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335 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
340 @setchapternewpage odd
347 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
349 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
355 @top The Gnus Newsreader
359 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
360 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
361 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
364 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
365 This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.4.
376 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
377 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
379 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
380 being accused of plagiarism:
382 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
383 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
384 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
385 can even read news with it!
387 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
388 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
389 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
390 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
391 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
397 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
398 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
399 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
400 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
401 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
402 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
403 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
404 * Various:: General purpose settings.
405 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
406 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
407 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
408 * Key Index:: Key Index.
410 Other related manuals
412 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
413 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
414 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
415 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
416 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
419 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
423 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
424 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
425 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
426 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
427 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
428 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
429 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
430 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
431 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
432 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
433 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
437 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
438 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
439 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
443 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
444 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
445 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
446 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
447 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
448 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
449 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
450 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
451 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
452 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
453 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
454 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
455 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
456 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
457 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
458 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
459 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
463 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
464 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
465 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
469 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
470 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
471 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
472 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
473 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
477 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
478 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
479 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
480 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
481 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
485 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
486 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
487 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
488 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
489 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
490 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
491 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
492 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
493 * Threading:: How threads are made.
494 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
495 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
496 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
497 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
498 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
499 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
500 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
501 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
502 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
503 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
504 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
505 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
506 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
507 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
508 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
509 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
510 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
511 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
512 or reselecting the current group.
513 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
514 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
515 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
516 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
518 Summary Buffer Format
520 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
521 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
522 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
523 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
527 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
528 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
530 Reply, Followup and Post
532 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
533 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
534 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
535 * Canceling and Superseding::
539 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
540 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
541 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
542 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
543 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
544 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
548 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
549 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
551 Customizing Threading
553 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
554 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
555 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
556 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
560 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
561 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
562 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
563 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
564 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
565 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
569 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
570 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
571 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
575 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
576 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
577 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
578 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
579 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
580 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
581 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
582 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
583 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
584 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
585 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
587 Alternative Approaches
589 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
590 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
592 Various Summary Stuff
594 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
595 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
596 * Summary Generation Commands::
597 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
601 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
602 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
603 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
604 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
605 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
609 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
610 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
611 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
612 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
613 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
614 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
615 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
616 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
617 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
621 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
622 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
623 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
624 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
625 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
626 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
627 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
628 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
629 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
633 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
634 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
635 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
636 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
637 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
638 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
639 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
643 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
644 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
648 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
649 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
650 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
651 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
655 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
656 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
657 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
658 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
659 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
660 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
661 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
662 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
663 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
664 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
665 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
666 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
667 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
671 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
672 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
673 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
675 Choosing a Mail Back End
677 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
678 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
679 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
680 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
681 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
682 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
683 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
688 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
689 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
690 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
691 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
692 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
693 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
697 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
698 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
699 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
700 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
701 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
702 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
706 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
707 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
708 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
709 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
710 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
714 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
718 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
719 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
720 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
724 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
725 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
729 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
730 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
731 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
735 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
736 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
737 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
739 The Gnus Diary Library
741 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
742 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
743 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
744 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
748 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
749 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
750 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
751 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
752 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
753 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
754 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
755 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
756 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
757 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
758 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
759 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
760 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
761 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
765 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
766 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
767 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
771 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
772 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
773 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
777 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
778 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
779 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
780 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
781 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
782 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
783 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
784 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
785 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
786 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
787 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
788 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
789 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
790 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
791 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
792 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
796 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
797 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
798 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
802 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
803 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
804 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
805 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
806 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
807 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
808 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
809 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
810 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
811 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
812 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
813 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
814 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
815 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
816 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
817 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
818 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
819 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
820 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
821 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
825 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
826 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
827 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
828 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
829 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
830 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
831 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
832 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
836 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
837 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
838 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
839 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
840 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
844 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
845 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
846 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
847 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
848 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
849 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
851 Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
853 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
854 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
855 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
856 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
857 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
859 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
860 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
862 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
864 * SpamAssassin back end::
865 * ifile spam filtering::
866 * spam-stat spam filtering::
868 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
870 Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
872 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
873 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
874 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
878 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
879 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
880 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
881 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
882 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
883 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
884 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
885 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
886 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
890 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
891 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
892 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
893 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
894 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
895 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
896 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
897 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
898 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
902 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
903 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
904 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
905 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
906 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
907 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
908 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
912 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
913 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
914 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
915 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
919 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
920 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
921 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
922 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
923 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
924 * Group Info:: The group info format.
925 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
926 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
927 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
931 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
932 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
933 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
934 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
935 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
936 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
940 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
941 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
945 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
946 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
952 @chapter Starting Gnus
957 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
958 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
961 @findex gnus-other-frame
962 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
963 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
964 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
966 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
967 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
968 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
970 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
971 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
974 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
975 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
976 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
977 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
978 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
979 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
980 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
981 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
982 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
983 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
987 @node Finding the News
988 @section Finding the News
991 @vindex gnus-select-method
993 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
994 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
995 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
996 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
999 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
1000 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1003 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1006 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1009 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1012 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1013 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1014 server is running Leafnode (which is a simple, standalone private news
1015 server); in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1017 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1019 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1020 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1021 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1022 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1023 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1024 If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1025 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1027 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1028 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1029 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1030 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1032 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1033 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1034 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1035 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1036 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1037 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1038 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1039 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1040 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1043 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1045 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1046 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1047 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1048 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1049 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1050 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1052 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1054 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1055 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1056 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1057 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1058 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1059 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1062 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1063 you would typically set this variable to
1066 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1069 Note: the @acronym{NNTP} back end stores marks in marks files
1070 (@pxref{NNTP marks}). This feature makes it easy to share marks between
1071 several Gnus installations, but may slow down things a bit when fetching
1072 new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
1075 @node The First Time
1076 @section The First Time
1077 @cindex first time usage
1079 If no startup files exist (@pxref{Startup Files}), Gnus will try to
1080 determine what groups should be subscribed by default.
1082 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1083 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1084 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1085 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1088 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1089 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1090 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1092 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1093 help you with most common problems.
1095 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1096 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1100 @node The Server is Down
1101 @section The Server is Down
1102 @cindex server errors
1104 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1105 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1106 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1108 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1109 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1110 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1111 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1112 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1113 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1114 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1116 @findex gnus-no-server
1117 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1119 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1120 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1121 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1122 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1123 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1124 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1125 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1129 @section Slave Gnusae
1132 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1133 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1134 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1135 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1137 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1138 @file{.newsrc} file.
1140 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1141 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1142 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1143 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1144 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1145 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1146 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1149 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1150 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1151 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1152 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1153 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1154 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1155 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1156 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1158 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1159 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1161 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1162 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1163 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1164 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1165 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1172 @cindex subscription
1174 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1175 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1176 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1177 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1178 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1179 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1180 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1181 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1182 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1185 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1186 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1187 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1191 @node Checking New Groups
1192 @subsection Checking New Groups
1194 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1195 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1196 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1197 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1198 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1199 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1200 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1201 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1202 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1203 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1205 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1206 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1207 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1208 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1209 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1210 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1211 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1212 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1213 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1214 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1215 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1217 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1218 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1219 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1220 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1221 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1222 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1225 @node Subscription Methods
1226 @subsection Subscription Methods
1228 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1229 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1230 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1232 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1233 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1235 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1239 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1240 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1241 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1242 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1243 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1245 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1246 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1247 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1248 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1250 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1251 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1252 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1254 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1255 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1256 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1257 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1258 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1259 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1260 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1261 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1262 up. Or something like that.
1264 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1265 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1266 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1267 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1268 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1270 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1271 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1272 Kill all new groups.
1274 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1275 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1276 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1277 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1278 topic parameter that looks like
1284 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1287 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1292 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1293 A closely related variable is
1294 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1295 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1296 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1297 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1300 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1301 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1302 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1303 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1306 @node Filtering New Groups
1307 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1309 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1310 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1311 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1314 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1317 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1318 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1319 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1320 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1321 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1322 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1323 subscribing these groups.
1324 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1325 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1327 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1328 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1329 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1330 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1331 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1332 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1333 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1334 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1336 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1337 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1338 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1339 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1340 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1341 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1342 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1343 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1344 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1345 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1348 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1349 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1352 @node Changing Servers
1353 @section Changing Servers
1354 @cindex changing servers
1356 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1357 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1358 very flaky and you want to use another.
1360 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1361 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1365 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1366 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1367 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1368 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1371 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1372 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1373 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1374 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1376 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1377 @findex gnus-change-server
1378 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1379 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1380 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1381 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1382 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1384 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1385 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1386 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1387 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1388 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1390 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1391 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1392 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1393 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1394 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1395 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1397 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1398 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1399 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1400 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1402 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1403 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1404 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1405 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1406 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1407 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1408 cache for all groups).
1412 @section Startup Files
1413 @cindex startup files
1418 Most common Unix news readers use a shared startup file called
1419 @file{.newsrc}. This file contains all the information about what
1420 groups are subscribed, and which articles in these groups have been
1423 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1424 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1425 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1426 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1427 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1428 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1429 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1431 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1432 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1433 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1434 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1435 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1436 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1438 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1439 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1440 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1441 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1442 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1443 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1444 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1445 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1446 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which can be
1447 convenient if you use a different news reader occasionally, and you
1448 want to read a different subset of the available groups with that
1451 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1452 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1453 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1454 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1455 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1456 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1457 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1458 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1459 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1460 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1461 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1462 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1464 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1465 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1466 @vindex version-control
1467 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1468 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1469 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1470 If you want version control for this file, set
1471 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1472 @code{version-control} variable.
1474 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1475 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1476 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1477 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1478 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1479 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1480 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1481 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1482 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1483 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1486 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1487 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1489 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1490 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1493 @vindex gnus-init-file
1494 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1495 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1496 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus-init} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1497 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1498 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1499 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1500 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1501 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1502 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1503 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order). If Emacs was invoked with
1504 the @option{-q} or @option{--no-init-file} options (@pxref{Initial
1505 Options, ,Initial Options, emacs, The Emacs Manual}), Gnus doesn't read
1506 @code{gnus-init-file}.
1511 @cindex dribble file
1514 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1515 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1516 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1517 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1518 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1521 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1522 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1525 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1526 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1527 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1529 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1530 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1531 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1532 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1533 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1534 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1536 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1537 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1538 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1541 @node The Active File
1542 @section The Active File
1544 @cindex ignored groups
1546 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1547 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1548 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1550 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1551 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1552 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1553 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1554 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1555 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1556 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1559 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1560 @c if you set it to anything else.
1562 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1564 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1565 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1566 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1568 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1569 you actually subscribe to.
1571 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1572 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1573 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1574 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1576 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1577 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1578 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1579 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1580 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1581 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1583 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1584 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1585 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1588 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1589 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1590 @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1591 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1592 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1593 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1595 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1596 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1598 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1599 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1601 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1602 secondary select methods.
1605 @node Startup Variables
1606 @section Startup Variables
1610 @item gnus-load-hook
1611 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1612 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1613 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1614 times you start Gnus.
1616 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1617 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1618 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1620 @item gnus-startup-hook
1621 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1622 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1624 @item gnus-started-hook
1625 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1626 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1629 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1630 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1631 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1632 generating the group buffer.
1634 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1635 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1636 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1637 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1638 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1639 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1640 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1641 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1643 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1644 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1645 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1646 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1647 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1648 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1650 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1651 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1652 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1654 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1655 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1656 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1658 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1659 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1660 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1661 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1667 @chapter Group Buffer
1668 @cindex group buffer
1670 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1672 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1673 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1674 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1675 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1676 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1677 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1678 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1679 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1680 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1681 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1682 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1683 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1684 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1685 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1686 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1687 @c human rights at 9...
1690 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1691 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1692 long as Gnus is active.
1696 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1697 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1698 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1699 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1700 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1701 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1702 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1703 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1709 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1710 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1711 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1712 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1713 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1714 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1715 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1716 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1717 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1718 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1719 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1720 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1721 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1722 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1723 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1724 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1725 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1729 @node Group Buffer Format
1730 @section Group Buffer Format
1733 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1734 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1735 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1739 @node Group Line Specification
1740 @subsection Group Line Specification
1741 @cindex group buffer format
1743 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1744 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1746 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1749 25: news.announce.newusers
1750 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1755 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1756 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1757 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1758 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1760 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1761 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1762 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1763 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1764 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1765 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1767 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1769 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1770 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1771 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1772 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1773 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1775 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1776 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1777 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1779 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1784 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1787 Whether the group is subscribed.
1790 Level of subscribedness.
1793 Number of unread articles.
1796 Number of dormant articles.
1799 Number of ticked articles.
1802 Number of read articles.
1805 Number of unseen articles.
1808 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1809 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1811 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1812 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1813 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1814 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1815 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1816 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1817 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1818 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1821 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1824 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1833 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1834 comment element in the group parameters.
1837 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1838 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1839 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1843 @samp{m} if moderated.
1846 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1852 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1858 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1862 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1865 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1866 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1867 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1868 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1869 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1872 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1874 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1878 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1881 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1885 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1886 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1887 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1888 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1891 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1892 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1893 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1894 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1895 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1896 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1901 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1902 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1903 group, or a bogus native group.
1906 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1907 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1908 @cindex group mode line
1910 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1911 The mode line can be changed by setting
1912 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1913 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1917 The native news server.
1919 The native select method.
1923 @node Group Highlighting
1924 @subsection Group Highlighting
1925 @cindex highlighting
1926 @cindex group highlighting
1928 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1929 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1930 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1931 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1932 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1934 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1938 (cond (window-system
1939 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1940 (defface my-group-face-1
1941 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1942 (defface my-group-face-2
1943 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1944 "Second group face")
1945 (defface my-group-face-3
1946 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1947 (defface my-group-face-4
1948 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1949 (defface my-group-face-5
1950 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1952 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1953 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1954 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1955 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1956 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1957 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1960 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1962 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1969 The number of unread articles in the group.
1973 Whether the group is a mail group.
1975 The level of the group.
1977 The score of the group.
1979 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1981 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1982 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1984 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1985 topic being inserted.
1988 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1989 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1990 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1992 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1993 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1994 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1995 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1996 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1999 @node Group Maneuvering
2000 @section Group Maneuvering
2001 @cindex group movement
2003 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
2004 expected, hopefully.
2010 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
2011 Go to the next group that has unread articles
2012 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2018 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2019 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2020 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2024 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2025 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2029 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2030 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2034 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2035 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2036 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2040 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2041 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2042 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2045 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2051 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2052 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2053 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2058 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2059 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2060 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2064 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2065 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2066 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2069 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2070 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2071 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2072 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2076 @node Selecting a Group
2077 @section Selecting a Group
2078 @cindex group selection
2083 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2084 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2085 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2086 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2087 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2088 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2089 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2090 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2091 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2092 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2094 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2095 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2096 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2098 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2099 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2104 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2105 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2106 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2107 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2108 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2112 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2113 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2114 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2115 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2116 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2117 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2118 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2119 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2120 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2121 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2124 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2125 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2126 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2127 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2128 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2131 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2132 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2133 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2134 doing any processing of its contents
2135 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2136 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2137 manner will have no permanent effects.
2141 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2142 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2143 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2144 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2145 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2146 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2147 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2148 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2149 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2150 most recently will be fetched.
2152 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2153 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2154 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2157 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2158 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2159 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2160 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2161 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2162 Which article this is is controlled by the
2163 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2169 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2172 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2175 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2177 @item unseen-or-unread
2178 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2179 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2183 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2187 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2188 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2190 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2191 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2192 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2193 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2197 @node Subscription Commands
2198 @section Subscription Commands
2199 @cindex subscription
2207 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2208 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2209 Toggle subscription to the current group
2210 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2216 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2217 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2218 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2219 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2225 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2226 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2227 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2233 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2234 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2237 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2238 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2239 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2240 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2241 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2247 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2248 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2252 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2253 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2256 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2257 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2258 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2259 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2260 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2261 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2262 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2263 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2264 @file{.newsrc} file.
2268 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2278 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2279 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2280 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2281 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2282 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2283 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2288 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2289 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2290 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2294 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2295 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2296 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2298 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2299 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2300 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2301 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2302 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2303 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2310 @section Group Levels
2314 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2315 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2316 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2317 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2318 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2320 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2326 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2327 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2328 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2329 prompted for a level.
2332 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2333 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2334 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2335 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2336 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2337 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2338 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2339 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2340 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2341 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2342 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2343 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2344 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2345 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2346 reasons of efficiency.
2348 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2349 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2351 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2352 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2353 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2354 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2355 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2356 groups are hidden, in a way.
2358 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2359 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2360 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2361 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2362 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2363 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2365 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2366 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2367 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2368 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2369 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2370 list of killed groups.)
2372 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2373 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2374 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2376 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2377 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2378 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2379 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2380 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2381 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2382 relevant valid ranges.
2384 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2385 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2386 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2387 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2388 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2389 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2392 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2393 one with the best level.
2395 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2396 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2397 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2400 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2401 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2402 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2403 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2406 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2407 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2408 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2409 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2411 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2412 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2413 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2414 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2415 to 5. The default is 6.
2419 @section Group Score
2424 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2425 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2426 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2429 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2430 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2431 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2432 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2433 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2434 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2435 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2436 least significant part.))
2438 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2439 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2440 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2441 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2442 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2443 action after each summary exit, you can add
2444 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2445 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2446 slow things down somewhat.
2449 @node Marking Groups
2450 @section Marking Groups
2451 @cindex marking groups
2453 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2454 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2455 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2456 bidding on those groups.
2458 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2459 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2460 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2468 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2469 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2475 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2476 Remove the mark from the current group
2477 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2481 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2482 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2486 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2487 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2491 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2492 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2496 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2497 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2498 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2501 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2503 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2504 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2505 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2506 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2507 the command to be executed.
2510 @node Foreign Groups
2511 @section Foreign Groups
2512 @cindex foreign groups
2514 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2515 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2516 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2517 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2524 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2525 @cindex making groups
2526 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2527 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2528 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2532 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2533 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2534 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2538 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2539 @cindex renaming groups
2540 Rename the current group to something else
2541 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2542 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2548 @findex gnus-group-customize
2549 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2553 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2554 @cindex renaming groups
2555 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2556 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2560 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2561 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2562 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2566 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2567 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2568 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2572 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2574 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2575 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2580 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2581 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2585 @cindex (ding) archive
2586 @cindex archive group
2587 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2588 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2589 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2590 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2591 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2592 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2593 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2597 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2599 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2600 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2601 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2602 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2606 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2608 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2609 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2610 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2614 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2615 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2617 Make a group based on some file or other
2618 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2619 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2620 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2621 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2622 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2623 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2624 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2625 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2626 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2630 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2631 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2632 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2633 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2637 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2641 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2642 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2643 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2644 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2645 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2646 @xref{Web Searches}.
2648 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2649 to a particular group by using a match string like
2650 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2654 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2655 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2656 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2660 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2661 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2662 This function will delete the current group
2663 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2664 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2665 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2666 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2667 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2671 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2672 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2673 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2677 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2678 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2679 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2682 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2685 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2686 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2687 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2688 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2689 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2690 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2694 @node Group Parameters
2695 @section Group Parameters
2696 @cindex group parameters
2698 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2699 Here's an example group parameter list:
2702 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2706 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2707 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2708 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2709 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2711 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2712 is an alist of regexps and values.
2714 The following group parameters can be used:
2719 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2722 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2725 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2726 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2727 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2728 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2729 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2731 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2732 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2733 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2734 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2735 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2736 list address instead.
2738 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2742 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2745 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2748 It is totally ignored
2749 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2750 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2752 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2753 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2754 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2755 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2756 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2758 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2759 @cindex mail list groups
2760 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2761 entering summary buffer.
2763 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2768 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2769 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2770 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2771 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2772 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2773 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2774 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2775 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2778 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2779 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2782 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2783 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2787 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2788 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2789 of whether it has any unread articles.
2791 This parameter cannot be set via @code{gnus-parameters}. See
2792 @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.
2794 @item broken-reply-to
2795 @cindex broken-reply-to
2796 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2797 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2798 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2799 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2800 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2801 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2805 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2806 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2810 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2811 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2812 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2817 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2818 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2819 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2820 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2821 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2822 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2823 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2825 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2826 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2827 doesn't accept articles.
2831 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2832 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2833 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2835 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2838 @cindex total-expire
2839 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2840 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2841 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2842 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2845 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2849 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2850 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2851 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2852 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2853 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2854 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2855 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2858 @cindex expiry-target
2859 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2860 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2863 @cindex score file group parameter
2864 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2865 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2866 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2869 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2870 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2871 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2872 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2875 @cindex admin-address
2876 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2877 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2878 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2879 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2883 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2884 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2888 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2891 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2892 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2895 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2899 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2901 Here are some examples:
2905 Display only unread articles.
2908 Display everything except expirable articles.
2910 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2911 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2915 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2916 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2917 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2918 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2919 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2923 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2924 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2925 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2929 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2930 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2931 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2935 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2936 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2937 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2939 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2941 @item ignored-charsets
2942 @cindex ignored-charset
2943 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2944 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2945 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2947 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2950 @cindex posting-style
2951 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2952 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2953 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2954 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2955 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2957 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2958 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2959 like this in the group parameters:
2964 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2965 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2970 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2971 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2975 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
2976 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
2977 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2978 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2979 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2983 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2984 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2985 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2986 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2988 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
2989 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2990 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2991 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2994 if address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com" @{
2995 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
2999 To generate tests for multiple email-addresses use a group parameter
3000 like @code{(sieve address "sender" ("name@@one.org" else@@two.org"))}.
3001 When generating a sieve script (@pxref{Sieve Commands}) Sieve code
3002 like the following is generated:
3005 if address "sender" ["name@@one.org", "else@@two.org"] @{
3006 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3010 See @pxref{Sieve Commands} for commands and variables that might be of
3011 interest in relation to the sieve parameter.
3013 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3014 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3016 @item (agent parameters)
3017 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
3018 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3019 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3020 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3021 minimize the configuration effort.
3023 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3024 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3025 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3026 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3027 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3028 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3029 @code{eval}ed there.
3031 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
3032 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3033 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3034 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3035 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3036 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3037 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3038 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3041 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3044 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3045 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3046 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3049 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3052 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3053 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3054 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3055 into the group parameters for the group.
3057 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3058 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3059 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group.
3060 @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the (meaningless) result of the
3063 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3064 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3065 following is added to a group parameter
3068 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3069 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3072 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3077 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
3078 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
3079 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
3080 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
3081 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
3083 @vindex gnus-parameters
3084 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3085 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect (For this
3086 case see @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.).
3090 (setq gnus-parameters
3092 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3093 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3094 (gnus-summary-line-format
3095 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3099 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3103 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3107 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3110 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3111 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3113 @vindex gnus-parameters-case-fold-search
3114 By default, whether comparing the group name and one of those regexps
3115 specified in @code{gnus-parameters} is done in a case-sensitive manner
3116 or a case-insensitive manner depends on the value of
3117 @code{case-fold-search} at the time when the comparison is done. The
3118 value of @code{case-fold-search} is typically @code{t}; it means, for
3119 example, the element @code{("INBOX\\.FOO" (total-expire . t))} might be
3120 applied to both the @samp{INBOX.FOO} group and the @samp{INBOX.foo}
3121 group. If you want to make those regexps always case-sensitive, set the
3122 value of the @code{gnus-parameters-case-fold-search} variable to
3123 @code{nil}. Otherwise, set it to @code{t} if you want to compare them
3124 always in a case-insensitive manner.
3126 You can define different sorting to different groups via
3127 @code{gnus-parameters}. Here is an example to sort an @acronym{NNTP}
3128 group by reverse date to see the latest news at the top and an
3129 @acronym{RSS} group by subject. In this example, the first group is the
3130 Debian daily news group @code{gmane.linux.debian.user.news} from
3131 news.gmane.org. The @acronym{RSS} group corresponds to the Debian
3132 weekly news RSS feed
3133 @url{http://packages.debian.org/unstable/newpkg_main.en.rdf},
3139 '(("nntp.*gmane\\.debian\\.user\\.news"
3140 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3141 (gnus-article-sort-functions '((not gnus-article-sort-by-date)))
3142 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3143 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
3145 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3146 (gnus-article-sort-functions 'gnus-article-sort-by-subject)
3147 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3148 (gnus-use-scoring t)
3149 (gnus-score-find-score-files-function 'gnus-score-find-single)
3150 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%d %I%(%[ %s %]%)\n"))))
3154 @node Listing Groups
3155 @section Listing Groups
3156 @cindex group listing
3158 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3166 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3167 List all groups that have unread articles
3168 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3169 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3170 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3171 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3178 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3179 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3180 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3181 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3182 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3183 unsubscribed groups).
3187 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3188 List all unread groups on a specific level
3189 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3190 with no unread articles.
3194 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3195 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3196 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3197 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3202 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3203 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3207 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3208 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3209 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3213 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3214 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3218 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3219 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3220 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3221 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3222 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3223 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3224 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3225 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3229 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3230 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3231 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3235 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3236 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3237 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3241 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3242 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3246 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3247 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3251 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3252 List groups limited within the current selection
3253 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3257 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3258 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3262 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3263 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3267 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3268 @cindex visible group parameter
3269 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3270 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3271 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3272 get the same effect.
