most
9460 wonderful of all wonderful Emacs packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I
9461 didn't think much about it---a backend to read directories. Big deal.
9463 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
9464 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
9465 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the the directory name,
9466 @code{ange-ftp} will actually allow you to read this directory over at
9467 @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
9469 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
9471 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
9472 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
9473 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
9474 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
9477 @node Anything Groups
9478 @subsection Anything Groups
9481 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
9482 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
9483 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
9486 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
9487 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
9488 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
9489 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
9490 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
9491 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
9492 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
9493 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
9494 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
9495 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
9498 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
9499 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
9500 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
9501 in the article buffer, just as usual.
9503 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
9504 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
9505 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
9506 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
9508 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
9509 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
9510 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
9511 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
9512 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
9513 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
9514 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
9515 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
9520 @item nneething-map-file-directory
9521 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
9522 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
9523 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
9525 @item nneething-exclude-files
9526 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
9527 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
9528 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
9530 @item nneething-map-file
9531 @vindex nneething-map-file
9532 Name of the map files.
9536 @node Document Groups
9537 @subsection Document Groups
9539 @cindex documentation group
9542 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
9543 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
9550 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
9555 The standard Unix mbox file.
9557 @cindex MMDF mail box
9559 The MMDF mail box format.
9562 Several news articles appended into a file.
9565 @cindex rnews batch files
9566 The rnews batch transport format.
9567 @cindex forwarded messages
9576 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
9577 @cindex RFC 341 digest
9578 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
9580 @item standard-digest
9581 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
9584 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
9587 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
9588 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
9589 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
9592 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
9593 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
9594 group. And that's it.
9596 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
9597 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
9598 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
9599 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
9600 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
9601 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
9602 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
9603 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
9604 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
9605 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
9607 Virtual server variables:
9610 @item nndoc-article-type
9611 @vindex nndoc-article-type
9612 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
9613 @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{news}, @code{rnews},
9614 @code{mime-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, or @code{guess}.
9616 @item nndoc-post-type
9617 @vindex nndoc-post-type
9618 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
9619 a mail group. There are two legal values: @code{mail} (the default)
9624 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
9628 @node Document Server Internals
9629 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
9631 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
9632 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
9633 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
9634 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
9636 First, here's an example document type definition:
9640 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
9641 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
9644 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
9645 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
9646 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
9647 types can be defined with very few settings:
9651 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
9652 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
9656 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
9657 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
9659 @item head-begin-function
9660 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
9663 @item nndoc-head-begin
9664 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
9667 @item nndoc-head-end
9668 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
9669 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
9671 @item body-begin-function
9672 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
9676 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
9679 @item body-end-function
9680 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
9684 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
9686 @item nndoc-file-end
9687 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
9688 regexp will be totally ignored.
9692 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
9693 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
9694 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
9695 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
9696 something that's palatable for Gnus:
9699 @item prepare-body-function
9700 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
9701 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
9702 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
9704 @item article-transform-function
9705 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
9706 meant to be used how more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
9707 body of the article.
9709 @item generate-head-function
9710 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
9711 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
9712 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
9713 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
9717 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
9722 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
9723 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
9724 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
9725 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
9727 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
9728 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
9729 (subtype digest guess))
9732 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
9733 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
9734 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
9735 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
9736 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
9738 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
9739 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
9740 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
9741 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
9742 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for each
9743 type. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
9744 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
9745 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
9746 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
9747 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
9748 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest legal number.
9756 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
9757 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
9758 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
9760 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
9761 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
9762 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
9765 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
9766 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
9767 that interested in doing things properly.
9769 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
9770 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
9773 First some terminology:
9778 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
9779 get news and/or mail from.
9782 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
9783 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
9786 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
9790 @item message packets
9791 These are packets made at the server, and typically contains lots of
9792 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
9793 default, where @var{X} is a number.
9795 @item response packets
9796 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
9797 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
9798 default, where @var{X} is a number.
9808 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
9809 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
9810 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
9811 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
9814 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
9817 You put the packet in your home directory.
9820 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
9821 the native or secondary server.
9824 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
9825 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
9828 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
9832 You transfer this packet to the server.
9835 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
9838 You then repeat until you die.
9842 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
9843 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
9846 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
9847 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
9848 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
9853 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
9855 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
9859 @kindex G s b (Group)
9860 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
9861 Pack all unread articles in the current group
9862 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
9863 process/prefix convention.
9866 @kindex G s w (Group)
9867 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
9868 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
9871 @kindex G s s (Group)
9872 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
9873 Send all replies from the replies packet
9874 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
9877 @kindex G s p (Group)
9878 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
9879 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
9882 @kindex G s r (Group)
9883 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
9884 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
9887 @kindex O s (Summary)
9888 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
9889 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
9890 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
9891 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9896 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
9901 @item gnus-soup-directory
9902 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
9903 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
9904 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
9906 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
9907 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
9908 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
9909 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
9911 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
9912 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
9913 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
9916 @item gnus-soup-packer
9917 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
9918 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
9919 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
9921 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
9922 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
9923 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
9924 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
9926 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
9927 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
9928 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
9930 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
9931 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
9932 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
9933 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
9939 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
9942 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
9943 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
9944 you can read them at leisure.
9946 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
9950 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
9951 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
9952 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
9953 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
9955 @item nnsoup-directory
9956 @vindex nnsoup-directory
9957 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
9958 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
9960 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
9961 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
9962 All replies will stored in this directory before being packed into a
9963 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
9965 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
9966 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
9967 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
9968 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
9969 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
9971 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
9972 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
9973 The index type of the replies packet. The is @samp{?n}, which means
9974 ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
9976 @item nnsoup-active-file
9977 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
9978 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
9979 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
9980 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
9981 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
9984 @vindex nnsoup-packer
9985 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
9986 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
9988 @item nnsoup-unpacker
9989 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
9990 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
9991 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
9993 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
9994 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
9995 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
9998 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
9999 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
10000 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
10007 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
10009 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
10010 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
10011 more for that to happen.
10013 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
10014 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
10015 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
10018 In specific, this is what it does:
10021 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
10022 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
10025 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
10026 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
10027 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
10031 @subsection Web Searches
10035 @cindex InReference
10036 @cindex Usenet searches
10037 @cindex searching the Usenet
10039 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
10040 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
10041 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
10042 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
10043 searches without having to use a browser.
10045 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
10046 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
10047 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
10048 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
10049 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
10051 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
10052 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
10053 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
10054 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
10055 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@code{Duplicate
10056 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
10057 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
10058 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
10059 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
10060 header---mark all articles that were posted before the last date you
10061 read the group as read.
10063 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
10064 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
10065 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
10066 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
10067 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
10068 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
10070 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
10071 to use @code{nnweb}.
10073 Virtual server variables:
10078 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
10079 are @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
10082 @vindex nnweb-search
10083 The search string to feed to the search engine.
10085 @item nnweb-max-hits
10086 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
10087 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
10090 @item nnweb-type-definition
10091 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
10092 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
10093 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
10098 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
10102 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
10105 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
10108 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
10112 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
10119 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
10120 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
10121 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
10124 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
10125 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
10126 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
10128 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
10134 @item nngateway-address
10135 @vindex nngateway-address
10136 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
10138 @item nngateway-header-transformation
10139 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
10140 News headers have often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
10141 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
10142 transformation should be called, and defaults to
10143 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
10144 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
10147 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
10148 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address---an article with this
10149 @code{Newsgroups} header:
10152 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
10155 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
10158 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
10163 So, to use this, simply say something like:
10166 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
10170 @node Combined Groups
10171 @section Combined Groups
10173 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
10177 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
10178 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
10182 @node Virtual Groups
10183 @subsection Virtual Groups
10185 @cindex virtual groups
10187 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
10190 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small group, you can
10191 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
10192 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
10194 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
10195 regexp to match component groups.
10197 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
10198 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
10199 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
10200 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
10201 the virtual group.)
10203 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
10204 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
10207 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
10210 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
10211 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
10213 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
10214 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
10215 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
10216 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
10219 "^nntp+some.server.jp:soc.motss$\\|^nntp+some.server.no:soc.motss$"
10222 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
10223 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
10224 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
10225 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
10226 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}.
10228 One limitation, however---all groups that are included in a virtual
10229 group has to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
10230 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
10232 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
10233 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
10234 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
10235 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
10236 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
10237 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
10238 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
10239 effect if you have two virtual groups that contain the same component
10240 group. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
10241 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
10242 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
10245 @node Kibozed Groups
10246 @subsection Kibozed Groups
10250 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
10251 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
10252 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
10253 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
10255 @kindex G k (Group)
10256 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
10259 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
10260 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
10261 @code{nnkiboze} group. There most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
10262 and @code{nnvirtual} ends.
10264 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
10265 must have a score file to say what articles that are to be included in
10266 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
10268 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
10269 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
10270 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
10271 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
10272 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
10273 all the articles in all the components groups and run them through the
10274 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
10275 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
10277 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
10278 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
10279 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
10280 Stranger things have happened.
10282 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
10283 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
10285 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
10286 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
10287 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
10288 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
10289 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
10290 on what groups that have been searched through to find component
10293 Articles that are marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have their
10294 @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
10301 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
10302 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
10303 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
10306 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
10307 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
10308 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
10309 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
10310 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
10312 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
10313 before generating the summary buffer.
10315 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
10316 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
10317 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
10319 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
10320 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
10321 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
10322 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
10325 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
10326 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
10327 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
10328 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
10329 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
10330 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
10331 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
10332 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
10333 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
10334 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
10335 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
10336 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
10337 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
10338 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
10339 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
10340 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
10344 @node Summary Score Commands
10345 @section Summary Score Commands
10346 @cindex score commands
10348 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
10349 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
10350 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
10351 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
10352 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
10354 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
10355 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
10356 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
10357 score file the current one.
10359 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
10364 @kindex V s (Summary)
10365 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
10366 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
10369 @kindex V S (Summary)
10370 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
10371 Display the score of the current article
10372 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
10375 @kindex V t (Summary)
10376 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
10377 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
10378 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
10381 @kindex V R (Summary)
10382 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
10383 Run the current summary through the scoring process
10384 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
10385 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
10386 effect you're having.
10389 @kindex V a (Summary)
10390 @findex gnus-summary-score-entry
10391 Add a new score entry, and allow specifying all elements
10392 (@code{gnus-summary-score-entry}).
10395 @kindex V c (Summary)
10396 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
10397 Make a different score file the current
10398 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
10401 @kindex V e (Summary)
10402 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
10403 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
10404 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
10408 @kindex V f (Summary)
10409 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
10410 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
10411 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
10414 @kindex V F (Summary)
10415 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
10416 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
10417 after editing score files.
10420 @kindex V C (Summary)
10421 @findex gnus-score-customize
10422 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
10423 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
10426 @kindex I C-i (Summary)
10427 @findex gnus-summary-raise-score
10428 Increase the score of the current article
10429 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-score}).
10432 @kindex L C-l (Summary)
10433 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
10434 Lower the score of the current article
10435 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-score}).
10438 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
10443 @kindex V m (Summary)
10444 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
10445 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
10446 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
10449 @kindex V x (Summary)
10450 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
10451 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
10452 expunge all articles below this score
10453 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
10456 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
10457 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
10462 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
10463 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
10465 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
10466 keys are available:
10470 Score on the author name.
10473 Score on the subject line.
10476 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
10479 Score on thread---the References line.
10485 Score on the number of lines.
10488 Score on the Message-ID.
10491 Score on followups.
10501 The third key is the match type. Which match types are legal depends on
10502 what headers you are scoring on.
10514 Substring matching.
10546 Greater than number.
10551 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
10552 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
10553 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
10557 Temporary score entry.
10560 Permanent score entry.
10563 Immediately scoring.
10568 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
10569 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
10570 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
10571 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
10573 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
10574 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
10575 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
10576 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
10577 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
10579 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
10580 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
10581 pretend they are keymaps or not.
10584 @node Group Score Commands
10585 @section Group Score Commands
10586 @cindex group score commands
10588 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
10593 @kindex W f (Group)
10594 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
10595 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
10596 all the time. This command will flush the cache
10597 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
10602 @node Score Variables
10603 @section Score Variables
10604 @cindex score variables
10608 @item gnus-use-scoring
10609 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
10610 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
10611 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
10613 @item gnus-kill-killed
10614 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
10615 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
10616 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
10617 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
10618 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
10619 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
10620 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
10622 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
10623 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
10624 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
10625 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
10626 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
10628 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
10629 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
10630 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
10631 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
10633 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
10634 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
10635 @cindex score cache
10636 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
10637 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
10638 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files that are
10639 unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
10640 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
10641 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
10642 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
10645 @item gnus-save-score
10646 @vindex gnus-save-score
10647 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
10648 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
10649 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
10651 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
10652 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
10653 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
10654 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
10655 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
10656 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
10657 manually entered data.
10659 @item gnus-summary-default-score
10660 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
10661 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
10663 @item gnus-score-over-mark
10664 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
10665 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
10666 default. Default is @samp{+}.
10668 @item gnus-score-below-mark
10669 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
10670 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
10671 default. Default is @samp{-}.
10673 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
10674 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
10675 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
10676 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
10678 Predefined functions available are:
10681 @item gnus-score-find-single
10682 @findex gnus-score-find-single
10683 Only apply the group's own score file.
10685 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
10686 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
10687 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
10688 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
10689 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
10690 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
10691 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
10692 then a regexp match is done.
10694 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
10695 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
10697 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
10698 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
10699 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
10700 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
10702 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
10703 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
10704 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
10705 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
10706 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
10709 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
10710 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
10711 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
10712 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
10713 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
10714 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
10717 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
10718 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
10719 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
10720 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
10721 are expired. It's 7 by default.
10723 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
10724 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
10725 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
10726 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
10727 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
10728 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
10729 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
10732 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
10733 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
10734 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
10739 @node Score File Format
10740 @section Score File Format
10741 @cindex score file format
10743 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
10744 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
10745 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
10747 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
10751 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
10753 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
10755 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
10757 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
10762 (mark-and-expunge -10)
10766 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
10767 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
10768 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
10769 (gnus-summary-make-false-root 'empty))
10773 This example demonstrates absolutely everything about a score file.
10775 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
10776 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
10777 has to be legal syntactically, if not semantically.
10779 Six keys are supported by this alist:
10784 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
10785 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
10786 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
10787 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
10788 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
10789 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
10790 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
10791 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
10792 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
10793 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
10794 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
10795 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
10796 to articles that matches these score entries.
10798 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
10799 score entry has one to four elements.
10803 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
10804 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
10808 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
10809 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
10810 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
10811 is successful. If this element is not present, the
10812 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
10813 instead. This is 1000 by default.
10816 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
10817 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
10818 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
10819 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
10820 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 ce.
10823 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
10824 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
10825 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
10826 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
10829 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
10830 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
10831 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
10832 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
10833 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
10834 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
10835 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
10836 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
10837 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
10838 instead, if you feel like.
10841 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
10842 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}. When matching on @code{Lines}, be
10843 careful because some backends (like @code{nndir}) do not generate
10844 @code{Lines} header, so every article ends up being marked as having 0
10845 lines. This can lead to strange results if you happen to lower score of
10846 the articles with few lines.
10849 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
10850 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
10851 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
10852 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
10853 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
10854 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
10855 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
10859 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
10860 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
10861 ISO8601 compact format first---@samp{YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS}. If you want to
10862 match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in every year, you
10863 could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string, for instance.
10864 (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so this will
10865 match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where the article
10866 was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the whole
10869 @item Head, Body, All
10870 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
10874 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
10875 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
10876 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
10877 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
10878 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
10879 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
10883 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
10884 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread that is
10885 started by an article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{X}, then you add a
10886 @samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
10887 article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
10888 @samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
10889 articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
10890 entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
10891 complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
10892 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread.
10897 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10898 lower than this number will be marked as read.
10901 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10902 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
10904 @item mark-and-expunge
10905 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10906 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
10909 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
10910 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
10911 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
10912 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
10913 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
10916 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
10917 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
10920 @item exclude-files
10921 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
10922 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
10926 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
10927 ignored when handling global score files.
10930 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
10931 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}).
10934 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
10935 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
10936 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
10937 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
10939 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
10943 (mark-and-expunge -100)
10946 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
10947 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
10948 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
10949 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
10950 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
10952 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
10953 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
10954 ordinary scoring rules.
10957 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
10958 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
10959 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
10960 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
10961 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
10962 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
10963 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
10964 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
10965 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
10966 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
10967 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
10971 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
10972 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
10973 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
10974 file for a number of groups.
10977 @cindex local variables
10978 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
10979 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
10980 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
10981 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
10986 @node Score File Editing
10987 @section Score File Editing
10989 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
10990 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
10991 with a mode for that.
10993 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
10994 additional commands:
10999 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
11000 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
11001 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
11002 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
11005 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
11006 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
11007 Insert the current date in numerical format
11008 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
11009 you were wondering.