3274 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3275 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3276 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3277 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3278 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3281 @node Sorting Groups
3282 @section Sorting Groups
3283 @cindex sorting groups
3285 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3286 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3287 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3288 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3289 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3290 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3295 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3296 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3297 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3299 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3300 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3301 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3303 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3304 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3305 Sort by group level.
3307 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3308 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3309 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3311 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3312 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3313 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3314 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3316 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3317 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3318 Sort by number of unread articles.
3320 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3321 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3322 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3324 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3325 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3326 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3331 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3332 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3336 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3337 some sorting criteria:
3341 @kindex G S a (Group)
3342 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3343 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3344 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3347 @kindex G S u (Group)
3348 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3349 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3350 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3353 @kindex G S l (Group)
3354 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3355 Sort the group buffer by group level
3356 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3359 @kindex G S v (Group)
3360 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3361 Sort the group buffer by group score
3362 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3365 @kindex G S r (Group)
3366 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3367 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3368 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3371 @kindex G S m (Group)
3372 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3373 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3374 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3377 @kindex G S n (Group)
3378 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3379 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3380 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3384 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3385 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3387 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3388 commands will sort in reverse order.
3390 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3394 @kindex G P a (Group)
3395 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3396 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3397 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3400 @kindex G P u (Group)
3401 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3402 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3403 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3406 @kindex G P l (Group)
3407 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3408 Sort the groups by group level
3409 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3412 @kindex G P v (Group)
3413 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3414 Sort the groups by group score
3415 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3418 @kindex G P r (Group)
3419 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3420 Sort the groups by group rank
3421 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3424 @kindex G P m (Group)
3425 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3426 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3427 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3430 @kindex G P n (Group)
3431 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3432 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3433 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3436 @kindex G P s (Group)
3437 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3438 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3442 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3446 @node Group Maintenance
3447 @section Group Maintenance
3448 @cindex bogus groups
3453 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3454 Find bogus groups and delete them
3455 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3459 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3460 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3461 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3462 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3463 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3467 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3468 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3469 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3470 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3471 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3472 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3475 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3476 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3477 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3478 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3483 @node Browse Foreign Server
3484 @section Browse Foreign Server
3485 @cindex foreign servers
3486 @cindex browsing servers
3491 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3492 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3493 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3494 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3497 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3498 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3499 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3500 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3502 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3507 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3508 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3512 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3513 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3516 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3517 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3518 Enter the current group and display the first article
3519 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3522 @kindex RET (Browse)
3523 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3524 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3528 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3529 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3530 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3536 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3537 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3541 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3542 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3546 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3547 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3548 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3553 @section Exiting Gnus
3554 @cindex exiting Gnus
3556 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3561 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3562 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3563 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3564 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3568 @findex gnus-group-exit
3569 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3570 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3574 @findex gnus-group-quit
3575 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3576 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3579 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3580 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3581 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3582 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3583 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3584 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3590 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3591 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3592 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3598 @section Group Topics
3601 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3602 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3603 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3604 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3605 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3606 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3610 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3611 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3622 2: alt.religion.emacs
3625 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3627 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3628 13: comp.sources.unix
3631 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3633 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3634 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3635 is a toggling command.)
3637 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3638 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3639 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3640 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3643 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3644 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3645 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3648 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3652 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3653 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3654 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3655 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3656 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3660 @node Topic Commands
3661 @subsection Topic Commands
3662 @cindex topic commands
3664 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3665 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3666 definitions slightly.
3668 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3669 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3670 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3671 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3672 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3673 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3675 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3682 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3683 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3684 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3688 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3690 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3691 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3692 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3693 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3696 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3697 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3698 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3699 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3703 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3704 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3705 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3706 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3712 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3713 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3714 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3718 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3719 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3720 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3723 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3724 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3725 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3726 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3727 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3729 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3730 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3734 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3735 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3742 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3744 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3745 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3746 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3747 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3748 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3749 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3753 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3759 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3760 Move the current group to some other topic
3761 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3762 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3766 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3767 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3771 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3772 Copy the current group to some other topic
3773 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3774 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3778 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3779 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3780 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3784 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3785 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3786 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3790 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3791 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3792 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3793 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3794 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3795 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3796 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3799 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3800 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3804 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3805 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3806 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3810 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3811 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3812 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3816 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3817 Toggle hiding empty topics
3818 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3822 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3823 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3824 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3825 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3828 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3829 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3830 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3831 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3832 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3835 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3836 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3837 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3838 expiry process (if any)
3839 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3843 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3844 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3847 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3848 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3849 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3853 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3854 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3855 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3858 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3859 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3860 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3863 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3864 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3865 Go to the previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3869 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3870 @cindex group parameters
3871 @cindex topic parameters
3873 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3874 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3879 @node Topic Variables
3880 @subsection Topic Variables
3881 @cindex topic variables
3883 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3884 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3886 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3887 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3888 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3901 Number of groups in the topic.
3903 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3905 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3908 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3909 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3910 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3913 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3914 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3916 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3917 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3918 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3922 @subsection Topic Sorting
3923 @cindex topic sorting
3925 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3931 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3932 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3933 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3934 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3937 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3938 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3939 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3940 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3943 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3944 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3945 Sort the current topic by group level
3946 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3949 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3950 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3951 Sort the current topic by group score
3952 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3955 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3956 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3957 Sort the current topic by group rank
3958 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3961 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3962 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3963 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3964 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3967 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3968 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3969 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3970 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3973 @kindex T S s (Topic)
3974 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3975 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3976 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3977 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3981 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3982 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3986 @node Topic Topology
3987 @subsection Topic Topology
3988 @cindex topic topology
3991 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3998 2: alt.religion.emacs
4001 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4003 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4004 13: comp.sources.unix
4008 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
4009 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
4010 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
4015 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
4016 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
4020 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
4021 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
4022 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
4023 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
4024 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
4025 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
4027 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
4028 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
4029 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
4032 @node Topic Parameters
4033 @subsection Topic Parameters
4034 @cindex topic parameters
4036 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
4037 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
4038 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
4039 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
4040 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
4042 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
4047 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
4048 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
4049 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
4052 @item subscribe-level
4053 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
4054 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
4055 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
4059 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
4060 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
4061 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
4062 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4069 2: alt.religion.emacs
4073 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4075 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4076 13: comp.sources.unix
4081 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4082 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4083 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4084 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4085 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4086 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4088 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4089 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4090 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4091 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4092 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4094 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4095 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4096 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4097 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4098 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4099 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4100 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4101 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4104 @node Misc Group Stuff
4105 @section Misc Group Stuff
4108 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4109 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4110 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4111 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4112 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4119 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4120 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4121 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4125 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4126 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4127 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4128 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4129 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4130 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4131 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4135 @findex gnus-group-mail
4136 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4137 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4138 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4139 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4143 @findex gnus-group-news
4144 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4145 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4146 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4148 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4149 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4150 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4151 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4152 for this to work though.
4156 Variables for the group buffer:
4160 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4161 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4162 is called after the group buffer has been
4165 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4166 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4167 is called after the group buffer is
4168 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4171 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4172 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4173 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4174 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4176 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4177 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4178 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4179 whether they are empty or not.
4181 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4182 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4183 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4184 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4188 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4189 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4192 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4193 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4194 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4195 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4196 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4197 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4198 default is @code{nil}.
4202 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4203 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4208 @node Scanning New Messages
4209 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4210 @cindex new messages
4211 @cindex scanning new news
4217 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4218 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4219 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4220 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4221 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4222 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4227 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4228 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4229 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4230 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4231 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4232 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4233 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4235 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4236 @cindex activating groups
4238 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4239 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4244 @findex gnus-group-restart
4245 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4246 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4247 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4251 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4252 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4254 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4255 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4259 @node Group Information
4260 @subsection Group Information
4261 @cindex group information
4262 @cindex information on groups
4269 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4270 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4273 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4274 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4275 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4276 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4277 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4278 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4279 used for fetching the file.
4281 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4282 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4286 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4287 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4289 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4290 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4293 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4294 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4295 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4299 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4300 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4301 @cindex control message
4302 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4303 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4304 group if given a prefix argument.
4306 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4307 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4308 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4309 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4311 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4312 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4313 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4317 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4319 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4320 @cindex describing groups
4321 @cindex group description
4322 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4323 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4324 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4328 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4329 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4330 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4337 @findex gnus-version
4338 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4342 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4343 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4346 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4349 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4350 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4354 @node Group Timestamp
4355 @subsection Group Timestamp
4357 @cindex group timestamps
4359 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4360 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4361 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4364 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4367 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4369 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4370 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4373 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4374 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4377 This will result in lines looking like:
4380 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4381 0: custom 19961002T012713
4384 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4385 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4389 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4390 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4393 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4394 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4398 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4399 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4400 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4401 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4403 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4409 @subsection File Commands
4410 @cindex file commands
4416 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4417 @vindex gnus-init-file
4418 @cindex reading init file
4419 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4420 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4424 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4425 @cindex saving .newsrc
4426 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4427 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4428 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4431 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4432 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4433 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4438 @node Sieve Commands
4439 @subsection Sieve Commands
4440 @cindex group sieve commands
4442 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4443 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4444 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4445 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4446 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4448 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4449 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4450 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4451 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4452 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4453 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4454 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4455 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4456 regenerate the Sieve script.
4458 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4459 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4460 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4461 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4462 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4463 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4464 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4465 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4466 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4467 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4470 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4471 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4476 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4482 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4483 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4484 @cindex generating sieve script
4485 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4486 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4490 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4491 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4492 @cindex updating sieve script
4493 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4494 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4495 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4500 @node Summary Buffer
4501 @chapter Summary Buffer
4502 @cindex summary buffer
4504 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4505 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4507 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4508 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4510 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4513 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4514 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4515 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4516 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4517 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4518 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4519 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4520 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4521 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4522 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4523 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4524 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4525 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4526 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4527 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4528 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4529 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4530 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4531 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4532 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4533 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4534 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4535 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4536 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4537 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4538 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4539 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4540 or reselecting the current group.
4541 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4542 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4543 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4544 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4548 @node Summary Buffer Format
4549 @section Summary Buffer Format
4550 @cindex summary buffer format
4554 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4555 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4556 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4562 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4563 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4564 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4565 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4568 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4569 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4570 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4571 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4572 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4573 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4574 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4575 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4576 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4577 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4578 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4581 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4582 'mail-extract-address-components)
4585 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4586 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4587 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4588 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4591 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4592 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4594 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4595 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4596 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4597 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4598 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4600 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4601 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4602 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4603 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4604 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4605 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4607 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4609 The following format specification characters and extended format
4610 specification(s) are understood:
4616 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4617 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4619 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4620 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4621 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4623 Full @code{From} header.
4625 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4627 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4630 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4631 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4632 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4633 may be more thorough.
4635 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4638 Number of lines in the article.
4640 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4641 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4643 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4644 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4646 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4648 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4649 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4662 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4663 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4664 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4665 line-drawing glyphs.
4667 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4668 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4669 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4670 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4672 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4673 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4674 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4675 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4677 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4678 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4679 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4680 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4682 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4683 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4684 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4686 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4687 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4688 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4690 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4691 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4692 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4694 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4695 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4696 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4701 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4702 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4704 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4705 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4707 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4708 for adopted articles.
4710 One space for each thread level.
4712 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4714 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4717 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4718 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4719 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4722 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4724 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4725 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4726 default level. If the difference between
4727 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4728 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4736 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4738 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4744 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4745 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4747 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4748 article has any children.
4754 Desired cursor position (instead of after first colon).
4756 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4757 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4759 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4760 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4761 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4762 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4763 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4764 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4767 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4768 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4769 There can only be one such area.
4771 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4772 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4773 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4774 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4775 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4776 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4778 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4779 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4781 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4784 @node To From Newsgroups
4785 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4789 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4790 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4791 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4792 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4793 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4797 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4798 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4799 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4803 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4804 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4807 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4808 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4811 @findex gnus-extra-header
4812 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4813 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4814 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4817 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4821 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4822 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4823 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4824 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4825 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4826 headers are used instead.
4828 To distinguish regular articles from those where the @code{From} field
4829 has been swapped, a string is prefixed to the @code{To} or
4830 @code{Newsgroups} header in the summary line. By default the string is
4831 @samp{-> } for @code{To} and @samp{=> } for @code{Newsgroups}, you can
4832 customize these strings with @code{gnus-summary-to-prefix} and
4833 @code{gnus-summary-newsgroup-prefix}.
4837 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4838 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4839 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4840 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4841 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4842 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4845 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4846 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4847 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4848 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4850 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4854 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4856 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4857 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4858 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4859 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4863 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4866 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4867 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4870 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4871 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4872 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4878 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4879 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4882 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4883 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4885 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4886 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4887 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4888 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4890 Here are the elements you can play with:
4896 Unprefixed group name.
4898 Current article number.
4900 Current article score.
4904 Number of unread articles in this group.
4906 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4909 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4910 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4911 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4912 and no unselected ones.
4914 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4915 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4917 Subject of the current article.
4919 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4921 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4923 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4925 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4927 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4929 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4933 @node Summary Highlighting
4934 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4938 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4939 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4940 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4941 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4942 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4944 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4945 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4946 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4947 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4949 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4950 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4951 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4952 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4954 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4955 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4956 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4957 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4958 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4959 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4962 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4963 ((> score default) . bold))
4965 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4966 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4970 @node Summary Maneuvering
4971 @section Summary Maneuvering
4972 @cindex summary movement
4974 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4975 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4977 None of these commands select articles.
4982 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4983 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4984 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4985 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4986 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4990 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4991 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4992 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4993 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4994 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4997 @kindex G g (Summary)
4998 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4999 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
5000 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
5003 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
5004 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
5005 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
5006 to the group buffer.
5008 Variables related to summary movement:
5012 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
5013 @item gnus-auto-select-next
5014 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
5015 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
5016 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
5017 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
5018 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
5019 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
5020 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
5021 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
5022 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
5023 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
5024 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
5025 @pxref{Group Levels}.
5027 @item gnus-auto-select-same
5028 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
5029 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
5030 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
5031 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
5032 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
5033 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
5035 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
5037 @item gnus-summary-check-current
5038 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
5039 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
5040 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
5041 Instead, they will choose the current article.
5043 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
5044 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
5045 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
5046 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
5047 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
5048 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
5049 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
5050 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
5053 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
5054 the given number of lines from the top.
5059 @node Choosing Articles
5060 @section Choosing Articles
5061 @cindex selecting articles
5064 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
5065 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
5069 @node Choosing Commands
5070 @subsection Choosing Commands
5072 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
5073 and they all select and display an article.
5075 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
5076 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
5080 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5081 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5082 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
5083 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5085 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5086 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5087 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5092 @kindex G n (Summary)
5093 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5094 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5095 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5100 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5101 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5102 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5107 @kindex G N (Summary)
5108 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5109 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5114 @kindex G P (Summary)
5115 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5116 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5119 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5120 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5121 Go to the next article with the same subject
5122 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5125 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5126 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5127 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5128 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5132 @kindex G f (Summary)
5134 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5135 Go to the first unread article
5136 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5140 @kindex G b (Summary)
5142 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5143 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5144 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5145 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5150 @kindex G l (Summary)
5151 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5152 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5155 @kindex G o (Summary)
5156 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5158 @cindex article history
5159 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5160 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5161 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5162 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5163 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5164 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5169 @kindex G j (Summary)
5170 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5171 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5172 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5177 @node Choosing Variables
5178 @subsection Choosing Variables
5180 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5183 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5184 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5185 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5186 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5187 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5188 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5190 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5191 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5192 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. The default is
5193 @code{nil}. If you would like each article to be saved in the Agent as
5194 you read it, putting @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this
5197 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5198 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5199 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5200 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5201 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5202 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5203 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5204 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5205 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-read-mark}. The only
5206 articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5207 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5208 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5209 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5210 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5215 @node Paging the Article
5216 @section Scrolling the Article
5217 @cindex article scrolling
5222 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5223 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5224 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5225 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5226 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5228 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5229 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5230 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5231 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5232 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5233 what is considered uninteresting with
5234 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5235 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5238 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5239 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5240 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5243 @kindex RET (Summary)
5244 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5245 Scroll the current article one line forward
5246 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5249 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5250 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5251 Scroll the current article one line backward
5252 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5256 @kindex A g (Summary)
5258 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5259 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5260 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5261 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5262 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5263 the way it came from the server.
5265 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5266 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5267 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5270 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5275 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5280 @kindex A < (Summary)
5281 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5282 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5283 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5288 @kindex A > (Summary)
5289 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5290 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5294 @kindex A s (Summary)
5296 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5297 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5298 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5302 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5303 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5308 @node Reply Followup and Post
5309 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5312 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5313 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5314 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5315 * Canceling and Superseding::
5319 @node Summary Mail Commands
5320 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5322 @cindex composing mail
5324 Commands for composing a mail message:
5330 @kindex S r (Summary)
5332 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5333 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5334 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5335 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5336 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5341 @kindex S R (Summary)
5342 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5343 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5344 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5345 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5346 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5349 @kindex S w (Summary)
5350 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5351 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5352 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5353 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5354 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5355 present, that's used instead.
5358 @kindex S W (Summary)
5359 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5360 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5361 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5362 the process/prefix convention.
5365 @kindex S v (Summary)
5366 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5367 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5368 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5369 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5370 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5371 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5374 @kindex S V (Summary)
5375 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5376 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5377 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5378 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5381 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5382 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5383 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5384 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5385 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5386 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5387 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5388 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5391 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5392 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5393 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5394 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5395 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5399 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5400 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5401 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5402 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5403 Forward the current article to some other person
5404 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5405 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5406 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5407 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5408 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5409 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5410 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5411 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5412 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME}
5418 @kindex S m (Summary)
5419 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5420 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5421 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5422 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5423 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5428 @kindex S i (Summary)
5429 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5430 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5431 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5432 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5434 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5435 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5436 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5437 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5438 for this to work though.
5441 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5442 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5443 @cindex bouncing mail
5444 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5445 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5446 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5447 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5448 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5449 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5450 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5451 very well fail, though.
5454 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5455 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5456 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5457 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5458 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5459 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5460 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5461 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5462 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5463 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5465 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5466 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5467 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5468 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5469 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5471 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5472 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5475 @kindex S D e (Summary)
5476 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
5478 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
5479 if it were a new message before resending.
5482 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5483 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5484 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5485 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5486 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5489 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5490 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5491 @cindex crossposting
5492 @cindex excessive crossposting
5493 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5494 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5496 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5497 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5498 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5499 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5500 command understands the process/prefix convention
5501 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5505 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5506 Manual}, for more information.
5509 @node Summary Post Commands
5510 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5512 @cindex composing news
5514 Commands for posting a news article:
5520 @kindex S p (Summary)
5521 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5522 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5523 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5524 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5525 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5530 @kindex S f (Summary)
5531 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5532 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5533 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5537 @kindex S F (Summary)
5539 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5540 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5541 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5542 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5543 process/prefix convention.
5546 @kindex S n (Summary)
5547 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5548 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5549 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5552 @kindex S N (Summary)
5553 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5554 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5555 message through mail and include the original message
5556 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5557 the process/prefix convention.
5560 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5561 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5562 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5563 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5564 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5565 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5566 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5567 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5568 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5569 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5570 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5571 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5572 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section.
5575 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5576 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5578 @cindex making digests
5579 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5580 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5581 process/prefix convention.
5584 @kindex S u (Summary)
5585 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5586 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5587 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5588 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5591 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5592 Manual}, for more information.
5595 @node Summary Message Commands
5596 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5600 @kindex S y (Summary)
5601 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5602 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5603 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5604 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5605 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5610 @node Canceling and Superseding
5611 @subsection Canceling Articles
5612 @cindex canceling articles
5613 @cindex superseding articles
5615 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5616 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5618 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5620 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5622 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5623 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5624 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5625 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5626 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5627 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5629 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5630 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5633 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5634 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5635 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5637 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
5638 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
5639 message, Message Manual}).
5641 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5642 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5643 your original article.
5645 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5647 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5648 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5649 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5652 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5653 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5654 have posted almost the same article twice.
5656 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5657 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5658 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5659 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5660 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5661 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5662 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5663 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5664 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5665 canceled/superseded.
5667 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5669 @node Delayed Articles
5670 @section Delayed Articles
5671 @cindex delayed sending
5672 @cindex send delayed
5674 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5675 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5676 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5677 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5680 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5683 @findex gnus-delay-article
5684 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5685 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5686 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5687 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5691 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5692 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5693 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5694 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5697 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5698 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5699 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5702 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5703 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5704 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5705 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5706 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5707 that means a time tomorrow.
5710 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5711 couple of variables:
5714 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5715 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5716 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5717 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5719 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5720 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5721 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5722 formats described above.
5724 @item gnus-delay-group
5725 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5726 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5727 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5728 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5730 @item gnus-delay-header
5731 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5732 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5733 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5734 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5737 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5738 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5739 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5740 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5741 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5743 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5744 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5745 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5746 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5747 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5748 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5749 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5752 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5753 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5754 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5755 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5756 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5757 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5758 argument is ignored.
5760 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5761 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5762 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5766 @node Marking Articles
5767 @section Marking Articles
5768 @cindex article marking
5769 @cindex article ticking
5772 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5774 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5775 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5776 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5778 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5781 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
5785 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5786 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5787 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5788 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5789 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5790 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5794 @node Unread Articles
5795 @subsection Unread Articles
5797 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5802 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5803 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5805 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5806 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5807 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5808 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5809 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5810 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5811 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5814 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5815 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5817 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5818 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5819 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5820 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5824 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5825 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5827 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5832 @subsection Read Articles
5833 @cindex expirable mark
5835 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5840 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5841 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5842 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5845 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5846 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5849 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5850 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5851 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5854 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5855 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5858 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5859 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5862 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5863 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5866 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5867 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5870 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5871 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5874 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5875 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5878 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5879 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5883 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5884 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5885 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5889 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5890 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5892 One more special mark, though:
5896 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5897 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5899 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5900 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5901 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5902 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5908 @subsection Other Marks
5909 @cindex process mark
5912 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5918 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5919 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5920 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5921 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5922 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5925 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5926 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5927 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5928 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5931 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5932 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5933 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5936 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5937 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5938 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5941 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5942 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5943 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5944 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5947 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5948 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5949 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5950 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5951 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5952 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5955 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5956 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5957 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5958 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5961 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5962 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
5963 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5964 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5965 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5969 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5970 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
5971 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5972 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5973 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5974 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5977 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5978 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
5979 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5980 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5981 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5982 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5986 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5987 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5988 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5989 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5990 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5993 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5994 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5995 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5996 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5997 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5998 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
6002 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
6003 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
6004 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
6006 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
6007 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
6008 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
6012 @subsection Setting Marks
6013 @cindex setting marks
6015 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
6020 @kindex M c (Summary)
6021 @kindex M-u (Summary)
6022 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
6023 @cindex mark as unread
6024 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
6025 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
6031 @kindex M t (Summary)
6032 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
6033 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
6034 @xref{Article Caching}.
6039 @kindex M ? (Summary)
6040 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
6041 Mark the current article as dormant
6042 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6046 @kindex M d (Summary)
6048 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
6049 Mark the current article as read
6050 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
6054 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
6055 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
6056 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
6061 @kindex M k (Summary)
6062 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
6063 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
6064 and then select the next unread article
6065 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
6069 @kindex M K (Summary)
6070 @kindex C-k (Summary)
6071 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
6072 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
6073 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
6076 @kindex M C (Summary)
6077 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
6078 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
6079 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
6082 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
6083 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
6084 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
6085 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
6088 @kindex M H (Summary)
6089 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
6090 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
6091 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
6094 @kindex M h (Summary)
6095 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
6096 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
6097 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
6100 @kindex C-w (Summary)
6101 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
6102 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
6103 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6106 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6107 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6108 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6109 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6113 @kindex M e (Summary)
6115 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6116 Mark the current article as expirable
6117 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6120 @kindex M b (Summary)
6121 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6122 Set a bookmark in the current article
6123 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6126 @kindex M B (Summary)
6127 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6128 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6129 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6132 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6133 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6134 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6135 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6138 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6139 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6140 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6141 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6144 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6145 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6146 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6147 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6148 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6151 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6152 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6153 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6154 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6155 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6156 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6157 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6158 The default is @code{t}.
6161 @node Generic Marking Commands
6162 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6164 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6165 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6166 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6167 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6168 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6171 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6172 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6175 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6176 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6177 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6178 to list in this manual.