11012 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
11013 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
11014 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
11015 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
11016 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
11021 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
11023 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
11024 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
11026 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
11027 e} to begin editing score files.
11030 @node Adaptive Scoring
11031 @section Adaptive Scoring
11032 @cindex adaptive scoring
11034 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
11035 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
11036 stupidity, to be precise.
11038 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
11039 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
11040 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
11041 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
11042 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
11043 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
11044 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
11045 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
11046 variable to @code{(word line)}.
11048 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
11049 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
11050 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
11051 might look something like this:
11054 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
11055 '((gnus-unread-mark)
11056 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
11057 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
11058 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
11059 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
11060 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
11061 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
11062 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
11063 (gnus-ancient-mark)
11064 (gnus-low-score-mark)
11065 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
11068 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
11069 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
11070 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
11071 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
11072 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
11073 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
11076 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
11077 will be applied to each article.
11079 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
11080 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
11081 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
11082 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
11084 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
11085 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
11086 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
11087 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
11089 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
11090 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
11091 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
11092 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
11094 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
11095 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
11096 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
11097 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
11098 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
11099 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
11101 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
11102 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
11103 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
11104 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
11105 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
11106 aspirins afterwards.)
11108 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
11109 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
11110 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
11112 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
11113 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
11114 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
11116 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
11117 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
11118 let you use different rules in different groups.
11120 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
11121 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
11122 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
11125 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
11126 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
11127 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
11128 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
11129 the length of the match is less than
11130 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
11131 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
11134 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
11135 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
11136 headers. If you adapt on words, the
11137 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
11138 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
11141 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
11142 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
11143 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
11144 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
11145 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
11148 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
11149 word that appears in subjects of articles that are marked with
11150 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
11151 score with 30 points.
11153 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
11154 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
11155 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
11156 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
11157 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
11159 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
11160 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
11161 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
11162 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
11164 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
11165 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
11166 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
11169 @node Home Score File
11170 @section Home Score File
11172 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
11173 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
11174 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
11175 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
11177 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
11178 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
11179 could perhaps use the same home score file.
11181 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
11182 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
11187 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
11191 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
11192 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
11196 A list. The elements in this list can be:
11200 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
11201 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
11204 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
11205 the home score file.
11208 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
11211 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
11216 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
11219 (setq gnus-home-score-file
11220 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
11223 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
11224 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
11227 (setq gnus-home-score-file
11228 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
11231 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
11233 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
11234 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
11235 their own home score files:
11238 (setq gnus-home-score-file
11239 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
11240 '("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
11241 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
11242 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE"))
11245 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
11246 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
11247 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
11248 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
11249 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
11251 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
11252 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
11253 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
11254 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
11255 precedence over this variable.
11258 @node Followups To Yourself
11259 @section Followups To Yourself
11261 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
11262 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
11263 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
11264 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
11265 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
11266 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
11270 @item gnus-score-followup-article
11271 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
11272 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
11275 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
11276 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
11277 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
11281 @vindex message-sent-hook
11282 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
11283 @code{message-sent-hook}.
11285 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
11286 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
11290 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
11291 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
11294 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
11295 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
11300 "<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf@@.*eyesore.no>" 1000 nil r)
11303 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
11304 is system-dependent.
11308 @section Scoring Tips
11309 @cindex scoring tips
11315 @cindex scoring crossposts
11316 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
11317 the @code{Xref} header.
11319 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
11322 @item Multiple crossposts
11323 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
11324 more than, say, 3 groups:
11326 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
11329 @item Matching on the body
11330 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
11331 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
11332 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
11333 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
11334 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
11335 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
11336 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
11339 @item Marking as read
11340 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
11341 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
11342 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
11346 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
11348 @item Negated character classes
11349 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
11350 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
11351 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
11355 @node Reverse Scoring
11356 @section Reverse Scoring
11357 @cindex reverse scoring
11359 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
11360 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
11361 like this in your score file:
11365 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
11370 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
11371 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
11374 @node Global Score Files
11375 @section Global Score Files
11376 @cindex global score files
11378 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
11379 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
11380 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
11382 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
11383 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
11384 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
11386 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
11387 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
11388 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
11389 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
11390 files are applicable to which group.
11392 Say you want to use the score file
11393 @file{/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
11394 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
11397 (setq gnus-global-score-files
11398 '("/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
11399 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
11402 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
11403 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
11404 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
11405 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
11406 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
11408 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
11409 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
11411 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
11412 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
11413 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
11414 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
11415 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
11416 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
11418 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
11424 Articles that are heavily crossposted are probably junk.
11426 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
11428 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
11430 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
11431 lowered out of existence.
11433 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
11434 articles completely.
11437 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
11438 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
11439 old articles for a long time.
11442 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
11443 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
11444 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
11445 holding our breath yet?
11449 @section Kill Files
11452 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
11453 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
11454 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
11456 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
11457 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
11458 files into score files.
11460 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
11461 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
11462 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
11463 that isn't a very good idea.
11465 Normal kill files look like this:
11468 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11469 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
11473 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove them from
11474 the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
11476 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
11477 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
11480 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
11485 @kindex M-k (Summary)
11486 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
11487 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
11490 @kindex M-K (Summary)
11491 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
11492 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
11495 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
11500 @kindex M-k (Group)
11501 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
11502 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
11505 @kindex M-K (Group)
11506 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
11507 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
11510 Kill file variables:
11513 @item gnus-kill-file-name
11514 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
11515 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
11516 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
11517 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
11518 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
11519 course) is called just @file{KILL}.
11521 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
11522 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
11523 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
11524 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
11527 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
11528 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
11529 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
11530 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
11531 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
11532 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
11533 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
11534 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
11535 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
11537 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
11538 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
11539 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
11544 @node Converting Kill Files
11545 @section Converting Kill Files
11547 @cindex converting kill files
11549 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
11550 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
11551 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
11554 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
11555 You can fetch it from
11556 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
11558 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
11559 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
11560 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
11568 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
11569 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
11570 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
11572 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
11573 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
11574 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
11575 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
11576 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
11577 Once it has found for you some people you agree with it tells you, in
11578 the form of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use
11579 this prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
11583 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
11584 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
11585 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
11586 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
11590 @node Using GroupLens
11591 @subsection Using GroupLens
11593 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
11595 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
11596 better bit in town is at the moment.
11598 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
11602 @item gnus-use-grouplens
11603 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
11604 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
11605 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
11607 @item grouplens-pseudonym
11608 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
11609 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
11610 with the Better Bit Bureau.
11612 @item grouplens-newsgroups
11613 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
11614 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
11618 Thats the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
11619 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
11620 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
11621 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
11622 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
11623 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
11626 @node Rating Articles
11627 @subsection Rating Articles
11629 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
11630 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
11631 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
11632 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
11635 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
11640 @kindex r (GroupLens)
11641 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
11642 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
11645 @kindex k (GroupLens)
11646 @findex grouplens-score-thread
11647 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
11648 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
11649 threads in rec.humor.
11653 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
11654 the score of the article you're reading.
11659 @kindex n (GroupLens)
11660 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
11661 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
11664 @kindex , (GroupLens)
11665 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
11666 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
11670 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
11671 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
11674 @node Displaying Predictions
11675 @subsection Displaying Predictions
11677 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
11678 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
11679 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
11680 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
11681 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
11683 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
11684 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
11685 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
11686 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
11687 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
11688 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
11689 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
11690 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
11691 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
11692 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
11693 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
11694 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
11695 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
11697 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
11698 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
11699 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
11700 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
11702 The following are legal values for that variable.
11705 @item prediction-spot
11706 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
11709 @item confidence-interval
11710 A numeric confidence interval.
11712 @item prediction-bar
11713 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
11715 @item confidence-bar
11716 Numerical confidence.
11718 @item confidence-spot
11719 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
11721 @item prediction-num
11722 Plain-old numeric value.
11724 @item confidence-plus-minus
11725 Prediction +/i confidence.
11730 @node GroupLens Variables
11731 @subsection GroupLens Variables
11735 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
11736 The summary line format used in summary buffers that are GroupLens
11737 enhanced. It accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format
11738 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). The default is
11739 @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
11741 @item grouplens-bbb-host
11742 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
11745 @item grouplens-bbb-port
11746 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
11748 @item grouplens-score-offset
11749 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
11750 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
11753 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
11754 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
11755 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
11760 @node Advanced Scoring
11761 @section Advanced Scoring
11763 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
11764 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
11765 about a particular subject? Or what about if you really don't want to
11766 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
11767 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
11769 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
11773 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
11774 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
11775 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
11779 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
11780 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
11782 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
11783 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
11784 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
11785 non-@code{nil} value.
11787 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
11788 operator, and various match operators.
11795 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
11796 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
11797 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
11802 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
11803 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
11804 then this operator will return @code{false}.
11809 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
11810 inverse of the value of its argument.
11814 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
11815 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
11816 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
11817 current article. @code{2-} will make score fules apply to the
11818 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
11819 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) say how far back into
11820 the ancestry you want to go.
11822 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
11823 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
11824 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
11825 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
11826 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
11829 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
11830 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
11832 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
11833 when he's talking about Gnus:
11837 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11838 ("subject" "Gnus"))
11844 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
11848 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11855 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
11856 really don't want to read what he's written:
11860 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11861 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
11865 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
11866 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
11867 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
11874 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
11875 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
11876 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
11877 ("body" "white.*socks"))
11881 The possibilities are endless.
11884 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
11885 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
11887 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
11888 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
11889 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
11890 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
11891 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
11892 (@samp{body}, @code{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
11893 @samp{subject}) first.
11895 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
11896 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
11907 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
11908 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
11914 ("subject" "Gnus")))
11921 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
11922 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
11927 @section Score Decays
11928 @cindex score decays
11931 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
11932 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
11933 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
11934 use them in any sensible way.
11936 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
11937 @findex gnus-decay-score
11938 @vindex gnus-score-decay-function
11939 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
11940 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
11941 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
11942 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
11943 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-score-decay-function}
11944 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
11945 definition of that function:
11948 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
11951 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
11953 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
11955 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
11958 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
11959 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
11960 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
11961 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
11965 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
11968 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
11971 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
11975 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
11976 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
11977 the new score, which should be an integer.
11979 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
11980 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
11987 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
11988 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
11989 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
11990 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
11991 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
11992 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
11993 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
11994 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
11995 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
11996 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
11997 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
11998 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
11999 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
12000 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
12001 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
12005 @node Process/Prefix
12006 @section Process/Prefix
12007 @cindex process/prefix convention
12009 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
12010 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
12012 This is a method for figuring out what articles that the user wants the
12013 command to be performed on.
12017 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
12018 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
12019 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
12020 with the current one.
12022 @vindex transient-mark-mode
12023 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
12024 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
12026 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
12027 process mark, perform the operation on the articles that are marked with
12030 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
12031 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
12033 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
12036 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
12037 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
12038 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
12039 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12041 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
12042 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
12043 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
12044 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
12045 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
12046 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
12047 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
12048 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
12052 @section Interactive
12053 @cindex interaction
12057 @item gnus-novice-user
12058 @vindex gnus-novice-user
12059 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
12060 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
12061 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
12062 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
12065 @item gnus-expert-user
12066 @vindex gnus-expert-user
12067 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will never ever be asked any
12068 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
12069 matter how strange.
12071 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
12072 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
12073 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
12074 is @code{t} by default.
12076 @item gnus-interactive-exit
12077 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
12078 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
12083 @node Formatting Variables
12084 @section Formatting Variables
12085 @cindex formatting variables
12087 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables that
12088 are called things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
12089 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
12090 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
12091 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
12094 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
12095 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
12096 lots of percentages everywhere.
12099 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
12100 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
12101 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
12102 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
12105 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
12106 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
12107 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
12108 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
12109 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
12110 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
12111 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
12112 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
12114 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
12115 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
12117 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
12118 @findex gnus-update-format
12119 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
12120 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
12121 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
12122 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
12126 @node Formatting Basics
12127 @subsection Formatting Basics
12129 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
12130 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
12131 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
12133 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
12134 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
12135 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
12136 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
12137 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
12140 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
12141 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
12142 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
12143 less than 4 characters wide.
12146 @node Advanced Formatting
12147 @subsection Advanced Formatting
12149 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
12150 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
12151 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
12152 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
12154 These are the legal modifiers:
12159 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
12163 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
12168 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
12171 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
12176 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
12179 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
12182 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
12185 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
12189 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
12190 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
12191 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
12192 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
12193 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
12194 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
12195 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
12197 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
12198 last operation, padding.
12200 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
12201 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
12202 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
12203 @xref{Compilation}.
12206 @node User-Defined Specs
12207 @subsection User-Defined Specs
12209 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
12210 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
12211 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
12212 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
12213 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
12214 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
12215 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
12216 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
12217 should protect against that.
12219 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
12220 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
12221 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
12222 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
12226 @node Formatting Fonts
12227 @subsection Formatting Fonts
12229 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
12230 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
12231 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
12232 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
12235 Text inside the @samp{%[} and @samp{%]} specifiers will have their
12236 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
12237 default. If you say @samp{%1[} instead, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1}
12238 instead, and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes
12239 for the @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
12240 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
12242 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
12245 ;; Create three face types.
12246 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
12247 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
12249 ;; We want the article count to be in
12250 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
12251 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
12252 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
12254 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
12255 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
12257 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
12258 (setq gnus-group-line-format
12259 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
12262 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
12263 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
12265 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
12266 mode-line variables.
12269 @node Windows Configuration
12270 @section Windows Configuration
12271 @cindex windows configuration
12273 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
12275 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
12276 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
12277 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
12278 @code{t} by default.
12280 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
12281 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
12282 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
12285 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
12286 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
12287 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
12291 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
12292 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
12293 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
12294 possible names is listed below.
12296 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
12297 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
12300 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
12304 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
12305 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
12306 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
12307 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
12308 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
12309 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
12310 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
12311 size spec per split.
12313 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
12316 Here's a more complicated example:
12319 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
12320 (summary 0.25 point)
12321 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
12325 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
12326 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
12327 occupy, not a percentage.
12329 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
12330 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
12331 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
12332 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
12333 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
12336 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
12339 (article (horizontal 1.0
12344 (summary 0.25 point)
12349 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
12350 @code{horizontal} thingie?
12352 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
12353 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
12354 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
12355 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
12356 the screen is to be given to this strip.
12358 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
12359 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
12360 lines from the splits.
12362 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a legal split
12366 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
12367 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
12368 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
12369 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
12370 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] ")"
12371 size = number | frame-params
12372 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
12375 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
12376 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
12377 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
12378 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
12380 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
12381 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
12382 @cindex window height
12383 @cindex window width
12384 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
12385 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
12386 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
12387 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
12388 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
12389 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
12391 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
12392 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
12393 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
12394 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
12396 @findex gnus-configure-frame
12397 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
12398 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
12399 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
12400 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
12401 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
12402 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
12403 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
12404 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
12405 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
12406 configuration list.
12409 (gnus-configure-frame
12413 (article 0.3 point))
12421 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
12422 @code{frame} split:
12425 (gnus-configure-frame
12428 (summary 0.25 point)
12430 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
12431 (user-position . t)
12432 (left . -1) (top . 1))
12437 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
12438 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
12439 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
12440 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
12441 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
12442 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
12445 Here's a list of all possible keys for
12446 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
12448 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
12449 @code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
12450 @code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
12451 @code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
12452 @code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft},
12453 @code{pipe}, @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}.
12455 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
12456 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
12457 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
12461 (message (horizontal 1.0
12462 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
12464 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
12469 @findex gnus-add-configuration
12470 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
12471 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
12472 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
12473 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
12476 (gnus-add-configuration
12477 '(article (vertical 1.0
12479 (summary .25 point)
12483 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
12484 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
12485 Gnus has been loaded.
12487 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
12488 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
12489 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
12490 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
12491 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
12495 @section Compilation
12496 @cindex compilation
12497 @cindex byte-compilation
12499 @findex gnus-compile
12501 Remember all those line format specification variables?
12502 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
12503 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
12504 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
12505 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
12506 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
12509 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
12510 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
12511 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
12512 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
12513 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
12514 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
12515 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
12519 @section Mode Lines
12522 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
12523 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
12524 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
12525 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
12526 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
12527 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
12528 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
12531 @cindex display-time
12533 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
12534 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
12535 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
12536 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
12537 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
12538 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
12539 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
12540 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
12543 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
12545 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
12546 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
12548 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
12549 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
12550 (length display-time-string)))))
12553 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
12554 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either.
12557 @node Highlighting and Menus
12558 @section Highlighting and Menus
12560 @cindex highlighting
12563 @vindex gnus-visual
12564 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the prettifying Gnus
12565 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
12566 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
12569 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
12570 following elements are legal, and are all included by default:
12573 @item group-highlight
12574 Do highlights in the group buffer.
12575 @item summary-highlight
12576 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
12577 @item article-highlight
12578 Do highlights in the article buffer.
12580 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
12582 Create menus in the group buffer.
12584 Create menus in the summary buffers.
12586 Create menus in the article buffer.
12588 Create menus in the browse buffer.
12590 Create menus in the server buffer.
12592 Create menus in the score buffers.
12594 Create menus in all buffers.
12597 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
12598 buffers, you could say something like:
12601 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
12604 If you want only highlighting and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
12607 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
12610 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
12611 in all Gnus buffers.