6180 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6181 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6182 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6183 article, you could say something like:
6187 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6188 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6189 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6197 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6198 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6202 @node Setting Process Marks
6203 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6204 @cindex setting process marks
6206 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6207 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6208 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6209 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6210 commands into the cache. For more information,
6211 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6218 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6219 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6220 Mark the current article with the process mark
6221 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6222 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6226 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6227 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6228 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6229 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6232 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6233 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6234 Remove the process mark from all articles
6235 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6238 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6239 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6240 Invert the list of process marked articles
6241 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6244 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6245 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6246 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6247 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6250 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6251 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6252 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6253 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6256 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6257 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6258 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6261 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6262 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6263 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6266 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6267 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6268 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6269 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6272 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6273 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6274 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6275 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6278 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6279 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6280 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6281 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6284 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6285 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6286 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6289 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6290 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6291 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6292 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6295 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6296 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6297 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
6300 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6301 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6302 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6303 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6306 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6307 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6308 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6309 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6312 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6313 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6314 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6315 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6318 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6319 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6320 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6321 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6325 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6326 set process marks based on article body contents.
6333 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6334 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6335 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6338 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6339 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6340 additional articles.
6346 @kindex / / (Summary)
6347 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6348 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6349 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6353 @kindex / a (Summary)
6354 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6355 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6356 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6360 @kindex / R (Summary)
6361 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
6362 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
6363 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
6367 @kindex / x (Summary)
6368 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6369 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6370 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6371 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6376 @kindex / u (Summary)
6378 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6379 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6380 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6381 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6382 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6385 @kindex / m (Summary)
6386 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6387 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6388 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6391 @kindex / t (Summary)
6392 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6393 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6394 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6395 articles younger than that number of days.
6398 @kindex / n (Summary)
6399 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6400 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6401 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6402 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6405 @kindex / w (Summary)
6406 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6407 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6408 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6412 @kindex / . (Summary)
6413 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6414 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6415 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6418 @kindex / v (Summary)
6419 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6420 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6421 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6424 @kindex / p (Summary)
6425 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6426 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6427 group parameter predicate
6428 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6429 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6432 @kindex / r (Summary)
6433 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
6434 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
6435 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
6440 @kindex M S (Summary)
6441 @kindex / E (Summary)
6442 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6443 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6444 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6447 @kindex / D (Summary)
6448 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6449 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6450 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6453 @kindex / * (Summary)
6454 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6455 Include all cached articles in the limit
6456 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6459 @kindex / d (Summary)
6460 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6461 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6462 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6465 @kindex / M (Summary)
6466 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6467 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6470 @kindex / T (Summary)
6471 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6472 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6475 @kindex / c (Summary)
6476 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6477 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6478 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6481 @kindex / C (Summary)
6482 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6483 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6484 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6485 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6488 @kindex / N (Summary)
6489 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6490 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6491 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6494 @kindex / o (Summary)
6495 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6496 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6497 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6505 @cindex article threading
6507 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6508 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6509 hierarchical fashion.
6511 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6512 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6513 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6514 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6515 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6516 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6517 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6519 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6523 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6526 A tree-like article structure.
6529 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6532 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6533 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6534 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6535 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6536 called loose threads.
6538 @item thread gathering
6539 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6541 @item sparse threads
6542 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6543 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6549 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6550 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6554 @node Customizing Threading
6555 @subsection Customizing Threading
6556 @cindex customizing threading
6559 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6560 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6561 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6562 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6567 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6570 @cindex loose threads
6573 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6574 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6575 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6576 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6577 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6578 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6580 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6581 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6582 There are four possible values:
6586 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6587 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6588 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6589 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6590 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6595 @cindex adopting articles
6600 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6601 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6602 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6603 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6606 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6607 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6608 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6609 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6610 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6611 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6612 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6613 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6614 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6615 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6618 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6619 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6620 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6624 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6625 display them after one another.
6628 Don't gather loose threads.
6631 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6632 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6633 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6634 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6635 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6636 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6637 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6638 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6639 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6640 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6641 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6643 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6644 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6645 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6648 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6649 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6650 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6651 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6652 simplification is used.
6654 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6655 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6656 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6657 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6659 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6661 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6667 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6668 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6669 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6670 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6675 (mapconcat 'identity
6676 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6678 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6681 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6684 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6685 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6686 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6687 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6688 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6689 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6691 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6694 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6695 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6696 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6698 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6699 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6702 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6703 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6704 Remove excessive whitespace.
6706 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6707 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6708 Remove all whitespace.
6711 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6714 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6715 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6716 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6717 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6718 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6719 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6720 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6721 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6723 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6724 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6725 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6726 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6727 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6728 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6729 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6730 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6731 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6735 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6736 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6737 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6738 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6740 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6741 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6742 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6745 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6749 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6750 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6756 @node Filling In Threads
6757 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6760 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6761 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6762 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6763 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
6764 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
6765 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
6766 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
6767 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
6768 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
6769 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6770 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6771 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
6774 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6775 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6776 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6778 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6779 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6780 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6783 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6784 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6785 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6786 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6787 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6788 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6789 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6790 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6791 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6792 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6793 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6794 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6795 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6796 @code{nil} by default.
6798 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6799 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6800 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6801 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6802 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6803 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6804 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6806 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6807 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6808 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6813 @node More Threading
6814 @subsubsection More Threading
6817 @item gnus-show-threads
6818 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6819 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6820 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6821 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6822 slower and more awkward.
6824 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6825 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6826 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6829 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6830 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6831 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6836 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6837 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6838 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6841 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6842 unread, but you get my drift.)
6845 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6846 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6847 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6848 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6849 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6850 threads are expunged.
6852 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6853 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6854 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6857 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6858 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6859 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6860 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6861 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6862 result in a new thread.
6864 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6865 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6866 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6869 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6870 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6871 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6872 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6873 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6874 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6875 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6876 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6877 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6878 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6879 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6884 @node Low-Level Threading
6885 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6889 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6890 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6891 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6893 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6894 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6895 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6896 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6897 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6898 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6899 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6900 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6901 meaningful. Here's one example:
6904 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6906 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6907 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6909 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6911 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6918 @node Thread Commands
6919 @subsection Thread Commands
6920 @cindex thread commands
6926 @kindex T k (Summary)
6927 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6928 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6929 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6930 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6931 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6936 @kindex T l (Summary)
6937 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6938 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6939 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6940 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6943 @kindex T i (Summary)
6944 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6945 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6946 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6949 @kindex T # (Summary)
6950 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6951 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6952 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6955 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6956 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6957 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6958 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6961 @kindex T T (Summary)
6962 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6963 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6966 @kindex T s (Summary)
6967 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6968 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
6969 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6972 @kindex T h (Summary)
6973 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6974 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6977 @kindex T S (Summary)
6978 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6979 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6982 @kindex T H (Summary)
6983 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6984 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6987 @kindex T t (Summary)
6988 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6989 Re-thread the current article's thread
6990 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6991 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6994 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6995 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6996 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6997 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
7001 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
7002 understand the numeric prefix.
7007 @kindex T n (Summary)
7009 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
7011 @kindex M-down (Summary)
7012 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
7013 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
7016 @kindex T p (Summary)
7018 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
7020 @kindex M-up (Summary)
7021 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
7022 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
7025 @kindex T d (Summary)
7026 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
7027 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
7030 @kindex T u (Summary)
7031 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
7032 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
7035 @kindex T o (Summary)
7036 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
7037 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
7040 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
7041 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
7042 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
7043 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
7044 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
7045 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
7046 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
7047 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
7048 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
7049 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
7050 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
7051 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
7055 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
7056 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
7058 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
7059 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
7060 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date-reverse
7061 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
7062 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7063 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
7064 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
7065 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7066 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
7067 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
7068 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
7069 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
7070 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
7071 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
7072 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
7073 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
7075 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
7076 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
7077 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient},
7078 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
7079 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date-reverse},
7080 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
7081 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
7082 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
7083 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
7084 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
7086 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
7087 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
7088 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
7090 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
7091 last function in the list. You should probably always include
7092 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
7093 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
7094 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
7095 ascending article order.
7097 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
7098 by number, you could do something like:
7101 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7102 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7103 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7104 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
7107 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
7108 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
7109 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
7110 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
7111 which the articles arrived.
7113 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
7117 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7118 '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-number)
7119 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7122 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7123 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7124 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7125 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7128 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7129 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7130 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7131 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7132 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7133 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7134 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7135 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7136 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7137 variable. It is very similar to the
7138 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7139 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7140 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7141 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7142 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7143 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7144 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7146 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7150 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7151 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7152 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7155 You can define group specific sorting via @code{gnus-parameters},
7156 @xref{Group Parameters}.
7159 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7160 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7161 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7162 @cindex article pre-fetch
7165 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7166 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7167 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7168 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7169 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7171 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7172 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
7174 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7175 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7176 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7177 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7178 connection is blocked.
7180 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7181 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7182 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7183 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
7185 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7186 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7187 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7188 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7191 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7194 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7195 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7196 happen automatically.
7198 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7199 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7200 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7201 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7202 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7203 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7204 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7206 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7207 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7208 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7209 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7210 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7211 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7212 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7213 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7214 article data structure as the only parameter.
7216 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7217 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7220 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7221 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7222 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7223 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7226 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7229 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7230 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
7231 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7233 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7234 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7235 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7236 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7240 Remove articles when they are read.
7243 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7246 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7248 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7249 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7250 @c from the next group.
7253 @node Article Caching
7254 @section Article Caching
7255 @cindex article caching
7258 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7259 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7260 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7261 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7262 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7264 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7266 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7267 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7268 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7269 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7270 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7271 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7272 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7273 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7275 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7276 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7277 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7278 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7279 as dormant, and don't worry.
7281 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7283 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7284 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7285 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7286 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7287 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7288 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7289 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7290 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7291 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7292 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7294 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7295 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7296 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7297 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7298 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7299 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7300 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7301 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7302 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7303 not then be downloaded by this command.
7305 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7306 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7307 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7308 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7309 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7310 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7312 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7313 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7314 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7315 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7316 variables, the group is not cached.
7318 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7319 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7320 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7321 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7322 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7323 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
7324 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7325 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7326 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7329 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7330 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7331 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7332 where, isn't that cool?
7334 @node Persistent Articles
7335 @section Persistent Articles
7336 @cindex persistent articles
7338 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7339 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7340 useful in my opinion.
7342 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7343 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7344 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7345 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7346 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7347 the expiry going on at the news server.
7349 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7350 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7351 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7357 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7358 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7361 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7362 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7363 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7364 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7368 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7370 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7371 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7372 interested in persistent articles:
7375 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7379 @node Article Backlog
7380 @section Article Backlog
7382 @cindex article backlog
7384 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7385 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7386 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7387 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7388 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7389 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7390 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7391 increase memory usage some.
7393 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7394 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7395 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7396 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7397 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7398 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7399 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7401 The default value is 20.
7404 @node Saving Articles
7405 @section Saving Articles
7406 @cindex saving articles
7408 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7409 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7410 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7411 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7412 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7414 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7415 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7416 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7418 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7419 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7420 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7422 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7423 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7424 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7425 deleted before saving.
7431 @kindex O o (Summary)
7433 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7434 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7435 Save the current article using the default article saver
7436 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7439 @kindex O m (Summary)
7440 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7441 Save the current article in mail format
7442 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7445 @kindex O r (Summary)
7446 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7447 Save the current article in Rmail format
7448 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7451 @kindex O f (Summary)
7452 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7453 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7454 Save the current article in plain file format
7455 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7458 @kindex O F (Summary)
7459 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7460 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7461 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7464 @kindex O b (Summary)
7465 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7466 Save the current article body in plain file format
7467 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7470 @kindex O h (Summary)
7471 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7472 Save the current article in mh folder format
7473 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7476 @kindex O v (Summary)
7477 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7478 Save the current article in a VM folder
7479 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7483 @kindex O p (Summary)
7485 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7486 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7487 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7488 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7489 complete headers in the piped output.
7492 @kindex O P (Summary)
7493 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7494 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7495 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7496 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7497 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7498 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7499 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7503 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7504 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7505 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7506 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7507 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7508 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7509 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7510 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7511 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7512 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7513 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7514 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7518 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7519 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7520 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7521 functions below, or you can create your own.
7525 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7526 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7527 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7528 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7529 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7530 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7531 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7533 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7534 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7535 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7536 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7537 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7538 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7540 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7541 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7542 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7543 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7544 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7545 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7546 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7548 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7549 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7550 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7551 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7552 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7553 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7555 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7556 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7557 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7558 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7559 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7561 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7562 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7563 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7564 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7565 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7568 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7569 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7570 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7571 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7572 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7574 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7575 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7576 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7577 reader to use this setting.
7580 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7581 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7582 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7583 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7586 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7587 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7588 available functions that generate names:
7592 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7593 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7594 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7596 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7597 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7598 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7600 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7601 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7602 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7604 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7605 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7606 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7608 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7609 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7610 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7613 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7614 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7615 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7616 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7617 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7621 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7622 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7623 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7624 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7627 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7628 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7629 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7630 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7631 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7632 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7633 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7634 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7635 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7637 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7638 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7639 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7640 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7642 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7643 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7644 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7647 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7648 lots of mail groups called things like
7649 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7650 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7651 following will do just that:
7654 (defun my-save-name (group)
7655 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7656 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7658 (setq gnus-split-methods
7659 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7664 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7665 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7666 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7667 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7668 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7669 all the files in the top level directory
7670 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7671 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7672 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7673 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7675 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7676 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7677 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7678 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7679 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7682 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7686 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7687 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7688 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7691 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7692 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7693 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7694 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7697 @node Decoding Articles
7698 @section Decoding Articles
7699 @cindex decoding articles
7701 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7702 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7705 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7706 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7707 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7708 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7709 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7710 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7714 @cindex article series
7715 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7716 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7717 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7718 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7719 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7721 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7722 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7723 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7725 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7726 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7727 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7729 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7730 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7731 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7734 @node Uuencoded Articles
7735 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7737 @cindex uuencoded articles
7742 @kindex X u (Summary)
7743 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7744 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7745 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7748 @kindex X U (Summary)
7749 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7750 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7751 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7754 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7755 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7756 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7759 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7760 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7761 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7762 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7766 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7767 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7768 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7769 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7770 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7772 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7773 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7774 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7775 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7778 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7779 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7780 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7781 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7782 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7783 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7787 @node Shell Archives
7788 @subsection Shell Archives
7790 @cindex shell archives
7791 @cindex shared articles
7793 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7794 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7795 some commands to deal with these:
7800 @kindex X s (Summary)
7801 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7802 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7805 @kindex X S (Summary)
7806 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7807 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7810 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7811 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7812 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7815 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7816 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7817 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7818 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7822 @node PostScript Files
7823 @subsection PostScript Files
7829 @kindex X p (Summary)
7830 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7831 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7834 @kindex X P (Summary)
7835 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7836 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7837 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7840 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7841 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7842 View the current PostScript series
7843 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7846 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7847 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7848 View and save the current PostScript series
7849 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7854 @subsection Other Files
7858 @kindex X o (Summary)
7859 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7860 Save the current series
7861 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7864 @kindex X b (Summary)
7865 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7866 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7867 doesn't really work yet.
7871 @node Decoding Variables
7872 @subsection Decoding Variables
7874 Adjective, not verb.
7877 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7878 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7879 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7883 @node Rule Variables
7884 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7885 @cindex rule variables
7887 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7888 variables are of the form
7891 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7898 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7899 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7901 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7902 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7905 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7906 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7909 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7910 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7911 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7912 user and default view rules.
7914 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7915 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7916 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7921 @node Other Decode Variables
7922 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7925 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7927 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7928 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7929 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7930 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7931 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7935 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7936 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7939 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7940 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7941 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7944 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7945 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7946 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7947 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7948 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7951 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7952 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7953 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7955 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7956 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7957 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7958 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7959 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
7962 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7963 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7964 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7966 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7967 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7968 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7969 looking for files to display.
7971 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7972 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7973 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7976 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7977 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7978 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7981 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7982 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7983 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7986 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7987 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7988 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7991 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7992 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7993 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7994 decoded articles as unread.
7996 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7997 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7998 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7999 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
8001 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
8002 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
8003 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
8005 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
8006 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
8008 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
8009 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
8010 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
8011 @code{metamail} for viewing.
8013 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
8014 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
8015 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
8016 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
8017 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
8018 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
8019 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
8020 simply dropped them.
8025 @node Uuencoding and Posting
8026 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
8030 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
8031 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
8032 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
8033 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
8034 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
8035 for you when you post the article.
8037 @item gnus-uu-post-length
8038 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
8039 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
8040 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
8042 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
8043 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
8044 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
8045 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
8046 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
8047 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
8048 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
8050 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
8051 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
8052 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
8053 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
8054 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
8055 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
8056 Default is @code{t}.
8062 @subsection Viewing Files
8063 @cindex viewing files
8064 @cindex pseudo-articles
8066 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
8067 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
8068 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
8069 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
8070 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
8071 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
8072 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
8074 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
8075 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
8076 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
8077 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
8079 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
8080 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
8081 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
8083 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
8084 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
8085 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
8086 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
8087 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
8089 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
8090 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
8091 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
8092 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
8093 a list of parameters to that command.
8095 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
8096 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
8097 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
8099 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
8100 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
8101 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
8104 @node Article Treatment
8105 @section Article Treatment
8107 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
8108 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
8109 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
8110 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
8111 these articles easier.
8114 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
8115 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
8116 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
8117 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
8118 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
8119 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8120 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8121 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8122 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
8123 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8124 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8128 @node Article Highlighting
8129 @subsection Article Highlighting
8130 @cindex highlighting
8132 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8133 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8138 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8139 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8140 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8141 Do much highlighting of the current article
8142 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8143 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8146 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8147 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8148 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8149 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8150 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8151 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8152 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8153 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8154 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8155 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8156 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8157 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8160 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8161 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8162 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8164 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8167 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8169 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8170 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
8171 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8173 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8174 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8175 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8177 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8178 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8179 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8180 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8181 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8182 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8184 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8185 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8186 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8188 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8189 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8190 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8192 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8193 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8194 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8195 that it's a citation.
8197 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8198 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8199 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8201 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8202 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8203 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8205 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8206 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8207 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8208 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8210 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8211 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8212 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
8213 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
8214 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
8221 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8222 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8223 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8224 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8225 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8226 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8227 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8228 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8233 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8236 @node Article Fontisizing
8237 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8239 @cindex article emphasis
8241 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8242 @kindex W e (Summary)
8243 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8244 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8245 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8246 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8248 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8249 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8250 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8251 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8252 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8253 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8254 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8255 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8259 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8260 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8261 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8270 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8271 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8272 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8273 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8274 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8275 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8276 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8277 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8278 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8279 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8280 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8281 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8282 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8284 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8285 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8286 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8290 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8293 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8295 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8296 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8297 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8298 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8300 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8303 @node Article Hiding
8304 @subsection Article Hiding
8305 @cindex article hiding
8307 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8308 too much cruft in most articles.
8313 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8314 @findex gnus-article-hide
8315 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8316 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8317 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8320 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8321 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8322 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8326 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8327 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8328 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8329 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8332 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8333 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8334 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8338 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8339 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8340 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8341 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8342 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8343 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8344 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8345 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8349 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8350 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8351 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8352 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8357 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8358 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8359 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8360 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8363 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8364 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8365 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8366 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8369 @cindex stripping advertisements
8370 @cindex advertisements
8371 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8372 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8373 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8374 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8375 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8376 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8377 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8378 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8379 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8380 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8383 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8384 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8385 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8389 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8390 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8391 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8392 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8393 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8394 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8395 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8396 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8397 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8398 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8399 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8402 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8403 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8409 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8410 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8411 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8412 customizing the hiding:
8416 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8417 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8418 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8419 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8420 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8421 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8422 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8427 Starting point of the hidden text.
8429 Ending point of the hidden text.
8431 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8433 Number of lines of hidden text.
8436 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8437 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8438 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8439 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8440 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8445 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8446 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8448 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8449 following two variables:
8452 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8453 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8454 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8455 50), hide the cited text.
8457 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8458 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8459 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8464 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8465 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8466 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8467 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8468 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8469 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8473 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8474 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8475 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8477 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8478 citation customization.
8480 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8484 @node Article Washing
8485 @subsection Article Washing
8487 @cindex article washing
8489 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8490 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8492 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8493 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8496 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8497 articles by default.
8502 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8503 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8507 Force redisplaying of the current article
8508 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8509 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8510 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8511 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8514 @kindex W l (Summary)
8515 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8516 Remove page breaks from the current article
8517 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8521 @kindex W r (Summary)
8522 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8523 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8524 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8525 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8526 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8527 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8529 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8530 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8531 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8532 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8535 @kindex W m (Summary)
8536 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8537 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8540 @kindex W i (Summary)
8541 @findex gnus-summary-idna-message
8542 Decode IDNA encoded domain names in the current articles. IDNA
8543 encoded domain names looks like @samp{xn--bar}. If a string remain
8544 unencoded after running invoking this, it is likely an invalid IDNA
8545 string (@samp{xn--bar} is invalid). You must have GNU Libidn
8546 (@url{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/}) installed for this command
8551 @kindex W t (Summary)
8553 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8554 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8555 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8558 @kindex W v (Summary)
8559 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8560 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8561 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8564 @kindex W o (Summary)
8565 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8566 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8569 @kindex W d (Summary)
8570 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8571 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8573 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8575 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8576 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8577 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8578 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8581 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8582 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8583 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8584 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8587 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8588 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8589 @cindex Outlook Express
8590 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8591 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8592 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8595 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8596 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8597 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8598 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8599 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8600 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8601 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8602 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
8603 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8604 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8607 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8608 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8609 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8610 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8613 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8614 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8615 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8616 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8619 @kindex W w (Summary)
8620 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8621 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8623 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8627 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8628 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8629 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8632 @kindex W C (Summary)
8633 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8634 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8635 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8638 @kindex W c (Summary)
8639 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8640 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8641 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8642 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8643 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8646 @kindex W q (Summary)
8647 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8648 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8649 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8650 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8651 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
8652 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
8653 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8654 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8655 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8658 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8659 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8660 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8661 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8662 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8663 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8664 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8665 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8668 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8669 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8670 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8671 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8672 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8675 @kindex W A (Summary)
8676 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
8677 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
8678 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
8679 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
8680 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
8683 @kindex W u (Summary)
8684 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8685 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8686 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8687 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8688 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8691 @kindex W h (Summary)
8692 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8693 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8694 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8695 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8697 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for. If it is a number,
8698 the charset defined in @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist}
8699 (@pxref{Paging the Article}) will be used.
8701 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8702 The default is to use the function specified by
8703 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8704 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8705 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8706 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8714 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8716 @item w3m-standalone
8717 Use @uref{http://w3m.sourceforge.net/, w3m}.
8720 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8723 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8726 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8731 @kindex W b (Summary)
8732 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8733 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8734 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8737 @kindex W B (Summary)
8738 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8739 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8740 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8743 @kindex W p (Summary)
8744 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8745 Verify a signed control message
8746 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8747 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8748 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8749 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8750 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8751 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8754 @kindex W s (Summary)
8755 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8756 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8757 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8758 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8761 @kindex W a (Summary)
8762 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8763 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8764 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8767 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8768 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8769 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8770 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8773 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8774 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8775 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8776 lines with a single empty line.
8777 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8780 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8781 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8782 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8783 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8786 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8787 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8788 Do all the three commands above
8789 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8792 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8793 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8794 Remove all blank lines
8795 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8798 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8799 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8800 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8801 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8804 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8805 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8806 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8807 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8811 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8814 @node Article Header
8815 @subsection Article Header
8817 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8822 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8823 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8824 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8827 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8828 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8829 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8830 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8833 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8834 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8835 Fold all the message headers
8836 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8839 @kindex W E w (Summary)
8840 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8841 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8842 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8847 @node Article Buttons
8848 @subsection Article Buttons
8851 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8852 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8853 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8854 button on these references.
8856 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8857 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8858 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
8859 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
8860 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
8864 @item gnus-button-alist
8865 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8866 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8869 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8875 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8876 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8877 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8878 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8879 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
8882 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8883 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8884 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8887 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8888 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8889 avoid false matches. Often variables named
8890 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
8891 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
8893 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
8896 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8899 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8900 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8904 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8907 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8910 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8911 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8912 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8913 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8914 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8917 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8920 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8923 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
8926 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
8927 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
8929 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
8931 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8932 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8933 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8934 default values of the variables above.
8936 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
8938 @item gnus-button-man-handler
8939 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8940 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
8941 argument with a string naming the man page.
8943 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
8945 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8946 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8947 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
8949 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8950 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8951 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
8952 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
8953 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
8954 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
8955 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
8956 @code{ask}, always query the user what do do. If it is a function, this
8957 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
8958 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
8959 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
8960 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8962 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8963 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8964 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
8965 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
8966 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
8969 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8970 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8971 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
8972 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8974 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
8976 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
8977 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
8978 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
8979 argument, the string naming the URL.
8982 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
8983 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
8984 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
8988 @item gnus-article-button-face
8989 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8990 Face used on buttons.