12613 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
12616 @item gnus-mouse-face
12617 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
12618 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
12619 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
12621 @item gnus-display-type
12622 @vindex gnus-display-type
12623 This variable is symbol indicating the display type Emacs is running
12624 under. The symbol should be one of @code{color}, @code{grayscale} or
12625 @code{mono}. If Gnus guesses this display attribute wrongly, either set
12626 this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or set the resource
12627 @code{Emacs.displayType} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
12629 @item gnus-background-mode
12630 @vindex gnus-background-mode
12631 This is a symbol indicating the Emacs background brightness. The symbol
12632 should be one of @code{light} or @code{dark}. If Gnus guesses this
12633 frame attribute wrongly, either set this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or
12634 set the resource @code{Emacs.backgroundMode} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
12635 `gnus-display-type'.
12638 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
12642 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
12643 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
12644 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
12646 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
12647 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
12648 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
12650 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
12651 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
12652 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
12654 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
12655 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
12656 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
12658 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
12659 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
12660 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
12662 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
12663 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
12664 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
12675 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
12676 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
12677 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
12678 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
12679 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
12683 @vindex gnus-carpal
12684 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
12685 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
12686 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
12691 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
12692 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
12693 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
12695 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
12696 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
12697 Face used on buttons.
12699 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
12700 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
12701 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
12703 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
12704 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
12705 Buttons in the group buffer.
12707 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
12708 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
12709 Buttons in the summary buffer.
12711 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
12712 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
12713 Buttons in the server buffer.
12715 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
12716 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
12717 Buttons in the browse buffer.
12720 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
12721 is either a cons cell where the car contains a text to be displayed and
12722 the cdr contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
12730 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
12731 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
12732 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
12733 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
12734 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
12736 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
12737 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
12738 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
12740 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
12741 been idle for thirty minutes:
12744 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
12747 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
12751 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
12754 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter works together
12755 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
12756 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
12758 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
12759 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
12760 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
12761 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
12763 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
12764 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
12765 @var{idle} minutes.
12767 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
12768 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
12771 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
12772 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
12773 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
12775 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
12776 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
12777 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
12778 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
12780 @vindex gnus-use-demon
12781 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
12782 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
12784 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
12785 your @file{.gnus} file:
12787 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
12789 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
12792 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
12793 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
12794 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
12795 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
12796 Some ready-made functions to do this has been created:
12797 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
12798 @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just
12799 put those functions in your @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
12801 @findex gnus-demon-init
12802 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
12803 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
12804 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
12805 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
12806 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
12808 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you overdo it. Adding
12809 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
12810 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
12819 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
12820 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
12822 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
12823 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
12824 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
12825 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
12828 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
12829 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
12830 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
12831 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
12833 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
12834 this will make spam disappear.
12836 There are some variables to customize, of course:
12839 @item gnus-use-nocem
12840 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
12841 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
12844 @item gnus-nocem-groups
12845 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
12846 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
12847 default is @code{("alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
12849 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
12850 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
12851 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
12852 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
12853 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;" "jem@@xpat.com;" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
12854 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
12856 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
12859 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
12860 @cindex Chris Lewis
12861 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
12862 usenet abuse than anybody else.
12865 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
12866 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
12867 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
12869 @item jem@@xpat.com;
12871 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
12874 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
12875 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
12876 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
12879 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
12880 ones you want to listen to.
12882 @item gnus-nocem-directory
12883 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
12884 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
12885 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
12887 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
12888 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
12889 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
12890 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
12891 might then see old spam.
12899 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
12900 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
12901 over your shoulder as you read news.
12904 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
12905 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
12906 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
12907 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
12908 * Picon Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
12913 @subsection Picon Basics
12915 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
12918 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
12919 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
12920 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
12921 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
12922 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
12923 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
12924 @code{GIF} formats.
12927 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases, point
12928 your Web browser at
12929 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
12931 @vindex gnus-picons-database
12932 Gnus expects picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
12933 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
12936 @node Picon Requirements
12937 @subsection Picon Requirements
12939 To use have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
12940 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
12943 Additionally, you must have @code{xpm} support compiled into XEmacs.
12945 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
12946 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you must have
12947 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
12948 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
12952 @subsection Easy Picons
12954 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
12955 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
12958 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
12959 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
12960 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-prepare-hook 'gnus-group-display-picons t)
12961 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
12966 @subsection Hard Picons
12968 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
12969 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
12970 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
12971 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
12972 feature, you need to first decide where to display them.
12976 @item gnus-picons-display-where
12977 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
12978 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
12979 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
12980 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
12981 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
12982 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
12983 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
12987 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
12988 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
12990 Now that you've made that decision, you need to add the following
12991 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get
12992 displayed at the right time.
12994 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
12995 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
12997 @item gnus-article-display-picons
12998 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
12999 Looks up and display the picons for the author and the author's domain
13000 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to
13001 the @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
13003 @item gnus-group-display-picons
13004 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
13005 Displays picons representing the current group. This function should
13006 be added to the @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook} or to the
13007 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} if @code{gnus-picons-display-where}
13008 is set to @code{article}.
13010 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
13011 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
13012 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
13013 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
13017 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
13018 to the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
13021 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
13025 @node Picon Configuration
13026 @subsection Picon Configuration
13028 The following variables offer further control over how things are
13029 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
13030 don't need to worry about.
13033 @item gnus-picons-database
13034 @vindex gnus-picons-database
13035 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
13036 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
13037 subdirectories. Defaults to @file{/usr/local/faces}.
13039 @item gnus-picons-news-directory
13040 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directory
13041 Sub-directory of the faces database containing the icons for
13044 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
13045 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
13046 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
13047 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc/MISC")} is the default.
13049 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
13050 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
13051 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
13052 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
13053 want to add @samp{unknown} to this list.
13055 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
13056 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
13057 The command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
13058 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
13059 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
13060 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
13062 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
13063 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
13064 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
13065 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
13067 @item gnus-picons-buffer
13068 @vindex gnus-picons-buffer
13069 The name of the buffer that @code{picons} points to. Defaults to
13070 @samp{*Icon Buffer*}.
13079 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
13080 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
13081 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
13083 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
13084 Gnus---it's all just data that is designed to look nice to the user.
13085 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
13086 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
13087 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
13088 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
13089 @code{undo} function.
13091 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
13092 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
13093 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
13094 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
13095 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
13096 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
13097 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
13098 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
13099 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
13100 never be totally undoable.
13102 @findex gnus-undo-mode
13103 @vindex gnus-use-undo
13105 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
13106 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
13107 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
13108 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
13113 @section Moderation
13116 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
13117 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
13118 @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
13121 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
13125 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
13128 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
13130 If you are the moderation of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
13135 You split your incoming mail by matching on
13136 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
13137 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
13140 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
13141 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
13144 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
13145 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
13149 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
13152 (setq gnus-moderated-list
13153 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
13157 @node XEmacs Enhancements
13158 @section XEmacs Enhancements
13161 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
13162 advantage of that. Relevant variables include:
13165 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
13166 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
13167 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
13168 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
13169 unusual directory structure.
13171 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
13172 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
13173 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
13174 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
13176 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
13177 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
13178 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
13179 Legal values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
13180 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
13181 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
13183 @item gnus-use-toolbar
13184 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
13185 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
13186 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
13187 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
13189 @item gnus-group-toolbar
13190 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
13191 The toolbar in the group buffer.
13193 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
13194 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
13195 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
13197 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
13198 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
13199 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
13201 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
13202 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
13203 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
13209 @node Various Various
13210 @section Various Various
13216 @item gnus-directory
13217 @vindex gnus-directory
13218 All Gnus directories will be initialized from this variable, which
13219 defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or @file{~/News/}
13220 if that variable isn't set.
13222 @item gnus-default-directory
13223 @vindex gnus-default-directory
13224 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
13225 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
13226 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
13227 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
13228 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
13229 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
13232 @vindex gnus-verbose
13233 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
13234 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
13235 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
13236 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
13237 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
13239 @item gnus-verbose-backends
13240 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
13241 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
13242 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
13244 @item nnheader-max-head-length
13245 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
13246 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
13247 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
13248 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
13249 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
13250 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
13251 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
13252 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
13255 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
13256 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
13257 This variable says how big a piece of each article to read when doing
13258 the operation described above.