8992 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8993 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8994 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8998 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
9001 @node Article Button Levels
9002 @subsection Article button levels
9003 @cindex button levels
9004 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
9005 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
9006 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
9007 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
9008 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
9009 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
9010 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
9011 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
9014 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
9015 (setq gnus-parameters
9016 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
9017 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
9018 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
9023 @item gnus-button-browse-level
9024 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
9025 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
9026 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
9027 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
9028 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
9030 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
9031 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
9032 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
9033 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
9034 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
9035 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
9036 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
9037 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
9038 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
9039 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
9040 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
9041 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
9042 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
9044 @item gnus-button-man-level
9045 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
9046 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
9047 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
9049 @item gnus-button-message-level
9050 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
9051 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
9052 Related variables and functions include
9053 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
9054 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
9055 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
9056 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
9058 @item gnus-button-tex-level
9059 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
9060 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
9061 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
9062 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
9063 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
9064 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
9070 @subsection Article Date
9072 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
9073 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
9074 when the article was sent.
9079 @kindex W T u (Summary)
9080 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
9081 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
9082 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
9085 @kindex W T i (Summary)
9086 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
9088 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
9089 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
9092 @kindex W T l (Summary)
9093 @findex gnus-article-date-local
9094 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
9097 @kindex W T p (Summary)
9098 @findex gnus-article-date-english
9099 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
9100 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
9103 @kindex W T s (Summary)
9104 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
9105 @findex gnus-article-date-user
9106 @findex format-time-string
9107 Display the date using a user-defined format
9108 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
9109 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
9110 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
9111 for a list of possible format specs.
9114 @kindex W T e (Summary)
9115 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
9116 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
9117 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
9118 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
9119 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
9122 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
9125 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
9126 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
9127 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
9130 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
9131 into wonderful absurdities.
9133 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
9136 (gnus-start-date-timer)
9139 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
9140 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
9144 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9145 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9146 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9147 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9148 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9149 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9150 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9154 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9155 preferred format automatically.
9158 @node Article Display
9159 @subsection Article Display
9164 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9165 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9167 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9168 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9170 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9171 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9173 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9174 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9176 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9177 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9179 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9184 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9185 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9186 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9187 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9190 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9191 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9192 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9193 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9196 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9197 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9198 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9201 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9202 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9203 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9206 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9207 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9208 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9209 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9212 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9213 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9214 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9215 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9218 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9219 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9220 Remove all images from the article buffer
9221 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9227 @node Article Signature
9228 @subsection Article Signature
9230 @cindex article signature
9232 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9233 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9234 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9235 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9236 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9237 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9238 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9239 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9240 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9243 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9244 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9245 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9246 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9247 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9248 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9249 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9250 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9253 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9256 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9257 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9258 signature when displaying articles.
9262 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9265 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9268 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9269 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9271 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9272 in question is not a signature.
9275 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9276 listed above. Here's an example:
9279 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9280 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9283 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9284 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9285 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9286 signature after all.
9289 @node Article Miscellanea
9290 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9294 @kindex A t (Summary)
9295 @findex gnus-article-babel
9296 Translate the article from one language to another
9297 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9303 @section MIME Commands
9304 @cindex MIME decoding
9306 @cindex viewing attachments
9308 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9309 instance, @kbd{3 K v} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9315 @kindex K v (Summary)
9316 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9319 @kindex K o (Summary)
9320 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9323 @kindex K O (Summary)
9324 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} part and strip it
9325 from the article. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred
9326 via the message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
9329 @kindex K r (Summary)
9330 Replace the @acronym{MIME} part with an external body.
9333 @kindex K d (Summary)
9334 Delete the @acronym{MIME} part and add some information about the
9338 @kindex K c (Summary)
9339 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9342 @kindex K e (Summary)
9343 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9346 @kindex K i (Summary)
9347 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9350 @kindex K | (Summary)
9351 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9354 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9359 @kindex K b (Summary)
9360 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9361 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9365 @kindex K m (Summary)
9366 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9367 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9368 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9369 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9370 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9373 @kindex X m (Summary)
9374 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9375 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9376 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9377 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9380 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9381 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9382 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9383 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9386 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9387 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9388 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9389 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9392 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9393 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9394 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9395 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9397 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9398 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9399 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9400 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9401 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9402 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9405 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9406 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9407 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9408 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9415 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9416 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9417 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9418 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9421 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9424 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9428 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9429 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9430 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9431 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9432 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9433 default is @code{nil}.
9435 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9436 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9437 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9438 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9439 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9440 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9441 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9443 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9444 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9445 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9446 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9447 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9448 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9449 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9450 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9452 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9453 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9454 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9455 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9456 displayed. This variable overrides
9457 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9458 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9461 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9462 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9463 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9465 You could also add @code{"multipart/alternative"} to this list to
9466 display radio buttons that allow you to choose one of two media types
9467 those mails include. See also @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}
9468 (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The
9469 Emacs MIME Manual}).
9471 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9472 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9473 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9474 default value is @code{nil}.
9476 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9477 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9478 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9479 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9480 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9481 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9482 save all jpegs into some directory).
9484 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9487 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9488 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9490 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9491 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9492 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9493 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9494 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9497 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9498 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9499 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9501 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9502 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9503 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9505 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9506 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9507 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9509 If displaying "text/html" is discouraged, see
9510 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}, images or other material inside a
9511 "multipart/related" part might be overlooked when this variable is
9512 @code{nil}. @ref{Display Customization, Display Customization, ,
9513 emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}.
9515 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9516 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9517 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
9518 overrides @code{nil} values of
9519 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
9520 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
9522 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9523 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9524 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9525 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9527 Ready-made functions include@*
9528 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9529 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9530 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9531 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9532 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9533 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9534 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9535 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9536 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9537 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9538 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9539 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9541 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9542 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9544 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9545 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9546 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9549 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9550 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9551 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9552 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9556 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9565 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9566 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9567 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9568 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9569 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9570 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9571 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp}.
9573 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9574 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9575 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9576 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9578 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9579 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9580 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9581 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9582 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9583 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9584 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9585 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9586 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9588 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9589 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9590 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9591 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9592 quoted-printable header encoding.
9594 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9595 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9596 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9600 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9603 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9604 means encode all charsets),
9606 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9607 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9608 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9615 @cindex coding system aliases
9616 @cindex preferred charset
9618 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
9619 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
9620 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
9622 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9624 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9625 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9628 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9629 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9632 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9633 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9635 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9638 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9641 This will almost do the right thing.
9643 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9647 (codepage-setup 1251)
9648 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9652 @node Article Commands
9653 @section Article Commands
9660 @kindex A P (Summary)
9661 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9662 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9663 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9664 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9665 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9666 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9671 @node Summary Sorting
9672 @section Summary Sorting
9673 @cindex summary sorting
9675 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9676 can't really see why you'd want that.
9681 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9682 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9683 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9686 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9687 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9688 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9691 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
9692 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
9693 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
9696 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9697 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9698 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9701 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9702 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9703 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9706 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9707 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9708 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9711 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9712 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9713 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9716 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9717 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9718 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9721 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9722 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9723 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9726 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9727 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9728 Sort using the default sorting method
9729 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9732 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9733 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9734 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9735 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9736 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9740 @node Finding the Parent
9741 @section Finding the Parent
9742 @cindex parent articles
9743 @cindex referring articles
9748 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9749 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9750 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9751 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9752 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9753 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9754 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9755 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9756 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9758 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9759 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9760 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
9761 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9762 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9766 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9767 @kindex A R (Summary)
9768 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9769 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9772 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9773 @kindex A T (Summary)
9774 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9775 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9776 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9777 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9778 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9779 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9780 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9782 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9783 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9784 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9785 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9786 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9787 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9790 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9791 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9793 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9794 You can also ask Gnus for an arbitrary article, no matter what group it
9795 belongs to. @kbd{M-^} (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you
9796 for a @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read
9797 thingies that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}.
9798 You have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9800 Gnus looks for the @code{Message-ID} in the headers that have already
9801 been fetched, but also tries all the select methods specified by
9802 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} if it is not found.
9805 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9806 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9807 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9808 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
9809 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
9810 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9813 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9814 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9815 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9818 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9819 then ask Google if that fails:
9822 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9824 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9827 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9828 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9829 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
9830 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9831 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
9832 group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
9833 not support this at all.
9836 @node Alternative Approaches
9837 @section Alternative Approaches
9839 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9840 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9843 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9844 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9849 @subsection Pick and Read
9850 @cindex pick and read
9852 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9853 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9854 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9855 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9857 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9858 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9859 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9860 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9861 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9862 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9864 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9869 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9870 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9871 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9872 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9873 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9874 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9875 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9876 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9879 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9880 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9881 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9882 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9886 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9887 Unpick the thread or article
9888 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9889 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9890 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9891 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9892 the thread or article at that line.
9896 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9897 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9898 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9899 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9900 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9901 will still be visible when you are reading.
9905 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9906 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9907 which is mapped to the same function
9908 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9910 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9913 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9916 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9917 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9919 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9920 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9921 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9923 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9924 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9925 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9926 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9927 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9928 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9929 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9933 @subsection Binary Groups
9934 @cindex binary groups
9936 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9937 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9938 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9939 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9940 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9941 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9942 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9945 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9946 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9947 command, when you have turned on this mode
9948 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9950 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9951 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9955 @section Tree Display
9958 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9959 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9960 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9961 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9964 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9967 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9968 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9969 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9971 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9972 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9973 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9974 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9975 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9977 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9978 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9979 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9980 default is @code{modeline}.
9982 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9983 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9984 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9985 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9986 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9987 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9988 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9994 The name of the poster.
9996 The @code{From} header.
9998 The number of the article.
10000 The opening bracket.
10002 The closing bracket.
10007 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
10009 Variables related to the display are:
10012 @item gnus-tree-brackets
10013 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
10014 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
10015 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
10017 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
10018 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
10019 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
10021 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
10023 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
10024 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
10025 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
10026 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
10030 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
10031 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
10032 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
10033 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
10034 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
10035 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
10036 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
10037 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
10038 other windows displayed next to it.
10040 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
10044 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
10045 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
10048 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
10049 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
10050 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10051 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
10052 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
10053 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
10054 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
10058 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
10061 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
10071 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
10076 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
10077 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
10079 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
10081 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
10087 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
10088 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
10089 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
10092 (setq gnus-use-trees t
10093 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10094 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
10095 (gnus-add-configuration
10099 (summary 0.75 point)
10104 @xref{Window Layout}.
10107 @node Mail Group Commands
10108 @section Mail Group Commands
10109 @cindex mail group commands
10111 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
10112 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
10114 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
10115 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10120 @kindex B e (Summary)
10121 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
10122 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
10123 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
10124 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
10125 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
10128 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
10129 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
10130 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
10131 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
10132 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
10133 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
10136 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
10137 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
10138 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
10139 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
10140 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
10141 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
10144 @kindex B m (Summary)
10146 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
10147 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
10148 Move the article from one mail group to another
10149 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10150 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10153 @kindex B c (Summary)
10155 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
10156 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
10157 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
10158 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10159 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10162 @kindex B B (Summary)
10163 @cindex crosspost mail
10164 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
10165 Crosspost the current article to some other group
10166 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
10167 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
10168 be properly updated.
10171 @kindex B i (Summary)
10172 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
10173 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
10174 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
10175 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10178 @kindex B I (Summary)
10179 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
10180 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
10181 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
10182 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10185 @kindex B r (Summary)
10186 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
10187 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
10188 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
10189 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
10190 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
10191 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
10192 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
10193 (which is the default).
10197 @kindex B w (Summary)
10198 @kindex e (Summary)
10199 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10200 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10201 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10202 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10203 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10204 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10205 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10208 @kindex B q (Summary)
10209 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10210 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10211 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10212 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10215 @kindex B t (Summary)
10216 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10217 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10218 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10221 @kindex B p (Summary)
10222 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10223 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10224 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10225 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10226 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10227 article from your news server (or rather, from
10228 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10229 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10230 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10231 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10232 just not have arrived yet.
10235 @kindex K E (Summary)
10236 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10237 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10238 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10239 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10240 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10244 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10245 @cindex moving articles
10246 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
10247 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10248 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10249 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10250 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10251 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10252 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10255 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10256 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10257 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10258 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10262 @node Various Summary Stuff
10263 @section Various Summary Stuff
10266 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10267 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10268 * Summary Generation Commands::
10269 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10273 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10274 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10275 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10276 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10277 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10278 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10280 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10281 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10282 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10285 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10286 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10287 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10289 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10290 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10291 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10292 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10293 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10294 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10297 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10298 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10299 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10300 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10301 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10303 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10304 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10305 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10308 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10309 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10310 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10311 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10312 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10313 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10314 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
10315 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10316 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10317 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10319 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10320 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10321 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10322 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10323 list of articles to be selected.
10325 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10326 the list in one particular group:
10329 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10330 (if (string= group "some.group")
10331 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10335 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10336 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10337 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10338 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
10339 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
10342 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
10343 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
10344 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
10345 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
10346 variable will be used instead.
10348 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
10349 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
10350 buffers. For example:
10353 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10354 '(message-use-followup-to
10355 (gnus-visible-headers .
10356 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10359 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
10363 @node Summary Group Information
10364 @subsection Summary Group Information
10369 @kindex H f (Summary)
10370 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10371 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10372 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10373 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10374 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10375 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10376 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10377 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10378 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10381 @kindex H d (Summary)
10382 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10383 Give a brief description of the current group
10384 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10385 rereading the description from the server.
10388 @kindex H h (Summary)
10389 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10390 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10391 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10394 @kindex H i (Summary)
10395 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10396 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10400 @node Searching for Articles
10401 @subsection Searching for Articles
10406 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10407 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10408 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10409 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10412 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10413 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10414 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10415 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10418 @kindex & (Summary)
10419 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10420 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10421 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10422 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10423 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10424 search backward instead.
10426 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10427 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10430 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10431 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10432 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10433 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10436 @node Summary Generation Commands
10437 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10442 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10443 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10444 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10447 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10448 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10449 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10450 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10453 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10454 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10455 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10456 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10461 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10462 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10468 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10469 @kindex A D (Summary)
10470 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10471 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10472 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10473 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10474 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10475 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10476 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10477 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10481 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10482 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10483 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10484 several documents into one biiig group
10485 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10486 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10487 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10488 command understands the process/prefix convention
10489 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10492 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10493 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10494 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10495 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10496 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10497 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10500 @kindex = (Summary)
10501 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10502 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10503 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10506 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10507 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10508 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10509 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10512 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10513 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10514 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10515 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10520 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10521 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10522 @cindex summary exit
10523 @cindex exiting groups
10525 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10526 group and return you to the group buffer.
10533 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10534 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
10535 @kindex q (Summary)
10536 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10537 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10538 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10539 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10540 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10541 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10542 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10543 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10544 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10545 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10546 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10547 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10551 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10552 @kindex Q (Summary)
10553 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10554 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10555 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10559 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10560 @kindex c (Summary)
10561 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10562 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10563 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10564 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10567 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10568 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10569 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10570 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10573 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10574 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10575 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10576 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10579 @kindex Z p (Summary)
10580 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group
10581 Mark all articles as read and go to the previous group
10582 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group}).
10586 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10587 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
10588 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10589 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10590 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10591 all articles, both read and unread.
10595 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10596 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10597 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10598 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10599 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10600 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10601 articles, both read and unread.
10604 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10605 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10606 Exit the group and go to the next group
10607 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10610 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10611 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10612 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10613 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10616 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10617 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10618 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10619 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10620 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10621 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10624 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10625 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10626 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10627 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10629 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10630 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10631 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10632 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10633 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10634 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10635 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10636 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10637 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10638 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10639 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10640 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10642 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10644 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10645 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10646 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10647 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10648 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10649 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10650 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10651 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10652 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10655 @node Crosspost Handling
10656 @section Crosspost Handling
10660 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10661 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10662 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10663 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10664 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10665 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10668 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10669 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10670 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10671 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10672 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10674 @cindex cross-posting
10676 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10677 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10678 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10679 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10680 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10681 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10682 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10683 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10684 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10685 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10686 the cross reference mechanism.
10688 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10689 @cindex overview.fmt
10690 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10691 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10692 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10693 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10694 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10695 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10698 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10699 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10700 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10705 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10708 @node Duplicate Suppression
10709 @section Duplicate Suppression
10711 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10712 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10713 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10714 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10719 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10720 is evil and not very common.
10723 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10724 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10727 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10728 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10731 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10734 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10735 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10737 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10738 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10739 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10740 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10741 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10742 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10743 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10746 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10747 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10748 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10749 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10750 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10751 saw the article in.
10754 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10755 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10756 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10758 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10759 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10760 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10761 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10762 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
10763 session are suppressed.
10765 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10766 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10767 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10768 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10770 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10771 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10772 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10773 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10776 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
10777 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10778 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10779 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10780 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
10781 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10782 to you to figure out, I think.
10787 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10788 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
10789 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
10794 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
10795 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
10796 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
10797 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10800 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10801 or newer is recommended.
10805 The variables that control security functionality on reading messages
10809 @item mm-verify-option
10810 @vindex mm-verify-option
10811 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10812 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10813 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10815 @item mm-decrypt-option
10816 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10817 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10818 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10819 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10822 @vindex mml1991-use
10823 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10824 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10825 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10829 @vindex mml2015-use
10830 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10831 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10832 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10837 By default the buttons that display security information are not
10838 shown, because they clutter reading the actual e-mail. You can type
10839 @kbd{K b} manually to display the information. Use the
10840 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types} and
10841 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} variables to control this
10842 permanently. @ref{MIME Commands} for further details, and hints on
10843 how to customize these variables to always display security
10846 @cindex snarfing keys
10847 @cindex importing PGP keys
10848 @cindex PGP key ring import
10849 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
10850 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
10851 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
10852 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
10853 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
10854 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
10855 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
10856 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
10857 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
10860 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
10863 This happens to also be the default action defined in
10864 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
10866 More information on how to set things for sending outgoing signed and
10867 encrypted messages up can be found in the message manual
10868 (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10871 @section Mailing List
10872 @cindex mailing list
10875 @kindex A M (summary)
10876 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10877 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10878 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10879 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10882 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10887 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10888 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10889 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10892 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10893 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10894 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10897 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10898 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10899 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10903 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10904 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10905 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10908 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10909 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10910 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10913 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10914 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
10915 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10920 @node Article Buffer
10921 @chapter Article Buffer
10922 @cindex article buffer
10924 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10925 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10926 tell Gnus otherwise.
10929 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10930 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
10931 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10932 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10933 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10937 @node Hiding Headers
10938 @section Hiding Headers
10939 @cindex hiding headers
10940 @cindex deleting headers
10942 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10943 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10945 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10946 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10947 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10948 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10949 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10950 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10951 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
10952 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10953 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10955 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10959 @item gnus-visible-headers
10960 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10961 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10962 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10963 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10965 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10966 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10969 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10972 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10975 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10976 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10977 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10978 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10979 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10980 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10982 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
10983 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
10986 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10989 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10992 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10993 variable will have no effect.
10997 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10998 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10999 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
11000 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
11001 the headers are to be displayed.
11003 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
11004 and then the subject, you might say something like:
11007 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
11010 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
11011 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
11013 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
11014 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
11015 You can hide further boring headers by setting
11016 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
11017 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
11018 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
11019 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
11022 These conditions are:
11025 Remove all empty headers.
11027 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
11028 @code{Newsgroups} header.
11030 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
11031 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
11034 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
11037 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
11038 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
11040 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
11041 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
11043 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
11044 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
11046 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
11049 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
11051 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
11054 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
11057 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
11058 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
11061 This is also the default value for this variable.
11065 @section Using MIME
11066 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11068 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
11069 while people stand around yawning.
11071 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
11072 while all newsreaders die of fear.
11074 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
11075 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
11076 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
11078 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
11079 @findex gnus-display-mime
11080 Gnus pushes @acronym{MIME} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
11081 to display the @acronym{MIME} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
11082 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
11083 display, save and manipulate the @acronym{MIME} objects.
11085 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
11086 @acronym{MIME} button:
11089 @findex gnus-article-press-button
11090 @item RET (Article)
11091 @kindex RET (Article)
11092 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
11093 Toggle displaying of the @acronym{MIME} object
11094 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If built-in viewers can not display
11095 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
11096 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
11097 object is displayed inline.
11099 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
11100 @item M-RET (Article)
11101 @kindex M-RET (Article)
11103 Prompt for a method, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
11104 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
11106 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
11108 @kindex t (Article)
11109 View the @acronym{MIME} object as if it were a different @acronym{MIME} media type
11110 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
11112 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
11114 @kindex C (Article)
11115 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
11116 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
11118 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
11120 @kindex o (Article)
11121 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @acronym{MIME} object
11122 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
11124 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
11125 @item C-o (Article)
11126 @kindex C-o (Article)
11127 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} object and strip it from
11128 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
11129 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
11130 like. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred via the
11131 message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
11132 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
11134 @findex gnus-mime-replace-part
11136 @kindex r (Article)
11137 Prompt for a file name, replace the @acronym{MIME} object with an
11138 external body refering to the file via the message/external-body
11139 @acronym{MIME} type. (@code{gnus-mime-replace-part}).
11141 @findex gnus-mime-delete-part
11143 @kindex d (Article)
11144 Delete the @acronym{MIME} object from the article and replace it with some
11145 information about the removed @acronym{MIME} object
11146 (@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
11148 @c FIXME: gnus-auto-select-part should be documented here
11150 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
11152 @kindex c (Article)
11153 Copy the @acronym{MIME} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
11154 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). If given a prefix, copy the raw contents
11155 without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual
11156 charset stuff (see @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in
11157 @ref{Paging the Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
11158 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
11159 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
11160 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
11162 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
11164 @kindex p (Article)
11165 Print the @acronym{MIME} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
11166 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
11167 @file{.mailcap} file.
11169 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
11171 @kindex i (Article)
11172 Insert the contents of the @acronym{MIME} object into the buffer
11173 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
11174 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
11175 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
11176 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @ref{Paging the
11177 Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and @file{.bz2} are
11178 automatically decompressed depending on @code{jka-compr} regardless of
11179 @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed Files,, Accessing
11180 Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
11182 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
11184 @kindex E (Article)
11185 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
11186 viewer is available, use an external viewer
11187 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
11189 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
11191 @kindex e (Article)
11192 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an external viewer.
11193 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
11195 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
11197 @kindex | (Article)
11198 Output the @acronym{MIME} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
11200 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
11202 @kindex . (Article)
11203 Interactively run an action on the @acronym{MIME} object
11204 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
11208 Gnus will display some @acronym{MIME} objects automatically. The way Gnus
11209 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
11210 @acronym{MIME} manual.
11212 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
11213 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
11214 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @acronym{MIME} has
11215 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
11216 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
11217 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
11218 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
11219 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
11220 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
11222 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
11224 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
11227 @node Customizing Articles
11228 @section Customizing Articles
11229 @cindex article customization
11231 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
11232 exist. You can call these functions interactively
11233 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
11234 called automatically when you select the articles.
11236 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
11237 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
11238 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
11239 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
11241 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
11242 for sensible values.
11246 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
11249 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
11252 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
11255 @code{first}: Do this treatment on the first body part.
11258 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last body part.
11261 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
11265 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
11266 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
11267 regexps in the list.
11270 A list where the first element is not a string:
11272 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
11273 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
11274 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
11278 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
11283 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
11284 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
11285 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
11286 considered to contain just a single part.
11288 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
11289 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
11290 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
11291 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
11292 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
11293 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
11294 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
11296 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
11297 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
11298 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
11299 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
11302 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11303 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11305 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11307 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11308 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11309 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11310 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11311 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, first, integer)
11312 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11313 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11314 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11315 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11316 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11318 @xref{Article Washing}.
11320 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
11321 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
11322 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
11323 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
11324 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
11325 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
11326 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
11328 @xref{Article Date}.
11330 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11331 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11332 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11336 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11338 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11340 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11341 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11342 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11346 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
11350 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
11354 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
11355 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
11356 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
11357 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
11358 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
11359 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
11360 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
11361 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
11362 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
11363 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
11365 @xref{Article Hiding}.
11367 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
11368 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
11369 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
11371 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
11373 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
11374 @item gnus-treat-translate
11375 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
11376 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
11378 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
11379 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
11380 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
11381 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
11383 @xref{Article Header}.
11388 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
11389 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
11390 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
11391 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
11392 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11396 @node Article Keymap
11397 @section Article Keymap
11399 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11400 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11401 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11402 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11405 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11410 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11411 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11412 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11413 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11416 @kindex DEL (Article)
11417 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11418 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11419 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11422 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11423 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11424 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11425 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11426 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11429 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11430 @findex gnus-article-mail
11431 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11432 given a prefix, include the mail.
11435 @kindex s (Article)
11436 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11437 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11438 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11441 @kindex ? (Article)
11442 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11443 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11444 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11447 @kindex TAB (Article)
11448 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11449 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11450 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11453 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11454 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11455 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11458 @kindex R (Article)
11459 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11460 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11461 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11462 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11466 @kindex F (Article)
11467 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11468 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11469 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11470 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11478 @section Misc Article
11482 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11483 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11484 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11485 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11488 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11489 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11490 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11491 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11492 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11494 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11495 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11496 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11497 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11498 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11499 the contents of the article buffer.