13260 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
13261 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
13263 @cindex illegal characters in file names
13264 @cindex characters in file names
13265 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
13266 For instance, if @samp{:} is illegal as a file character in file names
13267 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
13270 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
13274 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
13275 Windows (phooey) systems.
13277 @item gnus-hidden-properties
13278 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
13279 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
13280 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
13281 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
13283 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
13284 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
13285 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
13286 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
13287 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
13289 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
13290 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
13291 String used to separate to shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
13300 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
13301 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
13303 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
13305 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
13311 Not because of victories @*
13314 but for the common sunshine,@*
13316 the largess of the spring.
13320 but for the day's work done@*
13321 as well as I was able;@*
13322 not for a seat upon the dais@*
13323 but at the common table.@*
13328 @chapter Appendices
13331 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
13332 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
13333 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
13334 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
13335 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
13336 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
13337 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
13345 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
13346 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
13348 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
13349 can point your (feh!) web browser to
13350 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
13351 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
13352 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
13354 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
13355 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
13356 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
13357 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
13358 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
13359 appropriate name, don't you think?)
13361 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
13362 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
13363 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
13364 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
13366 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
13367 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution.
13369 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'') was
13370 released under the name ``Gnus 5.2''.
13372 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun.
13374 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a name that is prefixed --
13375 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Mamey Sapote Gnus''
13376 -- don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
13377 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
13378 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
13382 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
13383 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
13384 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
13385 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
13386 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
13387 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
13388 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
13395 What's the point of Gnus?
13397 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
13398 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
13399 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
13400 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
13401 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
13402 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
13403 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
13404 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
13405 keep track of millions of people who post?
13407 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
13408 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
13409 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
13410 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
13411 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
13412 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
13413 everywhere I could imagine useful. By doing so, I'm inviting every one
13414 of you to explore and invent.
13416 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x hail-emacs}.
13419 @node Compatibility
13420 @subsection Compatibility
13422 @cindex compatibility
13423 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
13424 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
13425 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
13430 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
13434 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
13437 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @pxref{Decoding
13440 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
13441 buffers. All variables that are relevant while reading a group are
13442 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
13443 important variables have their values copied into their global
13444 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
13445 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
13447 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
13448 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
13449 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
13450 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
13451 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
13455 @cindex highlighting
13456 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
13457 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
13458 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
13459 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
13460 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
13461 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
13464 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
13465 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
13466 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
13467 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
13469 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
13470 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
13471 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
13472 to stop doing it the old way.
13474 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
13476 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
13478 @cindex reporting bugs
13480 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
13481 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
13482 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
13486 @subsection Conformity
13488 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
13489 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
13496 There are no known breaches of this standard.
13500 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
13502 @item Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
13503 @cindex Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
13504 Gnus has been through the Seal process and failed. I think it'll pass
13505 the next inspection.
13507 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
13508 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
13509 We do have some breaches to this one.
13514 Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
13515 MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
13518 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
13519 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
13520 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
13521 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
13522 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
13525 Gnus does line breaking on this header. I infer from RFC1036 that being
13526 conservative in what you output is not creating 5000-character lines, so
13527 it seems like a good idea to me. However, this standard-to-be says that
13528 whitespace in the @code{References} header is to be preserved, so... It
13529 doesn't matter one way or the other to Gnus, so if somebody tells me
13530 what The Way is, I'll change it. Or not.
13535 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliantly with regards to the texts
13536 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
13541 @subsection Emacsen
13547 Gnus should work on :
13552 Emacs 19.32 and up.
13555 XEmacs 19.14 and up.
13558 Mule versions based on Emacs 19.32 and up.
13562 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
13563 reliably, at least.
13565 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
13566 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
13567 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
13572 @subsection Contributors
13573 @cindex contributors
13575 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
13576 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
13577 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
13578 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
13579 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
13580 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
13581 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
13582 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
13583 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
13584 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
13586 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
13592 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
13595 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
13596 well as numerous other things).
13599 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
13602 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
13605 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
13606 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
13609 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
13610 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
13613 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
13616 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
13619 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
13622 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
13625 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinsky---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
13626 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
13629 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
13632 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
13635 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
13638 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
13642 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
13645 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
13648 Ricardo Nassif, Mark Borges, and Jost Krieger---proof-reading.
13651 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
13654 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports.
13658 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
13667 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
13671 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
13682 Massimo Campostrini,
13686 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
13700 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
13701 Francois Felix Ingrand,
13705 Thor Kristoffersen,
13715 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
13721 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
13729 Randal L. Schwartz,
13746 Katsumi Yamaoka. @c Yamaoka
13749 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
13752 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
13753 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
13757 @subsection New Features
13758 @cindex new features
13761 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
13762 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
13763 * Red Gnus:: The future---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
13766 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
13767 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
13768 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
13772 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
13774 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
13779 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
13780 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
13783 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
13784 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
13787 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
13790 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
13791 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
13792 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
13795 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
13796 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
13797 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
13798 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
13801 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
13802 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
13805 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
13806 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
13807 (@pxref{The Active File}).
13810 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
13811 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
13814 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
13815 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
13816 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
13819 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
13820 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
13821 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
13824 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
13825 the @file{.emacs} file.
13828 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
13829 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13832 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
13833 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
13836 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
13837 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
13840 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
13841 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
13844 Gnus can fetch articles asynchronously on a second connection to the
13845 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
13848 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
13851 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
13852 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
13855 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
13856 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
13859 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
13860 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
13863 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
13866 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
13867 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
13870 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
13874 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
13878 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
13879 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
13882 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
13888 @node September Gnus
13889 @subsubsection September Gnus
13891 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
13896 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
13897 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
13901 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
13902 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
13906 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
13910 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
13911 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
13914 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
13918 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
13921 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
13924 A @code{trn}-line tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
13927 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
13931 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
13932 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
13935 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
13939 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
13943 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
13947 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
13951 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
13954 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
13955 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
13958 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
13962 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
13963 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
13966 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
13969 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
13970 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
13971 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
13974 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
13978 The Gnus cache is much faster.
13981 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
13985 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-address and
13986 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13989 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
13990 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
13993 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
13994 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13997 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
13998 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
13999 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
14002 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
14003 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
14006 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
14009 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
14012 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
14013 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
14017 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
14020 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
14023 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
14024 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
14027 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
14031 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
14034 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
14037 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
14041 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
14044 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
14048 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
14051 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
14054 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
14055 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
14058 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
14059 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
14063 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
14064 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
14067 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
14071 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
14072 buffer to allow easier treatment.
14075 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
14078 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
14082 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
14086 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
14087 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
14090 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
14094 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
14095 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
14098 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
14099 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
14102 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
14106 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
14109 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
14110 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers t)
14114 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
14117 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
14123 @subsubsection Red Gnus
14125 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
14130 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
14133 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
14134 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
14137 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
14138 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
14142 Article washing status can be displayed in the
14143 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
14146 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
14149 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
14150 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
14153 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
14157 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
14158 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}).
14161 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
14162 Server Internals}).
14165 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
14169 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
14172 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
14173 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
14176 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
14177 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
14178 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
14181 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
14182 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
14185 A way to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed when
14186 generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
14189 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
14193 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
14194 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
14197 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
14198 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
14201 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
14205 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
14208 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
14212 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
14213 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
14216 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
14217 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
14220 A new command for reading collections of documents
14221 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
14222 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
14225 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
14229 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
14230 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
14233 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
14234 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
14235 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
14238 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
14239 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
14243 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
14247 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
14251 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
14255 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
14259 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
14260 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
14263 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
14266 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-emphasize)
14272 @node Newest Features
14273 @subsection Newest Features
14276 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
14279 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
14283 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
14285 Really do unbinhexing.
14288 And much, much, much more. There is more to come than has already been
14289 implemented. (But that's always true, isn't it?)
14291 @file{<URL:http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/rgnus/todo>} is where the actual
14292 up-to-the-second todo list is located, so if you're really curious, you
14293 could point your Web browser over that-a-way.
14298 @section The Manual
14302 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
14303 either @code{texi2dvi}
14305 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
14306 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
14308 to get what you hold in your hands now.
14310 The following conventions have been used:
14315 This is a @samp{string}
14318 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
14321 This is a @file{file}
14324 This is a @code{symbol}
14328 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
14332 (setq flargnoze "yes")
14335 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
14338 (setq flumphel 'yes)
14341 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
14342 ever get them confused.
14346 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
14347 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
14348 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
14349 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
14350 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
14351 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
14352 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
14359 @section Terminology
14361 @cindex terminology
14366 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
14367 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
14368 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
14369 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
14370 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
14374 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
14375 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
14376 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
14377 not posting, and replying is not following up.