11501 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11502 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11503 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11505 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11506 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11507 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11508 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11510 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11511 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11512 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11513 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11515 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11516 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11517 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11518 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
11519 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
11520 with two extensions:
11525 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11526 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11527 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11532 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11535 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11538 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11539 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11540 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11543 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11546 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11549 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11554 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11558 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11560 @item gnus-break-pages
11561 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11562 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11563 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11564 paging will not be done.
11566 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11567 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11568 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11572 @cindex internationalized domain names
11573 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11574 @item gnus-use-idna
11575 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11576 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11577 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
11578 for how to compose such messages. This requires
11579 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11580 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11585 @node Composing Messages
11586 @chapter Composing Messages
11587 @cindex composing messages
11590 @cindex sending mail
11595 @cindex using s/mime
11596 @cindex using smime
11598 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11599 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11600 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11601 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11602 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11603 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11606 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11607 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11608 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
11609 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11610 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11611 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11612 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11613 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11614 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11617 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11618 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11624 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11627 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11628 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11629 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11630 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11631 @code{nil} include all headers.
11633 @item gnus-add-to-list
11634 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11635 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11636 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11638 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11639 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11640 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you for a confirmation when you are
11641 about to reply to news articles by mail. If it is @code{nil}, nothing
11642 interferes in what you want to do. This can also be a function
11643 receiving the group name as the only parameter which should return
11644 non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is needed, or a regular expression
11645 matching group names, where confirmation should be asked for.
11647 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11648 press @kbd{R} anyway, this variable might be for you.
11650 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11651 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11652 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11653 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11654 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11659 @node Posting Server
11660 @section Posting Server
11662 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11663 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11665 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11667 It can be quite complicated.
11669 @vindex gnus-post-method
11670 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11671 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11672 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11673 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11674 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11675 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11676 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11677 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11678 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11681 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11684 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11685 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11686 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11687 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11689 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11690 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11692 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11693 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11696 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11697 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11699 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11700 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11701 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11702 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11703 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
11704 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11705 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11706 package correctly. An example:
11709 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11710 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11713 To the thing similar to this, there is
11714 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your @acronym{ISP}
11715 requires the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication.
11716 @xref{POP before SMTP}.
11718 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11719 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11720 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11722 @node POP before SMTP
11723 @section POP before SMTP
11724 @cindex pop before smtp
11725 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
11726 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
11728 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
11729 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
11730 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
11731 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
11732 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
11735 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
11736 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
11740 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
11741 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
11742 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
11743 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
11744 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
11745 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
11746 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
11747 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
11749 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
11750 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
11751 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
11752 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
11753 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
11754 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
11757 (setq mail-source-primary-source
11758 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11759 :password "secret"))
11763 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
11764 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
11767 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
11769 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
11770 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11771 :password "secret")))
11772 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
11775 @node Mail and Post
11776 @section Mail and Post
11778 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11782 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11783 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11784 @cindex mailing lists
11786 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11787 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
11788 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11789 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11790 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11791 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11792 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11793 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11794 still a pain, though.
11796 @item gnus-user-agent
11797 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11800 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11801 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11802 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11803 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11804 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11805 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11806 use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
11810 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11811 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11812 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11815 @findex ispell-message
11817 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11820 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11821 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11824 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11828 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11829 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11831 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11834 Modify to suit your needs.
11837 @node Archived Messages
11838 @section Archived Messages
11839 @cindex archived messages
11840 @cindex sent messages
11842 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11843 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11844 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11845 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11848 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11849 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11852 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11853 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
11854 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11857 (nnfolder "archive"
11858 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11859 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11860 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11861 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11864 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11865 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11866 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11867 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11870 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11871 '(nnfolder "archive"
11872 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11873 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11874 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11877 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11879 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11880 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11881 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11883 This variable can be used to do the following:
11887 Messages will be saved in that group.
11889 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11890 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11891 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11892 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11893 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11894 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11895 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11896 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11899 @item a list of strings
11900 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11902 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11903 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11906 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11911 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11913 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11916 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11918 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11921 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11923 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11924 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11925 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11926 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11929 More complex stuff:
11931 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11932 '((if (message-news-p)
11937 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11938 messages in one file per month:
11941 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11942 '((if (message-news-p)
11944 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11947 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11948 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11950 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11951 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11952 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11953 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11954 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11955 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11956 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11957 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11958 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11959 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11961 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11962 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11963 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11964 this will disable archiving.
11967 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11968 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11969 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11970 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11971 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11974 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11975 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11976 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11979 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11980 but the latter is the preferred method.
11982 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11983 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11984 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11986 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11987 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11988 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11989 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11990 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11991 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11992 changed in the future.
11997 @node Posting Styles
11998 @section Posting Styles
11999 @cindex posting styles
12002 All them variables, they make my head swim.
12004 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
12005 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
12006 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
12009 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
12010 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
12011 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
12012 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
12013 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
12018 (signature "Peace and happiness")
12019 (organization "What me?"))
12021 (signature "Death to everybody"))
12022 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
12023 (organization "Emacs is it")))
12026 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
12027 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
12028 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
12029 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
12030 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
12031 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
12032 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
12033 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
12035 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
12036 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
12037 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
12038 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
12039 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
12040 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
12041 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
12042 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
12043 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
12044 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
12045 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
12046 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
12047 said to @dfn{match}.
12049 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
12050 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
12051 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
12052 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
12053 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
12054 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
12055 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
12056 name can be one of:
12059 @item @code{signature}
12060 @item @code{signature-file}
12061 @item @code{x-face-file}
12062 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
12063 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
12067 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
12068 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
12069 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
12070 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
12071 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
12073 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
12074 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
12075 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
12076 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
12077 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
12078 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
12079 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
12080 references chars lines xref extra.
12082 @vindex message-reply-headers
12084 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
12085 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
12086 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
12088 @findex message-mail-p
12089 @findex message-news-p
12091 So here's a new example:
12094 (setq gnus-posting-styles
12096 (signature-file "~/.signature")
12098 (x-face-file "~/.xface")
12099 (x-url (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
12100 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
12102 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
12103 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
12104 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
12105 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
12106 (signature my-news-signature))
12107 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
12108 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
12109 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
12110 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
12111 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
12112 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
12113 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
12114 (address "user@@bar.foo")
12115 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
12116 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
12118 (From (save-excursion
12119 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
12120 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
12122 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
12125 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
12126 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
12127 if you fill many roles.
12134 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
12135 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
12136 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
12137 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
12138 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
12140 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
12141 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
12142 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
12143 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
12144 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
12148 @vindex nndraft-directory
12149 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
12150 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
12151 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
12152 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
12153 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
12154 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
12156 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
12157 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
12158 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
12159 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
12160 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
12161 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
12162 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
12163 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
12164 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
12166 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
12167 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
12168 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
12169 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
12170 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
12171 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
12172 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
12173 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
12174 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
12175 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
12176 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
12177 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
12178 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
12179 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
12181 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
12182 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
12183 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
12185 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
12186 @kindex D e (Draft)
12187 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
12188 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
12189 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
12191 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
12194 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
12195 @kindex D s (Draft)
12196 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
12197 @kindex D S (Draft)
12198 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
12199 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
12200 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
12201 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
12202 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
12205 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
12206 @kindex D t (Draft)
12207 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
12208 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
12209 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
12212 @node Rejected Articles
12213 @section Rejected Articles
12214 @cindex rejected articles
12216 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
12217 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
12218 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
12219 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
12221 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
12222 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
12223 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
12224 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
12225 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
12227 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
12228 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
12229 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
12231 @node Signing and encrypting
12232 @section Signing and encrypting
12234 @cindex using s/mime
12235 @cindex using smime
12237 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
12238 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
12239 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
12240 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
12242 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
12243 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
12244 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
12245 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
12246 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
12247 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
12248 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
12249 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
12250 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
12251 automatically encrypted messages.
12253 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
12254 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
12255 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
12260 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
12261 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
12263 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12266 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
12267 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12269 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12272 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
12273 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12275 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12278 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
12279 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
12281 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12284 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
12285 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
12287 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12290 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
12291 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
12293 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12296 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
12297 @findex mml-unsecure-message
12298 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
12302 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
12304 @node Select Methods
12305 @chapter Select Methods
12306 @cindex foreign groups
12307 @cindex select methods
12309 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
12310 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
12311 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
12312 personal mail group.
12314 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
12315 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
12316 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
12317 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
12318 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
12319 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
12321 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
12322 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
12324 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
12327 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
12328 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
12329 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
12330 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
12331 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
12333 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
12336 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
12337 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
12338 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
12339 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
12340 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
12341 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
12342 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
12343 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
12344 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
12348 @node Server Buffer
12349 @section Server Buffer
12351 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
12352 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
12353 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
12354 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
12355 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
12356 back end represents a virtual server.
12358 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
12359 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
12360 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
12361 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
12363 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
12364 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
12365 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
12366 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
12367 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
12368 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
12369 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
12371 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
12372 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
12375 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
12376 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
12377 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
12378 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
12379 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
12380 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
12381 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
12384 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
12385 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
12388 @node Server Buffer Format
12389 @subsection Server Buffer Format
12390 @cindex server buffer format
12392 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
12393 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
12394 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
12395 variable, with some simple extensions:
12400 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
12403 The name of this server.
12406 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
12409 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
12412 Whether this server is agentized.
12415 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
12416 The mode line can also be customized by using the
12417 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
12418 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
12428 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
12431 @node Server Commands
12432 @subsection Server Commands
12433 @cindex server commands
12439 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12440 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12444 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12445 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12448 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12449 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12450 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12454 @findex gnus-server-exit
12455 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12459 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12460 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12464 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12465 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12469 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12470 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12474 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12475 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12479 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12480 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12481 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12486 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12487 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12488 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12489 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12494 @node Example Methods
12495 @subsection Example Methods
12497 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12500 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12503 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12509 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12510 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12513 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12514 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12516 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12517 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12521 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12524 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12525 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12527 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12528 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12529 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12533 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12536 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12539 Here's the method for a public spool:
12543 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12544 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12550 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12551 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12552 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12553 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12554 should probably look something like this:
12558 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12559 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12560 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12561 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12564 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12565 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12566 configuration to the example above:
12569 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12572 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}. Here's an example for
12573 an indirect connection:
12575 (setq gnus-select-method
12577 (nntp-address "news.server.example")
12578 (nntp-via-user-name "intermediate_user_name")
12579 (nntp-via-address "intermediate.host.example")
12580 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12581 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
12582 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches ("-C" "-t" "-e" "none"))
12583 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)))
12586 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12587 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12588 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12592 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12593 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12594 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12595 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12598 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12599 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12600 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12601 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12604 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12605 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12607 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12608 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12610 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12611 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
12612 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12614 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
12616 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
12617 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12618 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12619 will contain the following:
12629 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
12630 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12633 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12634 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12635 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12638 @node Server Variables
12639 @subsection Server Variables
12640 @cindex server variables
12641 @cindex server parameters
12643 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12644 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12645 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12646 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12647 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12649 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12650 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12651 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12652 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12653 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12654 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12655 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12656 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12657 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12661 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12662 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12663 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12666 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
12668 @node Servers and Methods
12669 @subsection Servers and Methods
12671 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12672 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12673 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12674 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12678 @node Unavailable Servers
12679 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12681 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12682 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12683 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12684 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12685 actually the case or not.
12687 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12688 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12689 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12690 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12691 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12692 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12693 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12694 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12696 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12697 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12699 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12700 with the following commands:
12706 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12707 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12708 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12712 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12713 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12714 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12718 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12719 Mark the current server as unreachable
12720 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12723 @kindex M-o (Server)
12724 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12725 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12726 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12729 @kindex M-c (Server)
12730 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12731 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12732 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12736 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12737 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12738 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12742 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12743 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12749 @section Getting News
12750 @cindex reading news
12751 @cindex news back ends
12753 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12754 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
12755 or it can read from a local spool.
12758 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12759 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12767 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
12768 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
12769 server as the, uhm, address.
12771 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12772 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12773 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12774 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12776 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12777 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12778 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12780 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12785 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12786 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12787 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12789 @cindex authentification
12790 @cindex nntp authentification
12791 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12792 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12793 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12794 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
12795 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12796 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12797 present in this hook.
12799 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12800 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12801 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12802 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12803 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
12804 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12805 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12806 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12807 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12808 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12809 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12810 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12814 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12817 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12819 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12820 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12821 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12822 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12823 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12824 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12825 @samp{force} is explained below.
12829 Here's an example file:
12832 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12833 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12836 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12837 have to be first, for instance.
12839 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12840 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12841 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12842 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12843 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12844 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12845 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12847 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12848 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12854 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12855 previously mentioned.
12857 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12859 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12860 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12861 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12862 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12863 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12866 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12867 '(("innd" (ding))))
12870 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12872 The default value is
12875 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12876 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12877 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12880 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12881 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12883 @item nntp-maximum-request
12884 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12885 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
12886 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12887 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12888 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12889 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12890 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12892 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12893 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12894 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12895 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
12896 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12897 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12898 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12899 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12900 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12901 no timeouts are done.
12903 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12904 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12905 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
12906 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
12909 @item nntp-xover-commands
12910 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12911 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
12913 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
12914 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12918 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12919 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
12920 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12921 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12922 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
12923 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12924 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12925 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12926 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12927 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12928 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12930 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12931 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12932 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12934 @item nntp-record-commands
12935 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12936 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12937 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12938 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
12939 that doesn't seem to work.
12941 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12942 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12943 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12944 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12945 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12946 Seven pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped
12947 in two categories: direct connection functions (four pre-made), and
12948 indirect ones (three pre-made).
12950 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12951 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12952 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12953 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12954 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12955 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12956 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12959 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12962 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12963 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12968 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12969 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12970 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12971 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
12975 @node Direct Functions
12976 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12977 @cindex direct connection functions
12979 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12980 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
12981 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12982 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12985 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12986 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12987 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12990 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
12991 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
12992 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12993 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
12994 installed. You then define a server as follows:
12997 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12998 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
13000 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
13001 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
13002 (nntp-port-number )
13003 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
13006 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
13007 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
13008 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
13009 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
13010 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
13011 then define a server as follows:
13014 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
13015 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
13017 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
13018 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
13019 (nntp-port-number 563)
13020 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
13023 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
13024 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
13025 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
13026 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
13027 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
13028 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
13029 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
13030 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
13034 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
13035 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
13036 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
13039 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
13040 session, which is not a good idea.
13044 @node Indirect Functions
13045 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
13046 @cindex indirect connection functions
13048 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
13049 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13050 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
13051 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
13052 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
13053 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13056 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
13057 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
13058 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
13059 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
13060 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
13062 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13065 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
13066 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
13067 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
13068 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
13070 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13071 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13072 List of strings to be used as the switches to
13073 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
13074 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
13075 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
13076 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
13077 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
13081 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13082 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13084 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13085 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13086 Does essentially the same, but uses
13087 @uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/, netcat} instead of @samp{telnet}
13088 to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
13090 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
13093 @item nntp-via-netcat-command
13094 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-command
13095 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
13096 intermediate host. The default is @samp{nc}. You can also use other
13097 programs like @uref{http://www.imasy.or.jp/~gotoh/ssh/connect.html,
13100 @item nntp-via-netcat-switches
13101 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-switches
13102 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13103 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{nil}.
13105 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
13106 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
13107 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
13108 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
13110 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13111 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13112 List of strings to be used as the switches to
13113 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}.
13116 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13117 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13118 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
13119 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
13121 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13124 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
13125 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
13126 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
13129 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
13130 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
13131 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13132 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
13134 @item nntp-via-user-password
13135 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
13136 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
13138 @item nntp-via-envuser
13139 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
13140 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
13141 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
13142 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
13144 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
13145 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
13146 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
13147 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
13151 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13152 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13156 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
13161 @item nntp-via-user-name
13162 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
13163 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
13165 @item nntp-via-address
13166 @vindex nntp-via-address
13167 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
13172 @node Common Variables
13173 @subsubsection Common Variables
13175 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
13176 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
13177 affected (the values of the following variables will be used as the
13178 default if each virtual @code{nntp} server doesn't specify those server
13179 variables individually).
13183 @item nntp-pre-command
13184 @vindex nntp-pre-command
13185 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
13186 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
13187 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}). This is
13188 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
13191 @vindex nntp-address
13192 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13194 @item nntp-port-number
13195 @vindex nntp-port-number
13196 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13197 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
13198 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
13199 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
13200 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
13201 not work with named ports.
13203 @item nntp-end-of-line
13204 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
13205 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
13206 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
13207 using a non native telnet connection function.
13209 @item nntp-telnet-command
13210 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
13211 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
13212 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
13213 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13216 @item nntp-telnet-switches
13217 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
13218 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
13224 @subsubsection NNTP marks
13225 @cindex storing NNTP marks
13227 Gnus stores marks (@pxref{Marking Articles}) for @acronym{NNTP}
13228 servers in marks files. A marks file records what marks you have set
13229 in a group and each file is specific to the corresponding server.
13230 Marks files are stored in @file{~/News/marks}
13231 (@code{nntp-marks-directory}) under a classic hierarchy resembling
13232 that of a news server, for example marks for the group
13233 @samp{gmane.discuss} on the news.gmane.org server will be stored in
13234 the file @file{~/News/marks/news.gmane.org/gmane/discuss/.marks}.
13236 Marks files are useful because you can copy the @file{~/News/marks}
13237 directory (using rsync, scp or whatever) to another Gnus installation,
13238 and it will realize what articles you have read and marked. The data
13239 in @file{~/News/marks} has priority over the same data in
13240 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13242 Note that marks files are very much server-specific: Gnus remembers
13243 the article numbers so if you don't use the same servers on both
13244 installations things are most likely to break (most @acronym{NNTP}
13245 servers do not use the same article numbers as any other server).
13246 However, if you use servers A, B, C on one installation and servers A,
13247 D, E on the other, you can sync the marks files for A and then you'll
13248 get synchronization for that server between the two installations.
13250 Using @acronym{NNTP} marks can possibly incur a performance penalty so
13251 if Gnus feels sluggish, try setting the @code{nntp-marks-is-evil}
13252 variable to @code{t}. Marks will then be stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13258 @item nntp-marks-is-evil
13259 @vindex nntp-marks-is-evil
13260 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any marks files. The
13261 default is @code{nil}.
13263 @item nntp-marks-directory
13264 @vindex nntp-marks-directory
13265 The directory where marks for nntp groups will be stored.
13271 @subsection News Spool
13275 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
13276 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
13277 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
13280 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
13281 anything else) as the address.
13283 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
13284 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
13285 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
13286 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
13290 @item nnspool-inews-program
13291 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
13292 Program used to post an article.
13294 @item nnspool-inews-switches
13295 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
13296 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
13298 @item nnspool-spool-directory
13299 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
13300 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
13301 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
13303 @item nnspool-nov-directory
13304 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
13305 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
13306 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
13308 @item nnspool-lib-dir
13309 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
13310 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
13312 @item nnspool-active-file
13313 @vindex nnspool-active-file
13314 The name of the active file.
13316 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
13317 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
13318 The name of the group descriptions file.
13320 @item nnspool-history-file
13321 @vindex nnspool-history-file
13322 The name of the news history file.
13324 @item nnspool-active-times-file
13325 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
13326 The name of the active date file.
13328 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
13329 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
13330 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
13333 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13334 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13336 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
13337 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
13338 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
13345 @section Getting Mail
13346 @cindex reading mail
13349 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
13353 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
13354 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
13355 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
13356 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
13357 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
13358 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
13359 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
13360 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
13361 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
13362 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
13363 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
13364 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
13365 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
13369 @node Mail in a Newsreader
13370 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
13372 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
13373 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
13374 of a culture shock.
13376 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
13377 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
13379 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
13380 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
13381 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
13382 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
13384 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
13386 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
13387 deleted? How awful!
13389 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
13390 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
13391 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
13392 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
13395 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
13396 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
13397 they want to treat a message.
13399 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
13400 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
13401 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
13402 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
13403 archived somewhere else.
13405 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
13406 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
13407 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
13408 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
13409 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
13411 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
13412 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
13413 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
13415 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
13416 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
13419 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
13420 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
13421 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
13422 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
13423 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
13425 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
13426 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
13427 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
13428 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
13429 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
13430 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
13434 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
13435 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
13437 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
13438 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
13439 and things will happen automatically.
13441 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
13442 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13445 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13448 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
13449 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
13450 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
13451 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13452 like any other group.
13454 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13457 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13458 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13459 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13463 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13464 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13465 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13468 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13469 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13470 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13473 @node Splitting Mail
13474 @subsection Splitting Mail
13475 @cindex splitting mail
13476 @cindex mail splitting
13477 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
13479 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13480 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13481 to be split into groups.
13484 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13485 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13486 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13487 ("mail.other" "")))
13490 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13491 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13492 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13493 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13494 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13495 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13496 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13499 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13503 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
13504 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
13506 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13507 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13508 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13509 mail belongs in that group.
13511 @cindex @samp{bogus} group
13512 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13513 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{""} so that it matches any mails
13514 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13515 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first rule
13516 to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled. In
13517 that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) If no rule matched, the mail
13518 will end up in the @samp{bogus} group. When new groups are created by
13519 splitting mail, you may want to run @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to
13520 see the new groups. This also applies to the @samp{bogus} group.
13522 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13523 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13524 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13525 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13526 thinks should carry this mail message.
13528 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13529 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13530 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13531 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13533 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13534 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13535 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13536 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13537 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{""}) group.
13539 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13542 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13543 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13544 links. If that's the case for you, set
13545 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13546 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13548 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13549 @findex nnmail-split-history
13550 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13551 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13552 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13553 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13556 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13557 Header lines longer than the value of
13558 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13561 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13562 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13563 By default the splitting codes @acronym{MIME} decodes headers so you
13564 can match on non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. The
13565 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset} variable specifies the default
13566 charset for decoding. The behavior can be turned off completely by
13567 binding @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to @code{nil}, which is
13568 useful if you want to match articles based on the raw header data.
13570 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13571 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13572 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13573 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
13574 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13575 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13576 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13577 other kinds of entries.)
13579 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13580 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13581 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13582 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13583 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13584 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13585 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13586 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13587 month's rent money.
13591 @subsection Mail Sources
13593 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
13594 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
13595 maildir, for instance.
13598 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
13599 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
13600 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
13604 @node Mail Source Specifiers
13605 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
13607 @cindex mail server
13610 @cindex mail source
13612 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
13613 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
13618 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
13621 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
13622 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
13623 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
13626 The following mail source types are available:
13630 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
13636 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
13637 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
13638 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
13642 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13645 An example file mail source:
13648 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
13651 Or using the default file name:
13657 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
13658 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
13659 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
13660 mail spool while moving the mail.
13662 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
13666 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
13669 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
13673 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
13676 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
13678 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
13681 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
13685 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
13686 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
13687 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
13688 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
13689 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
13690 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
13691 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
13692 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
13693 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
13694 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
13696 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13697 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
13698 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
13699 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13705 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13709 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13713 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13714 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13715 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13716 predicate are considered.
13720 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13724 An example directory mail source:
13727 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13732 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13738 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
13739 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13742 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
13743 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13744 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13745 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13746 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13749 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
13753 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
13754 the user is prompted.
13757 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
13758 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13761 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13764 The valid format specifier characters are:
13768 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13769 included in this string.
13772 The name of the server.
13775 The port number of the server.
13778 The user name to use.
13781 The password to use.
13784 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13785 corresponding keywords.
13788 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13789 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13792 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13793 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13796 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
13797 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
13798 mail should be moved to.
13800 @item :authentication
13801 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13802 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13807 @vindex pop3-movemail
13808 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
13809 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13810 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If the
13811 @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server} is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be
13812 left on the @acronym{POP} server after fetching when using
13813 @code{pop3-movemail}. Note that POP servers maintain no state
13814 information between sessions, so what the client believes is there and
13815 what is actually there may not match up. If they do not, then the whole
13816 thing can fall apart and leave you with a corrupt mailbox.
13818 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server,
13819 using the default user name, and default fetcher:
13825 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13828 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13829 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13832 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13835 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13839 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13840 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13841 contains exactly one mail.
13847 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13848 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13851 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13852 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13854 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13855 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13856 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13859 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13860 from locking problems).
13864 Two example maildir mail sources:
13867 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13868 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13872 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13877 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
13878 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
13879 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
13880 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
13881 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
13883 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
13884 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13890 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
13891 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13894 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13895 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
13898 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
13902 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
13906 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13907 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13908 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
13909 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13911 @item :authentication
13912 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13913 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13914 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13915 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13918 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13919 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13920 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13926 The valid format specifier characters are:
13930 The name of the server.
13933 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13936 The port number of the server.
13939 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13940 corresponding keywords.
13943 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13944 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13947 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13948 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13949 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
13950 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13951 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13952 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13955 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13956 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13957 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13958 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13961 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
13962 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
13966 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
13969 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13971 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13975 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
13976 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
13977 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
13979 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13980 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13982 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13988 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13989 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13992 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13996 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
14000 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
14001 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
14005 An example webmail source:
14008 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
14010 :password "secret")
14015 @item Common Keywords
14016 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
14022 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
14023 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
14028 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
14033 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
14034 useful when you use local mail and news.