14381 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
14385 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
14390 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
14391 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
14392 is all done by the backends.
14396 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
14397 default, way of getting news.
14401 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
14402 These are groups that use different backends for getting news.
14406 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
14407 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
14411 A message that has been posted as news.
14414 @cindex mail message
14415 A message that has been mailed.
14419 A mail message or news article
14423 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
14428 The rest of an article. Everything that is not in the head is in the
14433 A line from the head of an article.
14437 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
14438 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
14442 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
14443 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
14444 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
14445 normal @sc{head} format.
14449 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
14450 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
14451 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
14452 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
14453 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
14454 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
14456 @item killed groups
14457 @cindex killed groups
14458 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
14459 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
14461 @item zombie groups
14462 @cindex zombie groups
14463 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
14466 @cindex active file
14467 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
14468 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
14469 is rather large, as you might surmise.
14472 @cindex bogus groups
14473 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
14474 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
14475 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
14479 A machine than one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
14481 @item select method
14482 @cindex select method
14483 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
14486 @item virtual server
14487 @cindex virtual server
14488 A named select method. Since a select methods defines all there is to
14489 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the things as a
14490 whole is a virtual server.
14494 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
14495 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
14498 @item ephemeral groups
14499 @cindex ephemeral groups
14500 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
14501 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
14502 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
14505 @cindex solid groups
14506 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
14507 group buffer are solid groups.
14509 @item sparse articles
14510 @cindex sparse articles
14511 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
14512 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
14517 @node Customization
14518 @section Customization
14519 @cindex general customization
14521 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
14522 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
14523 for some quite common situations.
14526 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
14527 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
14528 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
14529 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
14533 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
14534 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
14536 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
14537 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
14538 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
14542 @item gnus-read-active-file
14543 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
14544 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
14545 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
14546 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
14547 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
14549 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
14550 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
14551 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
14552 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
14556 @node Slow Terminal Connection
14557 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
14559 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that
14560 runs Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce the
14561 amount of data that is sent over the wires as much as possible.
14565 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
14566 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
14567 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
14568 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
14569 horizontal and vertical recentering.
14571 @item gnus-visible-headers
14572 Cut down on the headers that are included in the articles to the
14573 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
14574 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
14575 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
14577 @item gnus-article-display-hook
14578 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
14580 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
14581 '(gnus-article-hide-headers gnus-article-hide-signature
14582 gnus-article-hide-citation))
14585 @item gnus-use-full-window
14586 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
14587 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
14588 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
14589 want to read them anyway.
14591 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
14592 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
14595 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
14596 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
14597 lines, which might save some time.
14601 @node Little Disk Space
14602 @subsection Little Disk Space
14605 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
14606 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
14610 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
14611 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
14612 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
14613 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
14616 @item gnus-save-killed-list
14617 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
14618 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
14619 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
14620 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
14626 @subsection Slow Machine
14627 @cindex slow machine
14629 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
14630 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
14632 Set@code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
14633 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
14635 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
14636 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
14637 summary buffer faster.
14639 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
14640 processing a bit faster.
14643 @node Troubleshooting
14644 @section Troubleshooting
14645 @cindex troubleshooting
14647 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
14655 Make sure your computer is switched on.
14658 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
14659 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
14663 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
14664 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
14665 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
14666 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
14669 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
14673 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
14674 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
14675 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
14676 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
14677 something like that.
14680 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
14683 @cindex reporting bugs
14685 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
14687 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
14688 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
14689 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
14690 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
14692 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
14693 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
14694 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
14695 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
14698 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
14699 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you send back
14700 just ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
14701 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
14702 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
14703 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
14705 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
14706 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
14707 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
14710 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
14711 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
14713 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
14714 @cindex ding mailing list
14715 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@ifi.uio.no}.
14716 Write to @samp{ding-request@@ifi.uio.no} to subscribe.
14719 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
14720 @section A Programmer@'s Guide to Gnus
14722 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
14723 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
14724 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
14725 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
14728 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
14729 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
14730 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
14731 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
14732 and general method of operations.
14735 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
14736 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
14737 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
14738 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
14739 * Group Info:: The group info format.
14740 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
14741 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
14745 @node Backend Interface
14746 @subsection Backend Interface
14748 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
14749 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
14750 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
14751 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
14752 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
14753 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
14755 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
14756 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
14757 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
14758 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
14759 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
14760 been opened, the function should fail.
14762 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
14763 name. Take this example:
14767 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
14768 (nntp-port-number 4324))
14771 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
14772 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
14774 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
14775 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
14776 server environments that it pulls down/pushes up when needed.
14778 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
14779 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
14780 always check whether are present before attempting to call.
14782 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
14783 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
14784 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
14785 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
14786 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
14787 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
14790 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
14791 some might be said to not be. The latter are backends that generally
14792 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
14793 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
14796 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
14799 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
14802 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
14803 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
14804 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
14805 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
14806 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
14807 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
14811 @node Required Backend Functions
14812 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
14816 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
14818 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
14819 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
14820 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
14821 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
14823 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
14824 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
14825 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
14826 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
14828 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try to fetch "extra
14829 headers, in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
14830 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
14831 article number in @code{articles}, and fill in the gaps as well. The
14832 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
14833 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
14834 number, do maximum fetches.
14836 Here's an example HEAD:
14839 221 1056 Article retrieved.
14840 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
14841 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
14842 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
14843 Subject: Re: Something very droll
14844 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
14845 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
14847 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
14848 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
14849 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
14853 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
14854 these in the data buffer.
14856 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
14860 head = error / valid-head
14861 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
14862 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
14863 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
14864 header = <text> eol
14867 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
14868 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
14872 nov-buffer = *nov-line
14873 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
14874 field = <text except TAB>
14877 For a closer explanation what should be in those fields,
14881 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
14883 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
14884 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that defines this virtual server.
14886 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
14887 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
14888 server. In fact, it should do so.
14890 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
14891 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
14894 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
14896 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
14897 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
14900 There should be no data returned.
14903 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
14905 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
14906 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
14907 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
14908 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
14910 There should be no data returned.
14913 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
14915 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
14916 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
14917 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
14918 attempt to reconnect to a server that is has lost connection to.
14920 There should be no data returned.
14923 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
14925 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
14927 There should be no data returned.
14930 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
14932 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
14933 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
14934 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
14935 it would be nice if that were possible.
14937 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
14938 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
14939 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
14940 another, and Gnus mainly request articles to be inserted directly into
14941 its article buffer.
14943 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
14944 the car is the group name the article was fetched from, and the cdr is
14945 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
14946 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
14947 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
14948 on successful article retrievement.
14951 @item (nnchoke-open-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
14953 Make @var{group} the current group.
14955 There should be no data returned by this function.
14958 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
14960 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
14961 making @var{group} the current group.
14963 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
14966 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
14969 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
14972 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
14973 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
14974 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
14975 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
14976 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
14977 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
14978 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
14979 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
14982 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
14983 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
14984 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
14988 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
14990 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
14991 a no-op on most backends.
14993 There should be no data returned.
14996 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
14998 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
15001 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
15004 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
15005 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
15008 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
15009 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
15012 active-file = *active-line
15013 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
15015 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
15018 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
15019 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
15020 (@samp{=other-group} or none of the above (@samp{y}).
15023 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
15025 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
15026 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
15027 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
15028 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
15029 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
15030 clear if the posting could not be completed.
15032 There should be no result data from this function.
15037 @node Optional Backend Functions
15038 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
15042 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
15044 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
15045 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
15046 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
15048 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
15049 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
15050 former is in the same format as the data from
15051 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
15052 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
15055 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
15059 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
15061 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
15062 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
15063 information (as is the case with virtual an imap groups). This function
15064 may alter the info in any manner it sees fit, and should return the
15065 (altered) group info. This function may alter the group info
15066 destructively, so no copying is needed before boogeying.
15068 There should be no result data from this function.
15071 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
15073 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
15074 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
15075 user is following up is news or mail. This function should return
15076 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
15077 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
15078 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
15079 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
15080 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
15082 There should be no result data from this function.
15085 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
15087 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
15088 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
15089 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
15090 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
15091 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
15093 The only use for this that I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
15094 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
15095 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
15098 There should be no result data from this function.
15101 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
15103 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
15104 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
15105 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
15106 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
15107 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
15108 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
15109 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
15111 There should be no result data from this function.
15114 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
15116 The result data from this function should be a description of
15120 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
15122 description = <text>
15125 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
15127 The result data from this function should be the description of all
15128 groups available on the server.