14039 @subsubsection Function Interface
14041 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
14042 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
14043 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
14044 consider the following mail-source setting:
14047 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
14048 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
14051 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
14052 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
14053 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
14054 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
14055 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
14057 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
14060 @node Mail Source Customization
14061 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
14063 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
14064 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
14068 @item mail-source-crash-box
14069 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
14070 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
14071 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
14073 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
14074 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
14075 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
14076 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
14077 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
14078 (This will only happen, when receiving new mail). You may also set
14079 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
14080 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
14082 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
14083 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
14084 If non-@code{nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
14085 files. This variable only applies when
14086 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
14088 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
14089 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
14090 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
14092 @item mail-source-directory
14093 @vindex mail-source-directory
14094 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
14095 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
14096 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
14097 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
14099 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
14100 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
14101 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
14102 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
14103 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
14104 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a
14107 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
14108 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
14109 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
14111 @item mail-source-movemail-program
14112 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
14113 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
14114 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
14119 @node Fetching Mail
14120 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
14122 @vindex mail-sources
14123 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
14124 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
14125 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
14126 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
14128 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
14129 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
14132 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
14133 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
14138 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14139 :password "secret")))
14142 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
14146 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
14147 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14150 :password "secret")))
14154 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
14155 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
14156 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
14157 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
14158 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
14159 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
14163 @node Mail Back End Variables
14164 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
14166 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
14170 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14171 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14172 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
14173 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
14175 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
14176 @item nnmail-split-hook
14177 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
14178 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
14179 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
14180 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
14181 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
14182 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
14183 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
14184 in the buffer will show up in any files.
14185 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
14188 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14189 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14190 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14191 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14192 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
14193 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
14194 starting to handle the new mail) and
14195 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
14196 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
14197 default file modes the new mail files get:
14200 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14201 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
14203 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14204 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
14207 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
14208 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
14209 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
14210 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
14211 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
14212 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
14213 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
14215 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
14216 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
14217 @findex delete-file
14218 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
14220 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14221 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14222 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
14223 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
14224 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
14226 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14227 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14228 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
14229 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
14230 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
14232 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
14233 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
14234 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
14239 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
14240 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
14241 @cindex mail splitting
14242 @cindex fancy mail splitting
14244 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
14245 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
14246 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
14247 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
14248 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
14249 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
14251 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
14254 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
14255 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
14256 ;; @r{from real errors.}
14257 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
14259 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
14260 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
14261 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
14262 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
14263 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
14264 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
14265 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
14266 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
14267 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
14268 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
14269 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
14270 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
14271 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
14272 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
14273 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
14274 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
14275 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
14279 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
14280 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
14281 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
14286 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
14287 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
14289 @c Don't fold this line.
14290 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split} [@var{invert-partial}])
14291 The split can be a list containing at least three elements. If the
14292 first element @var{field} (a regexp matching a header) contains
14293 @var{value} (also a regexp) then store the message as specified by
14296 If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp) matches some string after
14297 @var{field} and before the end of the matched @var{value}, the
14298 @var{split} is ignored. If none of the @var{restrict} clauses match,
14299 @var{split} is processed.
14301 The last element @var{invert-partial} is optional. If it is
14302 non-@code{nil}, the match-partial-words behavior controlled by the
14303 variable @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} (see below) is
14304 be inverted. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
14306 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
14307 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
14308 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
14309 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
14310 stored in one or more groups.
14312 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
14313 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
14314 process all @var{split}s in the list.
14317 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
14318 this message. Use with extreme caution.
14320 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
14321 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
14322 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
14323 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
14326 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
14327 body of the messages:
14330 (defun split-on-body ()
14334 (goto-char (point-min))
14335 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
14339 The buffer is narrowed to the message in question when @var{function}
14340 is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called after
14341 @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
14342 above. Also note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will
14343 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
14344 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
14345 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
14347 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
14348 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
14349 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
14350 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
14351 should return a split.
14354 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
14358 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
14360 Normally, @var{value} in these splits must match a complete @emph{word}
14361 according to the fundamental mode syntax table. In other words, all
14362 @var{value}'s will be implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers,
14363 which are word delimiters. Therefore, if you use the following split,
14367 (any "joe" "joemail")
14371 messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will normally not be filed
14372 in @samp{joemail}. If you want to alter this behavior, you can use any
14373 of the following three ways:
14377 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
14378 You can set the @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} variable
14379 to non-@code{nil} in order to ignore word boundaries and instead the
14380 match becomes more like a grep. This variable controls whether partial
14381 words are matched during fancy splitting. The default value is
14384 Note that it influences all @var{value}'s in your split rules.
14387 @var{value} beginning with @code{.*} ignores word boundaries in front of
14388 a word. Similarly, if @var{value} ends with @code{.*}, word boundaries
14389 in the rear of a word will be ignored. For example, the @var{value}
14390 @code{"@@example\\.com"} does not match @samp{foo@@example.com} but
14391 @code{".*@@example\\.com"} does.
14394 You can set the @var{invert-partial} flag in your split rules of the
14395 @samp{(@var{field} @var{value} @dots{})} types, aforementioned in this
14396 section. If the flag is set, word boundaries on both sides of a word
14397 are ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
14398 @code{nil}. Contrarily, if the flag is set, word boundaries are not
14399 ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
14400 non-@code{nil}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
14403 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
14404 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
14405 they are expanded as specified by the variable
14406 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
14407 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
14408 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
14409 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
14413 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
14415 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
14416 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
14418 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
14421 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
14422 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
14423 when all this splitting is performed.
14425 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
14426 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
14427 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
14430 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
14433 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
14434 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
14436 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
14437 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
14438 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
14439 groupings 1 through 9.
14441 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
14442 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
14443 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
14444 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
14445 groups when users send to an address using different case
14446 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
14449 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
14450 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
14451 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
14452 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
14453 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
14454 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
14455 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
14456 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
14457 it once per thread.
14459 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
14460 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
14461 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
14462 using the colon feature, like so:
14464 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
14465 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
14467 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
14468 ;; @r{other splits go here}
14472 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
14473 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
14474 in the file specified by the variable
14475 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
14476 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
14477 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
14478 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
14479 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
14480 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
14481 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
14482 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
14483 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
14484 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
14485 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
14486 300 kBytes in size.)
14487 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14488 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
14489 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
14490 messages goes into the new group.
14492 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
14493 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
14494 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
14495 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
14496 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
14497 ``outgoing'' group.
14500 @node Group Mail Splitting
14501 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
14502 @cindex mail splitting
14503 @cindex group mail splitting
14505 @findex gnus-group-split
14506 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
14507 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
14508 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
14509 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
14510 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
14511 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
14512 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
14513 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
14515 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
14516 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
14517 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
14518 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
14520 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
14521 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
14522 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14523 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
14524 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14525 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14526 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14528 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14529 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14530 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14531 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14532 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
14533 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14534 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14536 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14537 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14538 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14539 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14540 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14541 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14542 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14543 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14544 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14545 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14546 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14547 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14548 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14550 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14555 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14556 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14558 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14559 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14560 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14561 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14563 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14566 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14567 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14568 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14571 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14572 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14573 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14577 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14578 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14579 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14583 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14586 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14587 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14588 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14589 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
14590 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14591 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
14592 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
14593 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
14594 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
14596 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
14597 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
14598 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
14599 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
14600 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
14601 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
14602 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
14603 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
14604 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
14606 @findex gnus-group-split-update
14607 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
14608 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
14609 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
14610 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
14611 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
14614 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
14617 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
14618 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
14619 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
14620 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
14621 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
14624 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
14625 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
14626 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
14627 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
14629 @node Incorporating Old Mail
14630 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
14631 @cindex incorporating old mail
14632 @cindex import old mail
14634 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
14635 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
14636 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
14639 Doing so can be quite easy.
14641 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
14642 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
14643 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
14644 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
14645 your @code{nnml} groups.
14651 Go to the group buffer.
14654 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
14655 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14658 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
14661 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
14662 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14665 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
14666 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
14669 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
14670 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
14671 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
14672 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
14673 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
14675 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
14676 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
14677 using the new mail back end.
14680 @node Expiring Mail
14681 @subsection Expiring Mail
14682 @cindex article expiry
14684 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
14685 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
14686 different approach to mail reading.
14688 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
14689 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
14690 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
14691 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
14692 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
14693 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
14696 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
14697 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
14698 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
14699 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
14700 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
14701 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
14702 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
14703 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
14704 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
14706 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
14707 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
14708 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
14709 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
14710 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
14711 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
14712 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
14715 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
14716 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
14717 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
14718 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
14719 into its own group.)
14721 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
14722 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
14723 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
14724 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
14725 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
14726 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
14727 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
14728 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
14731 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14732 Groups that match the regular expression
14733 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
14734 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
14735 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
14737 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
14738 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
14739 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
14740 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
14741 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14743 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
14745 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
14746 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
14747 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
14750 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
14751 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
14752 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
14753 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
14754 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
14756 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
14757 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
14760 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14761 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
14764 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
14765 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
14767 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
14768 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
14769 don't really mix very well.
14771 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
14772 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
14773 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
14774 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
14777 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
14778 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
14779 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
14780 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
14783 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14785 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14787 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14789 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14791 ((string= group "important")
14797 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14798 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14800 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14801 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14802 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14805 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14806 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14808 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14809 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14810 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14811 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14812 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14813 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14814 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14815 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14816 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14817 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14818 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14819 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
14820 name or @code{delete}.
14822 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14824 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14827 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14828 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14829 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14830 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14831 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14834 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14835 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14836 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14837 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14838 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14841 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14842 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14843 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14844 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14845 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14846 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14848 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14849 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14850 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14851 easier for procmail users.
14853 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14854 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14855 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14856 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14857 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14858 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14859 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14860 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14861 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14862 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14863 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14864 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14865 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14868 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14870 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14871 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14872 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14873 auto-expire turned on.
14877 @subsection Washing Mail
14878 @cindex mail washing
14879 @cindex list server brain damage
14880 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14882 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14883 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14884 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14885 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14886 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14887 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14889 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14890 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14891 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14894 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14895 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14896 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14897 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14900 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14901 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14902 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14903 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14904 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14907 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14908 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14909 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14910 Emacs running on MS machines.
14914 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14915 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14916 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14917 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14920 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14921 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14922 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14923 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14925 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14926 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14927 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14928 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14929 into a feature by documenting it.)
14931 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14932 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14933 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14934 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14935 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14936 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14937 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14940 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14941 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14944 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14945 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14948 This can also be done non-destructively with
14949 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14951 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14952 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14953 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14955 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14956 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14958 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14959 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14960 @code{References} headers.
14964 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14965 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14966 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14970 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14971 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14972 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14979 @subsection Duplicates
14981 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14982 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14983 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14984 @cindex duplicate mails
14985 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14986 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14987 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14988 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14989 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14990 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14991 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14992 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14993 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14994 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14995 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14996 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14997 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14999 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
15000 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
15001 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
15002 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
15004 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
15007 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
15008 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
15012 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
15013 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
15014 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
15015 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
15016 (any mail "mail.misc")
15017 ;; @r{Other rules.}
15023 (setq nnmail-split-methods
15024 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
15025 ;; @r{Other rules.}
15029 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
15030 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
15031 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
15032 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
15033 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
15036 @node Not Reading Mail
15037 @subsection Not Reading Mail
15039 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
15040 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
15041 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
15043 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
15044 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
15045 mail, which should help.
15047 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15048 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
15049 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
15050 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
15051 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15052 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
15053 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old Rmail
15054 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
15055 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
15056 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
15057 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
15059 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
15060 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
15064 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
15065 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
15067 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
15068 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
15069 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
15071 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
15072 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
15073 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
15077 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
15078 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
15079 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
15080 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
15081 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
15082 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
15083 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
15087 @node Unix Mail Box
15088 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
15090 @cindex unix mail box
15092 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
15093 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
15094 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
15095 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
15096 which group it belongs in.
15098 Virtual server settings:
15101 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
15102 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
15103 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
15106 @item nnmbox-active-file
15107 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
15108 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
15109 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
15111 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
15112 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
15113 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
15114 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
15119 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
15123 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
15124 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
15125 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{Rmail
15126 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
15127 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
15129 Virtual server settings:
15132 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
15133 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
15134 The name of the Rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
15136 @item nnbabyl-active-file
15137 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
15138 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
15139 @file{~/.rmail-active}
15141 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15142 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15143 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
15149 @subsubsection Mail Spool
15151 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
15153 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
15154 format. It should be used with some caution.
15156 @vindex nnml-directory
15157 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
15158 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
15159 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
15160 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
15162 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
15165 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
15166 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
15167 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
15168 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
15169 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
15170 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
15171 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
15172 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
15174 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
15175 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
15176 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
15177 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
15179 @cindex self contained nnml servers
15181 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
15182 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15183 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15184 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
15185 for a group are usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
15186 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
15187 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
15188 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
15191 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
15192 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
15193 them next time it starts.
15195 Virtual server settings:
15198 @item nnml-directory
15199 @vindex nnml-directory
15200 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
15201 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
15204 @item nnml-active-file
15205 @vindex nnml-active-file
15206 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
15207 @file{~/Mail/active}.
15209 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
15210 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
15211 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15212 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
15214 @item nnml-get-new-mail
15215 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
15216 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
15219 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
15220 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
15221 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15222 default is @code{nil}.
15224 @item nnml-nov-file-name
15225 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
15226 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
15228 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15229 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15230 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
15232 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
15233 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
15234 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15235 default is @code{nil}.
15237 @item nnml-marks-file-name
15238 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
15239 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
15241 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
15242 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
15243 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
15244 files. This requires @code{auto-compression-mode} to be enabled
15245 (@pxref{Compressed Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
15246 If the value of @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is a string, it is used
15247 as the file extension specifying the comression program. You can set it
15248 to @samp{.bz2} if your Emacs supports it. A value of @code{t} is
15249 equivalent to @samp{.gz}.
15251 @item nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
15252 @vindex nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
15253 Default size threshold for compressed message files. Message files with
15254 bodies larger than that many characters will be automatically compressed
15255 if @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil}.
15259 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
15260 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
15261 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
15262 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
15263 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
15264 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
15265 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
15270 @subsubsection MH Spool
15272 @cindex mh-e mail spool
15274 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
15275 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
15276 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
15277 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
15280 Virtual server settings:
15283 @item nnmh-directory
15284 @vindex nnmh-directory
15285 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
15286 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
15289 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
15290 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
15291 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
15295 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
15296 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
15297 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
15298 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
15299 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
15300 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
15301 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
15306 @subsubsection Maildir
15310 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
15311 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
15312 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
15313 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
15314 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
15317 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
15318 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
15319 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
15320 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
15321 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
15322 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
15323 that appear as group in Gnus.
15325 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
15326 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
15327 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
15329 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
15330 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
15331 another, and you will keep your marks.
15333 Virtual server settings:
15337 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
15338 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
15339 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
15340 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
15341 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
15342 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
15343 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
15344 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
15345 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
15346 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
15348 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
15349 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
15350 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
15351 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
15352 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
15353 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
15354 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
15355 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
15356 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
15357 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
15360 @item target-prefix
15361 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
15362 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
15363 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
15366 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
15367 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
15368 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
15369 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
15370 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
15371 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
15372 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
15373 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
15374 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
15376 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
15377 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
15378 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
15379 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
15380 symlinks pointing to them will be).
15382 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
15383 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
15384 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
15385 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
15386 @code{force} argument.
15388 @item directory-files
15389 This should be a function with the same interface as
15390 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
15391 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
15392 parameter is optional; the default is
15393 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
15394 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
15395 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
15396 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
15397 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
15398 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
15401 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
15402 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
15403 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
15404 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
15405 value is @code{nil}.
15407 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
15408 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
15409 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
15410 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
15411 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
15414 @subsubsection Group parameters
15416 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
15417 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
15418 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
15419 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
15420 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
15421 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
15424 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
15425 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
15426 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
15427 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
15428 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
15429 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
15430 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
15431 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
15432 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
15436 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
15437 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
15438 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
15439 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
15440 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (the
15441 @code{expiry-wait} group parameter overrides @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}
15442 and makes @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} ineffective). If you
15443 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
15444 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
15445 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
15446 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
15447 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
15448 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
15451 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
15453 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
15455 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
15456 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
15457 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
15458 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
15459 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
15460 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
15461 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
15462 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
15463 article. So that form can refer to
15464 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
15465 article. @emph{Even if this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir}
15466 does not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
15467 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
15470 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
15471 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
15472 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
15473 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
15474 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
15475 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
15476 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
15477 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
15478 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
15479 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
15480 contain extra copies of the articles.
15482 @item directory-files
15483 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
15484 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
15485 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
15486 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
15488 @item distrust-Lines:
15489 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
15490 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
15491 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
15494 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
15495 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15496 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
15497 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
15498 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
15499 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15502 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
15503 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15504 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
15505 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
15506 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
15507 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15508 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15510 @item nov-cache-size
15511 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
15512 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
15513 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
15514 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
15515 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
15516 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
15517 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
15518 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
15519 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
15520 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
15521 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
15524 @subsubsection Article identification
15525 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
15526 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
15527 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
15528 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
15529 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
15530 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
15531 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
15532 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
15533 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
15534 request the article in the summary buffer.
15536 @subsubsection NOV data
15537 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
15538 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
15539 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
15540 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
15541 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
15542 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
15543 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
15544 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
15545 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
15546 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
15547 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
15549 @subsubsection Article marks
15550 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
15551 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
15552 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15553 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
15554 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15555 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
15556 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
15557 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
15559 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
15560 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
15561 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
15562 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
15563 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
15564 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
15565 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
15566 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
15567 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
15571 @subsubsection Mail Folders
15573 @cindex mbox folders
15574 @cindex mail folders
15576 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
15577 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
15578 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
15579 numbers and arrival dates.
15581 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
15583 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
15584 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15585 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15586 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
15587 Marks for a group are usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
15588 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
15589 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
15590 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
15591 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
15592 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
15594 Virtual server settings:
15597 @item nnfolder-directory
15598 @vindex nnfolder-directory
15599 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
15600 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
15601 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
15603 @item nnfolder-active-file
15604 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
15605 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
15607 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15608 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15609 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15610 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
15612 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
15613 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15614 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
15615 default is @code{t}
15617 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15618 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15619 @cindex backup files
15620 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
15621 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
15622 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
15623 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
15626 (defun turn-off-backup ()
15627 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
15629 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
15632 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15633 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15634 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
15635 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
15636 extract some information from it before removing it.
15638 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15639 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15640 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15641 default is @code{nil}.
15643 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15644 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15645 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
15647 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
15648 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
15649 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
15650 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15652 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15653 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15654 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15655 default is @code{nil}.
15657 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15658 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15659 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
15661 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
15662 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
15663 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
15664 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15669 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
15670 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
15671 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
15672 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
15673 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
15674 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
15677 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
15678 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
15680 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
15681 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
15682 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
15683 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
15684 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
15686 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
15687 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
15688 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
15689 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
15690 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
15691 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
15692 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
15693 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
15696 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
15697 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
15698 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
15699 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
15704 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
15705 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
15706 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
15707 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
15708 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
15709 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
15710 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
15711 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
15712 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
15713 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
15714 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
15715 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
15716 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
15721 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
15722 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
15723 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
15724 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
15725 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
15726 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
15727 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
15728 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
15729 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
15730 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
15731 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
15732 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
15733 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
15734 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
15736 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
15737 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
15742 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
15743 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
15744 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
15745 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
15746 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
15747 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
15748 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
15749 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
15750 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
15751 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
15752 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
15753 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
15754 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
15755 provided by the active file and overviews.
15757 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
15758 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
15759 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
15760 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
15761 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
15764 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
15765 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
15770 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
15771 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
15772 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
15773 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
15774 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
15775 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
15776 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
15780 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
15781 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
15782 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
15783 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
15784 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
15785 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
15786 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
15787 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
15788 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
15790 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
15791 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
15792 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
15793 friendly mail back end all over.
15797 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
15798 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
15801 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
15802 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
15803 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
15804 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
15805 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
15806 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
15807 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
15808 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
15811 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
15812 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
15813 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
15814 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
15815 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
15816 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
15817 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
15818 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
15819 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
15820 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
15821 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
15823 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
15824 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
15825 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15826 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15827 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15830 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15831 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15832 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15833 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15834 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15835 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15836 removed in the future.
15838 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15839 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
15840 on your file system.
15842 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15843 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15848 @node Browsing the Web
15849 @section Browsing the Web
15851 @cindex browsing the web
15855 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15856 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15857 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15858 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15859 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15860 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15861 even know what a news group is.
15863 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15864 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15865 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15866 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15867 you mad in the end.
15869 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15872 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15873 interfaces to these sources.
15877 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15878 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15879 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15880 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15881 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15882 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
15885 All the web sources require Emacs/W3 and the url library or those
15886 alternatives to work.
15888 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15889 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
15890 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15891 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15892 though, you should be ok.
15894 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15895 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15896 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15897 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15898 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15900 @node Archiving Mail
15901 @subsection Archiving Mail
15902 @cindex archiving mail
15903 @cindex backup of mail
15905 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15906 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15907 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15908 marks is fairly simple.
15910 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15911 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15914 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15915 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15916 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15917 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15918 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15919 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15920 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15921 before you restore the data.
15923 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15924 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15925 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15926 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15927 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15928 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15929 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15930 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15931 is unnecessary in that case.
15934 @subsection Web Searches
15939 @cindex Usenet searches
15940 @cindex searching the Usenet
15942 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15943 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15944 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15945 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15946 searches without having to use a browser.
15948 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15949 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15950 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15951 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15952 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15954 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15955 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15956 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15957 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15958 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15959 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15960 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15961 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15962 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15963 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15966 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15967 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15968 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
15969 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15970 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15971 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15973 You must have the @code{url} and @code{W3} package or those alternatives
15974 (try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{mm-url} variable group)
15975 installed to be able to use @code{nnweb}.
15977 Virtual server variables:
15982 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15983 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15984 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15987 @vindex nnweb-search
15988 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15990 @item nnweb-max-hits
15991 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15992 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15995 @item nnweb-type-definition
15996 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15997 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15998 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
16003 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
16007 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
16010 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
16013 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
16017 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
16024 @subsection Slashdot
16028 @uref{http://slashdot.org/, Slashdot} is a popular news site, with
16029 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
16030 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
16032 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
16033 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
16036 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
16037 '((nnslashdot "")))
16040 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
16041 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
16042 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
16043 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
16044 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
16047 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
16048 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
16050 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
16051 comments), some light @acronym{HTML}izations will be performed. In
16052 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
16053 @samp{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @samp{br} added to
16054 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @acronym{HTML}
16055 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
16056 @acronym{HTML} forms.
16058 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
16061 @item nnslashdot-threaded
16062 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
16063 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
16064 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
16065 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
16066 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
16067 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
16069 @item nnslashdot-login-name
16070 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
16071 The login name to use when posting.
16073 @item nnslashdot-password
16074 @vindex nnslashdot-password
16075 The password to use when posting.
16077 @item nnslashdot-directory
16078 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
16079 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
16080 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
16082 @item nnslashdot-active-url
16083 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
16084 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the
16085 information on news articles and comments. The default is@*
16086 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
16088 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
16089 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
16090 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch comments.
16092 @item nnslashdot-article-url
16093 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
16094 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the news
16095 article. The default is
16096 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
16098 @item nnslashdot-threshold
16099 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
16100 The score threshold. The default is -1.
16102 @item nnslashdot-group-number
16103 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
16104 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
16105 updated. The default is 0.
16112 @subsection Ultimate
16114 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
16116 @uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/, The Ultimate Bulletin Board} is
16117 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
16118 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
16119 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
16121 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
16122 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
16123 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @acronym{URL}
16124 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
16125 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
16126 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
16127 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
16129 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
16132 @item nnultimate-directory
16133 @vindex nnultimate-directory
16134 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is@*
16135 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
16140 @subsection Web Archive
16142 @cindex Web Archive
16144 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
16145 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
16146 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
16147 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
16150 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
16151 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
16152 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
16153 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET @var{an_egroup} RET egroups RET
16154 www.egroups.com RET @var{your@@email.address} RET}. (Substitute the
16155 @var{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
16156 @var{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
16157 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
16159 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
16162 @item nnwarchive-directory
16163 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
16164 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is@*
16165 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
16167 @item nnwarchive-login
16168 @vindex nnwarchive-login
16169 The account name on the web server.
16171 @item nnwarchive-passwd
16172 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
16173 The password for your account on the web server.
16181 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
16182 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
16183 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
16184 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
16185 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
16187 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
16188 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
16190 Note: you had better use Emacs which supports the @code{utf-8} coding
16191 system because @acronym{RSS} uses UTF-8 for encoding non-@acronym{ASCII}
16192 text by default. It is also used by default for non-@acronym{ASCII}
16195 @kindex G R (Group)
16196 Use @kbd{G R} from the group buffer to subscribe to a feed---you will be
16197 prompted for the location, the title and the description of the feed.