15131 description-buffer = *description-line
15135 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
15137 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
15138 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
15139 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
15142 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
15144 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
15146 There should be no return data.
15149 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
15151 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
15152 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
15153 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
15154 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
15155 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
15158 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
15161 There should be no result data returned.
15164 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
15167 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
15168 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
15170 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
15171 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
15172 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
15173 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
15174 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
15175 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
15177 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
15178 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
15181 The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
15182 the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
15184 There should be no data returned.
15187 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
15189 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
15190 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
15191 this function in short order.
15193 The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
15194 the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
15196 There should be no data returned.
15199 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
15201 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
15202 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
15204 There should be no data returned.
15207 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
15209 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
15210 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
15211 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
15213 There should be no data returned.
15216 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
15218 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
15219 articles that are in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
15221 There should be no data returned.
15226 @node Error Messaging
15227 @subsubsection Error Messaging
15229 @findex nnheader-report
15230 @findex nnheader-get-report
15231 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
15232 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
15233 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
15234 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
15235 there are many of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
15236 This function always returns @code{nil}.
15239 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
15241 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
15244 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
15245 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
15246 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
15247 takes one argument---the server symbol.
15249 Internally, these function access @var{backend}@code{-status-string}, so
15250 the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
15251 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
15254 @node Writing New Backends
15255 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
15257 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
15258 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
15259 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
15260 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
15261 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
15264 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
15265 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
15266 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
15268 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
15269 package called @code{nnoo}.
15271 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
15272 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
15279 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
15280 parameters. For instance:
15283 (nnoo-declare nndir
15287 @code{nndir} has here declared that it intends to inherit functions from
15288 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
15291 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
15292 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
15293 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
15295 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
15296 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
15297 a function in those backends.
15300 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
15301 "Where nndir will look for groups."
15302 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
15305 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
15306 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
15307 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
15309 @item nnoo-define-basics
15310 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
15314 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
15318 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
15319 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
15320 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
15322 @item nnoo-map-functions
15323 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
15324 functions from the parent backends.
15327 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
15328 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
15329 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
15332 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
15333 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
15334 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
15335 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
15338 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
15339 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
15340 haven't already been defined.
15346 nnmh-request-newgroups)
15350 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
15351 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
15352 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
15357 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
15360 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
15361 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
15365 (require 'nnheader)
15369 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
15371 (nnoo-declare nndir
15374 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
15375 "Where nndir will look for groups."
15376 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
15378 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
15379 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
15382 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
15383 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
15384 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
15386 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
15387 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
15389 ;;; Interface functions.
15391 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
15393 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
15394 (setq nndir-directory
15395 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
15397 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
15398 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
15399 (push `(nndir-current-group
15400 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
15402 (push `(nndir-top-directory
15403 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
15405 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
15407 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
15408 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
15409 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
15410 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
15411 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
15415 nnmh-status-message
15417 nnmh-request-newgroups))
15423 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
15424 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
15426 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
15427 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
15428 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
15429 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
15431 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
15432 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
15437 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
15440 The abilities can be:
15444 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
15446 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
15448 This backend supports both mail and news.
15450 This is neither a post or mail backend---it's something completely
15453 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
15454 articles and groups.
15456 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
15457 true for almost all backends.
15458 @item prompt-address
15459 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
15460 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
15461 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
15465 @node Mail-like Backends
15466 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
15468 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
15469 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
15470 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
15471 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
15474 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
15475 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
15476 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
15479 It simply just calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will a few parameters,
15480 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
15483 This function takes four parameters.
15487 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
15490 @item exit-function
15491 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
15493 @item temp-directory
15494 Where the temporary files should be stored.
15497 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
15498 performed for one group only.
15501 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
15502 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
15503 find the article number assigned to this article.
15505 The function also uses the following variables:
15506 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
15507 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
15508 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
15509 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
15513 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
15514 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
15518 @node Score File Syntax
15519 @subsection Score File Syntax
15521 Score files are meant to be easily parsable, but yet extremely
15522 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
15523 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
15525 Here's a typical score file:
15529 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
15536 BNF definition of a score file:
15539 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
15540 element = rule / atom
15541 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
15542 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
15543 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
15544 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
15546 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
15547 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
15548 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
15549 date-header = "date"
15550 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
15551 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
15552 score = "nil" / <integer>
15553 date = "nil" / <natural number>
15554 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
15555 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
15556 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
15557 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
15558 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
15559 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
15560 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
15561 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
15562 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
15563 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
15564 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
15565 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
15566 exclude-files / read-only / touched
15567 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
15568 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
15569 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
15570 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
15571 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
15572 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
15573 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
15574 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
15575 adapt = "adapt" [ space "nil" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
15576 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
15577 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
15578 eval = "eval" space <form>
15579 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
15582 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
15585 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
15586 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
15587 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
15588 one looong line, then that's ok.
15590 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
15595 @subsection Headers
15597 Gnus uses internally a format for storing article headers that
15598 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
15599 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
15600 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
15602 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
15603 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
15604 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
15605 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
15606 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
15607 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
15608 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
15610 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
15611 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
15612 @code{xref}. There are macros for accessing and setting these
15613 slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
15614 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
15616 The @code{xref} slot is really a @code{misc} slot. Any extra info will
15623 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
15624 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
15626 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
15627 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
15628 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
15629 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
15631 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
15635 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
15638 is transformed into
15641 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
15644 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
15645 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
15648 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
15651 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
15652 is slightly tricky:
15655 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
15661 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
15664 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
15670 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
15677 and is equal to the previous range.
15679 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
15680 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
15681 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
15685 range = simple-range / normal-range
15686 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
15687 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
15688 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
15689 number *[ " " contents ]
15692 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
15693 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
15694 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
15695 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
15696 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
15701 @subsection Group Info
15703 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
15704 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
15705 describes the group.
15707 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
15708 second is a more complex one:
15711 ("no.group" 5 (1 . 54324))
15713 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
15714 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
15716 (auto-expire (to-address "ding@@ifi.uio.no")))
15719 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
15720 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
15721 normally is a small integer. The third element is a list of ranges of
15722 read articles. The fourth element is a list of lists of article marks
15723 of various kinds. The fifth element is the select method (or virtual
15724 server, if you like). The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group
15725 parameters}, which is what this section is about.
15727 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
15728 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
15729 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
15731 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
15734 info = "(" group space level space read
15735 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
15736 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
15737 group = quote <string> quote
15738 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
15740 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
15741 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
15742 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
15743 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
15746 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
15747 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
15751 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
15752 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
15756 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
15757 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
15758 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
15760 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
15761 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
15762 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
15763 Gnus, that's very useful.
15765 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
15766 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
15767 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
15768 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
15769 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
15770 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
15771 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
15772 following function:
15775 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
15779 (,function ,@@args))
15783 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
15784 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
15785 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
15788 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
15789 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
15790 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
15793 @node Various File Formats
15794 @subsection Various File Formats
15797 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
15798 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
15802 @node Active File Format
15803 @subsubsection Active File Format
15805 The active file lists all groups that are available on the server in
15806 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
15809 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
15812 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
15813 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
15814 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
15815 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
15816 no.general 1000 900 y
15819 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
15822 active = *group-line
15823 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
15824 group = <non-white-space string>
15826 high-number = <non-negative integer>
15827 low-number = <positive integer>
15828 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
15832 @node Newsgroups File Format
15833 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
15835 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
15836 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
15837 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
15840 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
15841 Here's the definition:
15845 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
15846 group = <non-white-space string>
15848 description = <string>
15852 @node Emacs for Heathens
15853 @section Emacs for Heathens
15855 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
15856 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
15857 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
15858 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
15859 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
15860 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
15861 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
15865 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
15866 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
15871 @subsection Keystrokes
15875 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
15878 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
15881 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
15882 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
15883 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
15884 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
15885 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
15886 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
15888 The shift key is normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
15889 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
15890 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
15891 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
15892 keyboards. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
15893 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
15894 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
15896 Now, us Emacs people doesn't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
15897 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
15898 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
15899 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
15900 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
15901 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
15902 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
15904 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
15905 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
15906 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
15907 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
15908 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
15914 @subsection Emacs Lisp
15916 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
15917 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
15918 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
15919 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
15921 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
15922 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
15923 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
15924 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
15925 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
15926 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
15927 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
15930 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
15931 write the following:
15934 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
15937 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
15938 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
15939 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
15942 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
15943 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
15944 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
15945 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
15946 previous ``form'', which here is a simple @code{setq} statement.
15948 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
15949 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
15950 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
15954 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
15958 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
15961 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
15962 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
15965 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
15968 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
15969 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
15972 @include gnus-faq.texi