16198 The title, which allows any characters, will be used for the group name
16199 and the name of the group data file. The description can be omitted.
16201 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
16202 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET y}, then
16203 subscribe to groups.
16205 The @code{nnrss} back end saves the group data file in
16206 @code{nnrss-directory} (see below) for each @code{nnrss} group. File
16207 names containing non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will be encoded by the
16208 coding system specified with the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}
16209 variable. If it is @code{nil}, in Emacs the coding system defaults to
16210 the value of @code{default-file-name-coding-system}. If you are using
16211 XEmacs and want to use non-@acronym{ASCII} group names, you should set
16212 the value for the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} variable properly.
16214 The @code{nnrss} back end generates @samp{multipart/alternative}
16215 @acronym{MIME} articles in which each contains a @samp{text/plain} part
16216 and a @samp{text/html} part.
16219 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
16220 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
16223 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
16224 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
16228 @defun nnrss-opml-export
16229 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
16230 @acronym{OPML} format.
16233 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
16236 @item nnrss-directory
16237 @vindex nnrss-directory
16238 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
16239 @file{~/News/rss/}.
16241 @item nnrss-file-coding-system
16242 @vindex nnrss-file-coding-system
16243 The coding system used when reading and writing the @code{nnrss} groups
16244 data files. The default is the value of
16245 @code{mm-universal-coding-system} (which defaults to @code{emacs-mule}
16246 in Emacs or @code{escape-quoted} in XEmacs).
16248 @item nnrss-use-local
16249 @vindex nnrss-use-local
16250 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
16251 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
16252 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
16253 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
16254 download script using @command{wget}.
16256 @item nnrss-wash-html-in-text-plain-parts
16257 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{nnrss} renders text in @samp{text/plain}
16258 parts as @acronym{HTML}. The function specified by the
16259 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} variable (@pxref{Display Customization,
16260 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) will be used
16261 to render text. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default, text will
16262 simply be folded. Leave it @code{nil} if you prefer to see
16263 @samp{text/html} parts.
16266 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
16267 the summary buffer.
16270 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
16271 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
16273 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
16275 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
16276 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
16279 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
16283 (require 'browse-url)
16285 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
16287 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
16290 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
16291 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
16294 (browse-url (cdr url))
16295 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
16296 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
16298 (eval-after-load "gnus"
16299 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
16300 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
16301 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
16304 Even if you have added @code{"text/html"} to the
16305 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} variable (@pxref{Display
16306 Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
16307 Manual}) since you don't want to see @acronym{HTML} parts, it might be
16308 more useful especially in @code{nnrss} groups to display
16309 @samp{text/html} parts. Here's an example of setting
16310 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} as a group parameter (@pxref{Group
16311 Parameters}) in order to display @samp{text/html} parts only in
16312 @code{nnrss} groups:
16315 ;; @r{Set the default value of @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}.}
16316 (eval-after-load "gnus-sum"
16318 'gnus-newsgroup-variables
16319 '(mm-discouraged-alternatives
16320 . '("text/html" "image/.*"))))
16322 ;; @r{Display @samp{text/html} parts in @code{nnrss} groups.}
16325 '("\\`nnrss:" (mm-discouraged-alternatives nil)))
16329 @node Customizing W3
16330 @subsection Customizing W3
16336 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/W3 (or those
16337 alternatives) to display web pages. Emacs/W3 is documented in its own
16338 manual, but there are some things that may be more relevant for Gnus
16341 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/W3 follow links
16342 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
16343 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
16346 (eval-after-load "w3"
16348 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
16349 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
16350 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
16351 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
16353 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
16356 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in W3-rendered
16357 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
16364 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
16366 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
16367 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
16368 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
16369 specify the network address of the server.
16371 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
16372 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
16373 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
16374 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
16375 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
16376 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
16378 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
16379 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
16380 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
16381 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
16383 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
16384 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
16385 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
16386 usage explained in this section.
16388 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
16389 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
16390 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
16394 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
16395 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
16396 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
16398 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16399 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
16400 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
16402 (nnimap-server-port 143)
16403 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16404 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
16405 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
16406 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
16407 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
16408 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
16409 (nnimap-stream network))
16410 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
16412 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
16413 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
16414 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
16417 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
16418 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
16419 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
16420 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
16422 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
16427 @item nnimap-address
16428 @vindex nnimap-address
16430 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
16431 server name if not specified.
16433 @item nnimap-server-port
16434 @vindex nnimap-server-port
16435 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
16437 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
16440 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16441 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
16444 @item nnimap-list-pattern
16445 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
16446 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
16447 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
16448 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
16449 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
16450 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
16452 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
16453 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
16454 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
16457 Example server specification:
16460 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16461 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
16462 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
16465 @item nnimap-stream
16466 @vindex nnimap-stream
16467 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
16468 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
16469 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
16470 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
16471 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
16473 Example server specification:
16476 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16477 (nnimap-stream ssl))
16480 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
16484 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
16485 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
16487 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
16489 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
16490 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
16493 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
16494 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
16496 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
16497 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
16499 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
16501 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
16504 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
16505 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
16506 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
16507 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
16508 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
16509 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
16510 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
16511 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
16512 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
16515 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
16516 needed. It is available from
16517 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
16519 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
16520 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
16521 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
16522 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
16523 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
16524 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
16525 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
16528 @vindex imap-ssl-program
16529 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
16530 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
16531 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
16532 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
16533 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
16534 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
16537 @vindex imap-shell-program
16538 @vindex imap-shell-host
16539 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
16540 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
16542 @item nnimap-authenticator
16543 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
16545 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
16546 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
16548 Example server specification:
16551 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16552 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
16555 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
16559 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
16560 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
16562 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
16565 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
16566 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
16568 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
16570 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
16572 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
16575 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
16577 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
16578 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
16579 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
16580 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
16581 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
16582 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
16585 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
16586 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
16587 running in circles yet?
16589 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
16590 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
16593 The possible options are:
16598 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
16601 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
16602 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
16603 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
16604 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
16606 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
16611 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
16612 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
16614 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
16615 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
16616 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
16617 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
16618 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
16621 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
16622 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
16625 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
16626 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16627 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
16628 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16631 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
16632 as ticked for other users.
16634 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
16636 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
16638 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
16639 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
16640 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
16641 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
16643 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
16644 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
16645 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
16646 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
16648 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
16649 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
16651 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
16652 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
16653 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
16654 @ref{NNTP}. An example of an .authinfo line for an IMAP server, is:
16657 machine students.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis port imap
16660 Note that it should be @code{port imap}, or @code{port 143}, if you
16661 use a @code{nnimap-stream} of @code{tls} or @code{ssl}, even if the
16662 actual port number used is port 993 for secured IMAP. For
16663 convenience, Gnus will accept @code{port imaps} as a synonym of
16666 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16667 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16669 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
16670 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
16676 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
16677 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
16678 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
16679 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
16680 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
16681 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
16686 @node Splitting in IMAP
16687 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
16688 @cindex splitting imap mail
16690 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
16691 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
16692 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
16693 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
16694 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
16698 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
16699 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
16700 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
16702 Here are the variables of interest:
16706 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
16707 @cindex splitting, crosspost
16709 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
16711 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
16712 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
16713 found will be used.
16715 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
16717 @item nnimap-split-inbox
16718 @cindex splitting, inbox
16720 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
16722 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
16723 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
16724 splitting is disabled!
16727 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
16728 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
16731 No nnmail equivalent.
16733 @item nnimap-split-rule
16734 @cindex splitting, rules
16735 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
16737 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
16740 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
16741 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
16742 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
16743 Neither did I, we need examples.
16746 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16748 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
16749 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
16750 ("INBOX.private" "")))
16753 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
16754 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
16755 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
16757 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
16758 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
16762 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
16765 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
16766 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
16768 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
16769 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
16770 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
16771 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
16773 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
16774 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
16775 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
16776 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
16777 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
16778 them every time you fetch new mail.)
16780 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
16781 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
16782 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
16784 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
16785 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
16786 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16788 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
16790 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
16791 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
16792 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
16795 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16796 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
16797 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
16798 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
16799 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
16800 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
16803 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
16804 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
16805 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
16806 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
16807 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
16808 group/function elements.
16810 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16812 @item nnimap-split-predicate
16814 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
16816 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
16817 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
16819 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
16820 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
16821 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
16824 @item nnimap-split-fancy
16825 @cindex splitting, fancy
16826 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
16827 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
16829 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16830 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
16831 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
16833 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
16834 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16835 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
16836 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16841 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
16842 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
16845 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
16847 @item nnimap-split-download-body
16848 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
16849 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
16851 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
16852 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
16853 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
16854 splitting function that analyzes the body to split the article.
16858 @node Expiring in IMAP
16859 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
16860 @cindex expiring imap mail
16862 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
16863 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
16864 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
16865 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
16866 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
16867 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
16870 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
16871 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
16872 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
16873 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
16874 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
16875 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
16876 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
16877 messages. Most do, fortunately.
16881 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
16882 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16884 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
16885 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
16887 @item nnmail-expiry-target
16889 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
16890 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
16891 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
16892 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
16896 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
16897 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
16898 @cindex editing imap acls
16899 @cindex Access Control Lists
16900 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
16901 @kindex G l (Group)
16902 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
16904 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
16905 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
16906 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
16909 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
16910 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
16911 editing window with detailed instructions.
16913 Some possible uses:
16917 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
16918 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
16919 follow the list without subscribing to it.
16921 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
16922 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
16923 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
16927 @node Expunging mailboxes
16928 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
16932 @cindex manual expunging
16933 @kindex G x (Group)
16934 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
16936 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
16937 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
16938 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
16940 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
16943 @node A note on namespaces
16944 @subsection A note on namespaces
16945 @cindex IMAP namespace
16948 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
16949 by the following text in the RFC2060:
16952 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
16954 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
16955 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
16956 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
16957 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
16959 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
16960 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
16961 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
16962 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
16963 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
16964 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
16967 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
16968 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
16969 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16971 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
16972 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
16973 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
16974 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
16975 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
16976 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
16977 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
16978 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
16981 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16982 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16983 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16985 @node Debugging IMAP
16986 @subsection Debugging IMAP
16987 @cindex IMAP debugging
16988 @cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
16990 @acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
16991 @acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
16992 best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behavior, chances
16993 are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
16995 If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
16996 probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
16997 exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
16998 with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
16999 @acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
17000 critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
17001 to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
17005 Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
17006 disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
17013 This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
17014 the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
17015 for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
17016 @code{BAD}---but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
17019 @node Other Sources
17020 @section Other Sources
17022 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
17023 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
17027 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
17028 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
17029 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
17030 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
17031 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
17035 @node Directory Groups
17036 @subsection Directory Groups
17038 @cindex directory groups
17040 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
17041 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
17044 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
17045 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
17046 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
17047 back end to read directories. Big deal.
17049 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
17050 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
17051 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
17052 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
17053 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
17055 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
17057 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
17058 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
17059 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
17060 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
17063 @node Anything Groups
17064 @subsection Anything Groups
17067 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
17068 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
17069 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
17072 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
17073 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
17074 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
17075 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
17076 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
17077 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
17078 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
17079 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
17080 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
17081 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
17084 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
17085 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
17086 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
17087 in the article buffer, just as usual.
17089 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
17090 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
17091 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
17092 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
17094 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
17095 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
17096 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
17097 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
17098 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
17099 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
17100 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
17101 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
17106 @item nneething-map-file-directory
17107 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
17108 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
17109 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
17111 @item nneething-exclude-files
17112 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
17113 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
17114 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
17116 @item nneething-include-files
17117 @vindex nneething-include-files
17118 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
17119 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
17121 @item nneething-map-file
17122 @vindex nneething-map-file
17123 Name of the map files.
17127 @node Document Groups
17128 @subsection Document Groups
17130 @cindex documentation group
17133 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
17134 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
17140 The Babyl (Rmail) mail box.
17145 The standard Unix mbox file.
17147 @cindex MMDF mail box
17149 The MMDF mail box format.
17152 Several news articles appended into a file.
17154 @cindex rnews batch files
17156 The rnews batch transport format.
17159 Netscape mail boxes.
17162 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
17164 @item standard-digest
17165 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
17168 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
17170 @item lanl-gov-announce
17171 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
17173 @cindex forwarded messages
17174 @item rfc822-forward
17175 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
17178 The Outlook mail box.
17181 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
17184 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
17187 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
17190 An RFC934-forwarded message.
17196 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
17199 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
17205 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
17206 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
17207 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
17210 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
17211 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
17212 group. And that's it.
17214 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
17215 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
17216 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
17217 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
17218 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
17219 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
17220 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
17221 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
17222 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
17223 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
17225 Virtual server variables:
17228 @item nndoc-article-type
17229 @vindex nndoc-article-type
17230 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
17231 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
17232 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
17233 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
17234 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
17236 @item nndoc-post-type
17237 @vindex nndoc-post-type
17238 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
17239 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
17244 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
17248 @node Document Server Internals
17249 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
17251 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
17252 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
17253 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
17254 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
17256 First, here's an example document type definition:
17260 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
17261 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
17264 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
17265 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
17266 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
17267 types can be defined with very few settings:
17270 @item first-article
17271 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
17272 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
17275 @item article-begin
17276 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
17277 says what the beginning of each article looks like. To do more
17278 complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you can
17279 use @code{article-begin-function} instead of this.
17281 @item article-begin-function
17282 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the beginning
17283 of each article. This setting overrides @code{article-begin}.
17286 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
17287 article. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a
17288 simple regexp, you can use @code{head-begin-function} instead of this.
17290 @item head-begin-function
17291 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
17292 the article. This setting overrides @code{head-begin}.
17295 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
17296 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
17299 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
17300 to @samp{^\n}. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with
17301 a simple regexp, you can use @code{body-begin-function} instead of this.
17303 @item body-begin-function
17304 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
17305 of the article. This setting overrides @code{body-begin}.
17308 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article. To do
17309 more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you
17310 can use @code{body-end-function} instead of this.
17312 @item body-end-function
17313 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
17314 the article. This setting overrides @code{body-end}.
17317 If present, this should match the beginning of the file. All text
17318 before this regexp will be totally ignored.
17321 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
17322 regexp will be totally ignored.
17326 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
17327 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
17328 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
17329 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
17330 something that's palatable for Gnus:
17333 @item prepare-body-function
17334 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
17335 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
17336 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
17338 @item article-transform-function
17339 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
17340 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
17341 body of the article.
17343 @item generate-head-function
17344 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
17345 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
17346 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
17347 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
17349 @item generate-article-function
17350 If present, this function is called to generate an entire article that
17351 Gnus can understand. It is called with the article number as a
17352 parameter when requesting all articles.
17354 @item dissection-function
17355 If present, this function is called to dissect a document by itself,
17356 overriding @code{first-article}, @code{article-begin},
17357 @code{article-begin-function}, @code{head-begin},
17358 @code{head-begin-function}, @code{head-end}, @code{body-begin},
17359 @code{body-begin-function}, @code{body-end}, @code{body-end-function},
17360 @code{file-begin}, and @code{file-end}.
17364 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
17369 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17370 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17371 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
17372 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
17373 (head-end . "^ ?$")
17374 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
17375 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
17376 (subtype digest guess))
17379 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
17380 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
17381 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
17382 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
17383 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
17385 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
17386 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
17387 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
17388 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
17389 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
17390 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
17391 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
17392 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
17393 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
17394 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
17395 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
17396 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
17404 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
17405 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
17406 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
17408 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
17409 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
17410 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
17413 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
17414 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
17415 that interested in doing things properly.
17417 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
17418 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
17421 First some terminology:
17426 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
17427 get news and/or mail from.
17430 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
17431 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
17434 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
17438 @item message packets
17439 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
17440 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
17441 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17443 @item response packets
17444 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
17445 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
17446 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17456 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
17457 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
17458 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
17459 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
17462 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
17465 You put the packet in your home directory.
17468 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
17469 the native or secondary server.
17472 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
17473 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
17476 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
17480 You transfer this packet to the server.
17483 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
17486 You then repeat until you die.
17490 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
17491 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
17494 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
17495 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
17496 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
17500 @node SOUP Commands
17501 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
17503 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
17507 @kindex G s b (Group)
17508 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
17509 Pack all unread articles in the current group
17510 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
17511 process/prefix convention.
17514 @kindex G s w (Group)
17515 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
17516 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
17519 @kindex G s s (Group)
17520 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
17521 Send all replies from the replies packet
17522 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
17525 @kindex G s p (Group)
17526 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
17527 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
17530 @kindex G s r (Group)
17531 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
17532 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
17535 @kindex O s (Summary)
17536 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
17537 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
17538 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
17539 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17544 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
17549 @item gnus-soup-directory
17550 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
17551 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
17552 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
17554 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
17555 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
17556 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
17557 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
17559 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
17560 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
17561 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
17562 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
17564 @item gnus-soup-packer
17565 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
17566 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17567 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
17569 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
17570 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
17571 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17572 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17574 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
17575 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
17576 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
17578 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17579 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17580 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
17581 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
17587 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
17590 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
17591 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
17592 you can read them at leisure.
17594 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
17598 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
17599 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
17600 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
17601 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
17603 @item nnsoup-directory
17604 @vindex nnsoup-directory
17605 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
17606 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
17608 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
17609 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
17610 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
17611 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
17613 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
17614 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
17615 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
17616 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
17617 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
17619 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
17620 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
17621 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
17622 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
17624 @item nnsoup-active-file
17625 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
17626 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
17627 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
17628 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
17629 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
17631 @item nnsoup-packer
17632 @vindex nnsoup-packer
17633 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
17634 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
17636 @item nnsoup-unpacker
17637 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
17638 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
17639 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17641 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
17642 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
17643 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
17646 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
17647 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
17648 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
17651 @item nnsoup-always-save
17652 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
17653 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
17659 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
17661 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
17662 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
17663 more for that to happen.
17665 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
17666 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
17667 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
17670 In specific, this is what it does:
17673 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
17674 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
17677 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
17678 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
17679 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
17682 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
17683 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
17684 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
17687 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
17688 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
17689 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
17691 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
17697 @item nngateway-address
17698 @vindex nngateway-address
17699 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17701 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17702 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17703 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17704 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17705 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17706 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17707 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17710 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17711 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17712 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17715 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17718 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17721 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17724 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17726 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17729 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17730 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17731 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17733 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17735 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17736 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17737 @code{nngateway-address}.
17745 (setq gnus-post-method
17747 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17748 (nngateway-header-transformation
17749 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17752 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17755 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17760 @node Combined Groups
17761 @section Combined Groups
17763 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17767 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17768 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
17772 @node Virtual Groups
17773 @subsection Virtual Groups
17775 @cindex virtual groups
17776 @cindex merging groups
17778 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17781 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17782 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17783 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17785 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17786 regexp to match component groups.
17788 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17789 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17790 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17791 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17792 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17793 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17794 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17795 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17797 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17798 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17801 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17804 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17805 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17807 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17808 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17809 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17810 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17813 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17816 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17817 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17818 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17820 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17821 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17822 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17823 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17824 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17826 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17827 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17828 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17830 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17831 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} variable is non-@code{nil} (which
17832 is the default), @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread
17833 articles when entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil}
17834 and you read articles in a component group after the virtual group has
17835 been activated, the read articles from the component group will show up
17836 when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this effect if you
17837 have two virtual groups that have a component group in common. If
17838 that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}. Or you can
17839 just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before you enter
17840 it---it'll have much the same effect.
17842 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17843 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17844 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17845 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17846 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17847 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17848 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17850 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17851 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17853 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17854 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17858 @node Kibozed Groups
17859 @subsection Kibozed Groups
17863 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by the @acronym{OED} as ``grepping through
17864 (parts of) the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will
17865 do this for you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @acronym{NNTP} server
17866 down to a halt with useless requests! Oh happiness!
17868 @kindex G k (Group)
17869 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
17872 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
17873 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
17874 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between
17875 @code{nnkiboze} and @code{nnvirtual} end.
17877 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an
17878 @code{nnkiboze} group must have a score file to say what articles are
17879 to be included in the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
17881 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
17882 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
17883 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
17884 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time.
17885 Lots of time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the
17886 headers from all the articles in all the component groups and run them
17887 through the scoring process to determine if there are any articles in
17888 the groups that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
17890 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
17891 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
17892 @acronym{NNTP} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
17893 Stranger things have happened.
17895 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
17896 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
17898 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
17899 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
17900 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/kiboze/} by default.
17901 One contains the @acronym{NOV} header lines for all the articles in
17902 the group, and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store
17903 information on what groups have been searched through to find
17904 component articles.
17906 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
17907 their @acronym{NOV} lines removed from the @acronym{NOV} file.
17910 @node Email Based Diary
17911 @section Email Based Diary
17913 @cindex email based diary
17916 This section describes a special mail back end called @code{nndiary},
17917 and its companion library @code{gnus-diary}. It is ``special'' in the
17918 sense that it is not meant to be one of the standard alternatives for
17919 reading mail with Gnus. See @ref{Choosing a Mail Back End} for that.
17920 Instead, it is used to treat @emph{some} of your mails in a special way,
17921 namely, as event reminders.
17923 Here is a typical scenario:
17927 You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
17928 to your sexual preference) in one month. You don't want to forget it.
17930 So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
17932 You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
17934 From time to time, as you type `g' in the group buffer and as the date
17935 is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
17936 appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
17938 Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
17939 of the night you're gonna have.
17941 Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
17942 message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
17945 The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
17946 (that wouldn't ever be deleted) as well as punctual ones, operates as a
17947 real mail back end and is configurable in many ways. All of this is
17948 explained in the sections below.
17951 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
17952 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
17953 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
17957 @node The NNDiary Back End
17958 @subsection The NNDiary Back End
17960 @cindex the nndiary back end
17962 @code{nndiary} is a back end very similar to @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
17963 Spool}). Actually, it could appear as a mix of @code{nnml} and
17964 @code{nndraft}. If you know @code{nnml}, you're already familiar with
17965 the message storing scheme of @code{nndiary}: one file per message, one
17966 directory per group.
17968 Before anything, there is one requirement to be able to run
17969 @code{nndiary} properly: you @emph{must} use the group timestamp feature
17970 of Gnus. This adds a timestamp to each group's parameters. @ref{Group
17971 Timestamp} to see how it's done.
17974 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
17975 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
17976 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
17979 @node Diary Messages
17980 @subsubsection Diary Messages
17981 @cindex nndiary messages
17982 @cindex nndiary mails
17984 @code{nndiary} messages are just normal ones, except for the mandatory
17985 presence of 7 special headers. These headers are of the form
17986 @code{X-Diary-<something>}, @code{<something>} being one of
17987 @code{Minute}, @code{Hour}, @code{Dom}, @code{Month}, @code{Year},
17988 @code{Time-Zone} and @code{Dow}. @code{Dom} means ``Day of Month'', and
17989 @code{dow} means ``Day of Week''. These headers actually behave like
17990 crontab specifications and define the event date(s):
17994 For all headers except the @code{Time-Zone} one, a header value is
17995 either a star (meaning all possible values), or a list of fields
17996 (separated by a comma).
17998 A field is either an integer, or a range.
18000 A range is two integers separated by a dash.
18002 Possible integer values are 0--59 for @code{Minute}, 0--23 for
18003 @code{Hour}, 1--31 for @code{Dom}, 1--12 for @code{Month}, above 1971
18004 for @code{Year} and 0--6 for @code{Dow} (0 meaning Sunday).
18006 As a special case, a star in either @code{Dom} or @code{Dow} doesn't
18007 mean ``all possible values'', but ``use only the other field''. Note
18008 that if both are star'ed, the use of either one gives the same result.
18010 The @code{Time-Zone} header is special in that it can only have one
18011 value (@code{GMT}, for instance). A star doesn't mean ``all possible
18012 values'' (because it makes no sense), but ``the current local time
18013 zone''. Most of the time, you'll be using a star here. However, for a
18014 list of available time zone values, see the variable
18015 @code{nndiary-headers}.
18018 As a concrete example, here are the diary headers to add to your message
18019 for specifying ``Each Monday and each 1st of month, at 12:00, 20:00,
18020 21:00, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00, from 1999 to 2010'' (I'll let you find
18025 X-Diary-Hour: 12, 20-24
18028 X-Diary-Year: 1999-2010
18030 X-Diary-Time-Zone: *
18033 @node Running NNDiary
18034 @subsubsection Running NNDiary
18035 @cindex running nndiary
18036 @cindex nndiary operation modes
18038 @code{nndiary} has two modes of operation: ``traditional'' (the default)
18039 and ``autonomous''. In traditional mode, @code{nndiary} does not get new
18040 mail by itself. You have to move (@kbd{B m}) or copy (@kbd{B c}) mails
18041 from your primary mail back end to nndiary groups in order to handle them
18042 as diary messages. In autonomous mode, @code{nndiary} retrieves its own
18043 mail and handles it independently from your primary mail back end.
18045 One should note that Gnus is not inherently designed to allow several
18046 ``master'' mail back ends at the same time. However, this does make
18047 sense with @code{nndiary}: you really want to send and receive diary
18048 messages to your diary groups directly. So, @code{nndiary} supports
18049 being sort of a ``second primary mail back end'' (to my knowledge, it is
18050 the only back end offering this feature). However, there is a limitation
18051 (which I hope to fix some day): respooling doesn't work in autonomous
18054 In order to use @code{nndiary} in autonomous mode, you have several
18059 Allow @code{nndiary} to retrieve new mail by itself. Put the following
18060 line in your @file{gnusrc} file:
18063 (setq nndiary-get-new-mail t)
18066 You must arrange for diary messages (those containing @code{X-Diary-*}
18067 headers) to be split in a private folder @emph{before} Gnus treat them.
18068 Again, this is needed because Gnus cannot (yet ?) properly handle
18069 multiple primary mail back ends. Getting those messages from a separate
18070 source will compensate this misfeature to some extent.
18072 As an example, here's my procmailrc entry to store diary files in
18073 @file{~/.nndiary} (the default @code{nndiary} mail source file):
18082 Once this is done, you might want to customize the following two options
18083 that affect the diary mail retrieval and splitting processes:
18085 @defvar nndiary-mail-sources
18086 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
18087 @code{mail-sources} variable. It obeys the same syntax, and defaults to
18088 @code{(file :path "~/.nndiary")}.
18091 @defvar nndiary-split-methods
18092 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
18093 @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable. It obeys the same syntax.
18096 Finally, you may add a permanent @code{nndiary} virtual server
18097 (something like @code{(nndiary "diary")} should do) to your
18098 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}.
18100 Hopefully, almost everything (see the TODO section in
18101 @file{nndiary.el}) will work as expected when you restart Gnus: in
18102 autonomous mode, typing @kbd{g} and @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer, will
18103 also get your new diary mails and split them according to your
18104 diary-specific rules, @kbd{F} will find your new diary groups etc.
18106 @node Customizing NNDiary
18107 @subsubsection Customizing NNDiary
18108 @cindex customizing nndiary
18109 @cindex nndiary customization
18111 Now that @code{nndiary} is up and running, it's time to customize it.
18112 The custom group is called @code{nndiary} (no, really ?!). You should
18113 browse it to figure out which options you'd like to tweak. The following
18114 two variables are probably the only ones you will want to change:
18116 @defvar nndiary-reminders
18117 This is the list of times when you want to be reminded of your
18118 appointements (e.g. 3 weeks before, then 2 days before, then 1 hour
18119 before and that's it). Remember that ``being reminded'' means that the
18120 diary message will pop up as brand new and unread again when you get new
18124 @defvar nndiary-week-starts-on-monday
18125 Rather self-explanatory. Otherwise, Sunday is assumed (this is the
18130 @node The Gnus Diary Library
18131 @subsection The Gnus Diary Library
18133 @cindex the gnus diary library
18135 Using @code{nndiary} manually (I mean, writing the headers by hand and
18136 so on) would be rather boring. Fortunately, there is a library called
18137 @code{gnus-diary} written on top of @code{nndiary}, that does many
18138 useful things for you.
18140 In order to use it, add the following line to your @file{gnusrc} file:
18143 (require 'gnus-diary)
18146 Also, you shouldn't use any @code{gnus-user-format-function-[d|D]}
18147 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} provides both of these
18148 (sorry if you used them before).
18152 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
18153 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
18154 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
18155 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
18158 @node Diary Summary Line Format
18159 @subsubsection Diary Summary Line Format
18160 @cindex diary summary buffer line
18161 @cindex diary summary line format
18163 Displaying diary messages in standard summary line format (usually
18164 something like @samp{From Joe: Subject}) is pretty useless. Most of
18165 the time, you're the one who wrote the message, and you mostly want to
18166 see the event's date.
18168 @code{gnus-diary} provides two supplemental user formats to be used in
18169 summary line formats. @code{D} corresponds to a formatted time string
18170 for the next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00''),
18171 while @code{d} corresponds to an approximative remaining time until the
18172 next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``in 6 months, 1 week'').
18174 For example, here's how Joe's birthday is displayed in my
18175 @code{nndiary+diary:birthdays} summary buffer (note that the message is
18176 expirable, but will never be deleted, as it specifies a periodic event):
18179 E Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00: Joe's birthday (in 6 months, 1 week)
18182 In order to get something like the above, you would normally add the
18183 following line to your diary groups'parameters:
18186 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z %uD: %(%s%) (%ud)\n")
18189 However, @code{gnus-diary} does it automatically (@pxref{Diary Group
18190 Parameters}). You can however customize the provided summary line format
18191 with the following user options:
18193 @defvar gnus-diary-summary-line-format
18194 Defines the summary line format used for diary groups (@pxref{Summary
18195 Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} uses it to automatically update the
18196 diary groups'parameters.
18199 @defvar gnus-diary-time-format
18200 Defines the format to display dates in diary summary buffers. This is
18201 used by the @code{D} user format. See the docstring for details.
18204 @defvar gnus-diary-delay-format-function
18205 Defines the format function to use for displaying delays (remaining
18206 times) in diary summary buffers. This is used by the @code{d} user
18207 format. There are currently built-in functions for English and French;
18208 you can also define your own. See the docstring for details.
18211 @node Diary Articles Sorting
18212 @subsubsection Diary Articles Sorting
18213 @cindex diary articles sorting
18214 @cindex diary summary lines sorting
18215 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule
18216 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule
18217 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-schedule
18219 @code{gnus-diary} provides new sorting functions (@pxref{Sorting the
18220 Summary Buffer} ) called @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule},
18221 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule} and
18222 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-schedule}. These functions let you organize
18223 your diary summary buffers from the closest event to the farthest one.
18225 @code{gnus-diary} automatically installs
18226 @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule} as a menu item in the summary
18227 buffer's ``sort'' menu, and the two others as the primary (hence
18228 default) sorting functions in the group parameters (@pxref{Diary Group
18231 @node Diary Headers Generation
18232 @subsubsection Diary Headers Generation
18233 @cindex diary headers generation
18234 @findex gnus-diary-check-message
18236 @code{gnus-diary} provides a function called
18237 @code{gnus-diary-check-message} to help you handle the @code{X-Diary-*}
18238 headers. This function ensures that the current message contains all the
18239 required diary headers, and prompts you for values or corrections if
18242 This function is hooked into the @code{nndiary} back end, so that
18243 moving or copying an article to a diary group will trigger it
18244 automatically. It is also bound to @kbd{C-c D c} in @code{message-mode}
18245 and @code{article-edit-mode} in order to ease the process of converting
18246 a usual mail to a diary one.
18248 This function takes a prefix argument which will force prompting of
18249 all diary headers, regardless of their presence or validity. That way,
18250 you can very easily reschedule an already valid diary message, for
18253 @node Diary Group Parameters
18254 @subsubsection Diary Group Parameters
18255 @cindex diary group parameters
18257 When you create a new diary group, or visit one, @code{gnus-diary}
18258 automatically checks your group parameters and if needed, sets the
18259 summary line format to the diary-specific value, installs the
18260 diary-specific sorting functions, and also adds the different
18261 @code{X-Diary-*} headers to the group's posting-style. It is then easier
18262 to send a diary message, because if you use @kbd{C-u a} or @kbd{C-u m}
18263 on a diary group to prepare a message, these headers will be inserted
18264 automatically (although not filled with proper values yet).
18266 @node Sending or Not Sending
18267 @subsection Sending or Not Sending
18269 Well, assuming you've read of of the above, here are two final notes on
18270 mail sending with @code{nndiary}:
18274 @code{nndiary} is a @emph{real} mail back end. You really send real diary
18275 messsages for real. This means for instance that you can give
18276 appointements to anybody (provided they use Gnus and @code{nndiary}) by
18277 sending the diary message to them as well.
18279 However, since @code{nndiary} also has a @code{request-post} method, you
18280 can also use @kbd{C-u a} instead of @kbd{C-u m} on a diary group and the
18281 message won't actually be sent; just stored locally in the group. This
18282 comes in very handy for private appointments.
18285 @node Gnus Unplugged
18286 @section Gnus Unplugged
18291 @cindex Gnus unplugged
18293 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
18294 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
18295 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
18296 read news. Believe it or not.
18298 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
18299 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
18300 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
18301 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
18302 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
18304 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
18305 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
18306 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
18307 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
18308 reading news on a machine.
18310 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
18311 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
18312 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
18314 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
18317 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
18318 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
18319 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
18320 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
18321 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
18322 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
18323 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
18324 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
18325 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
18326 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
18327 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
18328 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
18329 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
18330 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
18335 @subsection Agent Basics
18337 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
18339 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
18340 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
18341 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
18342 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
18344 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
18345 connected to the net continuously.
18347 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
18348 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
18350 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
18351 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
18352 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
18353 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
18354 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
18356 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
18357 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
18358 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
18359 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
18360 they're kinda like plugged always).
18362 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
18363 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
18364 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
18367 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
18368 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
18369 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
18370 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
18371 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
18373 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
18378 @findex gnus-unplugged
18379 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
18380 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
18381 already fetched while in this mode.
18384 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
18385 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
18386 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
18387 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
18388 Source Specifiers}).
18391 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
18392 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
18393 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
18394 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
18395 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
18398 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
18399 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
18400 then you read the news offline.
18403 And then you go to step 2.
18406 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
18412 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
18413 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
18414 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
18415 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
18416 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
18417 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
18418 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
18419 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
18422 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
18423 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
18424 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
18425 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
18427 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
18428 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
18429 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
18430 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
18431 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
18432 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
18436 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
18440 @node Agent Categories
18441 @subsection Agent Categories
18443 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
18444 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
18445 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
18446 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
18447 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
18448 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
18449 you're interested in the articles anyway.
18451 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
18452 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
18453 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
18454 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
18455 buffer for creating and managing categories.
18457 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
18458 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
18459 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
18460 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
18461 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
18464 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
18465 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
18466 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
18467 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
18468 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
18469 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
18473 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
18474 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
18475 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
18479 @node Category Syntax
18480 @subsubsection Category Syntax
18482 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
18483 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
18484 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
18487 @cindex Agent Parameters
18490 The list of groups that are in this category.
18492 @item agent-predicate
18493 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
18494 are eligible for downloading; and
18497 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
18498 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
18499 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
18501 @item agent-enable-expiration
18502 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
18503 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
18504 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
18505 only groups that should not be expired.
18507 @item agent-days-until-old
18508 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
18509 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
18511 @item agent-low-score
18512 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
18514 @item agent-high-score
18515 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
18517 @item agent-short-article
18518 an integer that overrides the value of
18519 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
18521 @item agent-long-article
18522 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
18524 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
18525 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
18526 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
18527 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
18528 undownloaded faces.
18531 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
18534 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
18535 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
18536 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
18539 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
18540 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
18541 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
18542 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
18544 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
18545 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
18546 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
18548 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
18549 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
18550 operators sprinkled in between.
18552 Perhaps some examples are in order.
18554 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
18555 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
18561 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
18562 short (for some value of ``short'').
18564 Here's a more complex predicate:
18573 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
18574 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
18577 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
18578 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
18579 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
18581 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
18582 you want to do, you can write your own.
18584 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
18585 bound to the value determined by calling
18586 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
18587 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
18588 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
18589 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
18590 predicate to individual groups.
18594 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
18595 lines; default 100.
18598 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
18599 lines; default 200.
18602 True iff the article has a download score less than
18603 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
18606 True iff the article has a download score greater than
18607 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
18610 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
18611 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
18612 checksum and sees whether articles match.
18621 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
18622 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
18623 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
18626 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
18627 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
18628 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
18629 something along the lines of the following:
18632 (defun my-article-old-p ()
18633 "Say whether an article is old."
18634 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
18635 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
18638 with the predicate then defined as:
18641 (not my-article-old-p)
18644 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
18645 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
18649 (require 'gnus-agent)
18650 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
18651 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
18652 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
18655 and simply specify your predicate as:
18661 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
18662 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
18663 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
18664 just don't give a damn.
18666 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
18667 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
18668 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
18669 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
18670 parameters like so:
18673 (agent-predicate . short)
18676 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
18677 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
18678 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
18680 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
18683 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
18686 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
18687 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
18688 predicate is assumed to be a list.
18691 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
18692 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
18693 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
18694 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
18695 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
18696 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
18698 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
18699 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
18700 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
18701 if it's to be specific to that group.
18703 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
18710 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
18711 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
18717 Category specification
18721 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18727 Group/Topic Parameter specification
18730 (agent-score ("from"
18731 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18736 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
18742 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
18743 keywords stated above.
18749 Category specification
18752 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
18758 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
18762 Group Parameter specification
18765 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
18768 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
18773 Use @code{normal} score files
18775 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
18776 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
18777 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
18778 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
18780 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
18781 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
18782 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
18783 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
18787 Category Specification
18794 Group Parameter specification
18797 (agent-score . file)
18802 @node Category Buffer
18803 @subsubsection Category Buffer
18805 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
18806 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
18807 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
18809 The following commands are available in this buffer:
18813 @kindex q (Category)
18814 @findex gnus-category-exit
18815 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
18818 @kindex e (Category)
18819 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
18820 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
18821 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
18824 @kindex k (Category)
18825 @findex gnus-category-kill
18826 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
18829 @kindex c (Category)
18830 @findex gnus-category-copy
18831 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
18834 @kindex a (Category)
18835 @findex gnus-category-add
18836 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
18839 @kindex p (Category)
18840 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
18841 Edit the predicate of the current category
18842 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
18845 @kindex g (Category)
18846 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
18847 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
18848 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
18851 @kindex s (Category)
18852 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
18853 Edit the download score rule of the current category
18854 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
18857 @kindex l (Category)
18858 @findex gnus-category-list
18859 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
18863 @node Category Variables
18864 @subsubsection Category Variables
18867 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
18868 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
18869 Hook run in category buffers.
18871 @item gnus-category-line-format
18872 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
18873 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
18874 Variables}). Valid elements are:
18878 The name of the category.
18881 The number of groups in the category.
18884 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
18885 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
18886 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
18888 @item gnus-agent-short-article
18889 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
18890 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
18892 @item gnus-agent-long-article
18893 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
18894 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
18896 @item gnus-agent-low-score
18897 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
18898 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
18901 @item gnus-agent-high-score
18902 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
18903 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
18906 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
18907 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18908 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
18909 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
18910 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
18911 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
18912 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
18913 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
18917 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18918 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18919 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
18920 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
18921 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
18922 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
18923 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
18928 @node Agent Commands
18929 @subsection Agent Commands
18930 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
18931 @kindex J j (Agent)
18933 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
18934 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
18935 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
18939 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
18940 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
18941 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
18947 @node Group Agent Commands
18948 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
18952 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
18953 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
18954 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
18955 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
18958 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
18959 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
18960 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
18963 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
18964 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
18965 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
18966 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
18969 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
18970 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
18971 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
18972 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
18975 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
18976 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
18977 Add the current group to an Agent category
18978 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
18979 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18982 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
18983 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
18984 Remove the current group from its category, if any
18985 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
18986 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18989 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
18990 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18991 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
18997 @node Summary Agent Commands
18998 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
19002 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
19003 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
19004 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
19007 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
19008 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
19009 Remove the downloading mark from the article
19010 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
19014 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
19015 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
19016 Toggle whether to download the article
19017 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
19021 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
19022 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
19023 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
19026 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
19027 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
19028 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
19029 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
19032 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
19033 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series
19034 Download all processable articles in this group.
19035 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series}).
19038 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
19039 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
19040 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
19041 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
19046 @node Server Agent Commands
19047 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
19051 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
19052 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
19053 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
19054 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
19057 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
19058 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
19059 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
19060 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
19065 @node Agent Visuals
19066 @subsection Agent Visuals
19068 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
19069 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
19070 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
19071 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
19072 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
19073 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
19074 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
19075 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
19076 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
19077 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
19079 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
19080 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
19081 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
19082 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
19083 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
19084 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
19085 the download status of each article so that you always know which
19086 articles will be available when unplugged.
19088 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
19089 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
19090 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
19091 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
19092 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
19093 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
19094 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
19095 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
19097 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
19098 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
19099 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
19100 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
19101 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
19102 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
19103 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
19104 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
19105 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
19107 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
19108 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
19109 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
19110 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
19111 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
19112 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
19113 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
19114 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
19115 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
19116 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
19118 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
19119 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
19120 group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
19121 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
19122 a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
19123 (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19125 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
19126 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
19127 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
19128 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
19129 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
19130 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
19131 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
19132 expiring'' articles.
19134 @node Agent as Cache
19135 @subsection Agent as Cache
19137 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
19138 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
19139 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
19140 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
19141 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
19142 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
19143 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
19144 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
19145 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
19147 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
19148 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
19149 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
19150 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
19151 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
19154 @subsection Agent Expiry
19156 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
19157 @findex gnus-agent-expire
19158 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
19159 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
19160 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
19161 @cindex agent expiry
19162 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
19165 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
19166 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
19167 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
19168 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
19169 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
19170 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
19171 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
19172 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
19174 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
19175 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
19176 synchronized with the group.
19178 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
19179 prevent expiration in selected groups.
19181 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
19182 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
19183 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
19184 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
19185 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
19186 be kept indefinitely.
19188 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
19189 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
19190 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
19191 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
19193 @node Agent Regeneration
19194 @subsection Agent Regeneration
19196 @cindex agent regeneration
19197 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
19198 @cindex regeneration
19200 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
19201 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
19202 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
19203 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
19204 internal inconsistencies.
19206 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
19207 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
19208 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
19209 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
19210 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
19211 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
19213 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
19214 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
19215 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
19216 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
19217 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
19218 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
19220 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19221 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19222 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
19223 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
19224 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
19225 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
19228 @node Agent and flags
19229 @subsection Agent and flags
19231 The Agent works with any Gnus back end including those, such as
19232 nnimap, that store flags (read, ticked, etc) on the server. Sadly,
19233 the Agent does not actually know which backends keep their flags in
19234 the backend server rather than in @file{.newsrc}. This means that the
19235 Agent, while unplugged or disconnected, will always record all changes
19236 to the flags in its own files.
19238 When you plug back in, Gnus will then check to see if you have any
19239 changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the
19240 server. This behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
19242 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19243 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19244 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19245 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19246 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19247 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19249 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
19250 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
19251 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
19252 in the group buffer.
19254 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
19255 all local flags to the server, but rather by incrementally updated the
19256 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
19257 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group then
19258 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
19259 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
19260 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
19261 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
19263 @node Agent and IMAP
19264 @subsection Agent and IMAP
19266 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
19267 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
19268 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
19269 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
19271 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
19272 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
19277 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
19280 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
19284 @node Outgoing Messages
19285 @subsection Outgoing Messages
19287 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
19288 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
19289 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
19291 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
19292 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
19293 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
19295 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
19296 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
19297 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
19298 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
19301 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
19302 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
19303 ask you to confirm your action (see
19304 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
19306 @node Agent Variables
19307 @subsection Agent Variables
19312 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
19313 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
19314 automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
19315 back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
19317 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
19318 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
19321 @item gnus-agent-directory
19322 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
19323 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
19324 @file{~/News/agent/}.
19326 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
19327 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
19328 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
19329 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
19330 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
19333 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19334 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19335 Hook run when connecting to the network.
19337 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19338 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19339 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
19341 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19342 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19343 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
19345 @item gnus-agent-cache
19346 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
19347 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
19348 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
19349 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
19351 @item gnus-agent-go-online
19352 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
19353 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
19354 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
19355 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
19356 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
19357 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
19360 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19361 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19362 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
19363 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
19364 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
19365 read. The default is @code{t}.
19367 @item gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19368 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19369 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19370 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19371 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19372 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19373 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19375 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19376 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19377 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
19378 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
19379 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
19380 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
19381 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
19382 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
19383 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
19384 over and over again.
19386 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19387 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19388 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
19389 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
19390 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
19391 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
19392 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
19393 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
19394 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
19395 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
19396 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
19397 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
19400 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
19401 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
19402 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
19403 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
19404 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
19405 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
19406 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
19407 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
19408 is only valid if the Agent is used.
19410 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19411 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19412 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
19413 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
19414 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
19415 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
19417 The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
19418 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
19419 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
19420 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
19421 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
19423 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
19424 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
19425 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
19426 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
19427 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
19428 mail. The default is @code{t}.
19430 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19431 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19432 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
19433 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
19434 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
19436 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19437 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19438 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
19439 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
19440 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
19441 which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
19442 to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
19443 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
19444 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
19445 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
19446 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
19451 @node Example Setup
19452 @subsection Example Setup
19454 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
19455 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
19456 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
19459 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
19460 ;;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
19461 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
19463 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
19464 ;;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
19465 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
19467 ;;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
19468 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
19470 ;;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
19471 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
19472 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
19475 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
19476 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
19479 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
19480 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
19481 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
19482 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
19483 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
19486 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
19487 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
19488 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
19489 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
19490 back all the killed groups.)
19492 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
19493 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
19494 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
19497 @node Batching Agents
19498 @subsection Batching Agents
19499 @findex gnus-agent-batch
19501 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
19502 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
19503 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
19505 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
19506 following incantation:
19510 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
19514 @node Agent Caveats
19515 @subsection Agent Caveats
19517 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
19518 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
19522 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
19524 @strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
19525 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
19526 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
19528 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
19529 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
19531 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
19535 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
19536 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
19537 locally stored articles.
19544 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
19545 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
19546 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
19549 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
19550 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
19551 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
19552 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
19553 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
19555 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
19556 before generating the summary buffer.
19558 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
19559 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
19560 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
19562 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
19563 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
19564 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
19565 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
19568 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
19569 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
19570 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
19571 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
19572 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
19573 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
19574 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
19575 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
19576 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
19577 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
19578 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
19579 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
19580 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
19581 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
19582 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
19583 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
19587 @node Summary Score Commands
19588 @section Summary Score Commands
19589 @cindex score commands
19591 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
19592 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
19593 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
19594 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
19595 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
19597 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
19598 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
19599 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
19600 score file the current one.
19602 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
19607 @kindex V s (Summary)
19608 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
19609 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
19612 @kindex V S (Summary)
19613 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
19614 Display the score of the current article
19615 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
19618 @kindex V t (Summary)
19619 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
19620 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
19621 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
19622 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
19623 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
19624 score file and edit it.
19627 @kindex V w (Summary)
19628 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
19629 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
19632 @kindex V R (Summary)
19633 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
19634 Run the current summary through the scoring process
19635 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
19636 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
19637 effect you're having.
19640 @kindex V c (Summary)
19641 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
19642 Make a different score file the current
19643 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
19646 @kindex V e (Summary)
19647 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
19648 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
19649 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
19653 @kindex V f (Summary)
19654 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
19655 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
19656 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
19659 @kindex V F (Summary)
19660 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19661 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
19662 after editing score files.
19665 @kindex V C (Summary)
19666 @findex gnus-score-customize
19667 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
19668 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
19672 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
19677 @kindex V m (Summary)
19678 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
19679 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
19680 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
19683 @kindex V x (Summary)
19684 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
19685 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
19686 expunge all articles below this score
19687 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
19690 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
19691 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
19694 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
19695 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
19699 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
19700 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
19702 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
19703 keys are available:
19707 Score on the author name.
19710 Score on the subject line.
19713 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
19716 Score on the @code{References} line.
19722 Score on the number of lines.
19725 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
19728 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
19729 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
19732 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
19733 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
19734 @file{ADAPT} files.)
19743 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
19749 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
19750 what headers you are scoring on.
19762 Substring matching.
19765 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
19794 Greater than number.
19799 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
19800 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
19801 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
19806 Temporary score entry.
19809 Permanent score entry.
19812 Immediately scoring.
19816 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
19817 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
19818 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
19822 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
19823 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
19824 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
19825 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
19827 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
19828 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
19829 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
19830 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
19831 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
19833 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
19834 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
19835 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
19836 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
19837 current score file.
19839 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
19840 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
19841 pretend they are keymaps or not.
19844 @node Group Score Commands
19845 @section Group Score Commands
19846 @cindex group score commands
19848 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
19853 @kindex W e (Group)
19854 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
19855 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
19856 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
19859 @kindex W f (Group)
19860 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19861 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
19862 all the time. This command will flush the cache
19863 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
19867 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
19869 @findex gnus-batch-score
19870 @cindex batch scoring
19872 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
19876 @node Score Variables
19877 @section Score Variables
19878 @cindex score variables
19882 @item gnus-use-scoring
19883 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
19884 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
19885 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
19887 @item gnus-kill-killed
19888 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
19889 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
19890 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
19891 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
19892 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
19893 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
19894 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
19896 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
19897 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
19898 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
19899 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
19900 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
19902 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
19903 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
19904 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
19905 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
19907 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19908 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19909 @cindex score cache
19910 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
19911 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
19912 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
19913 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
19914 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
19915 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
19916 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
19919 @item gnus-save-score
19920 @vindex gnus-save-score
19921 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
19922 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
19923 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19925 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
19926 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
19927 across group visits.
19929 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19930 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19931 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
19932 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
19933 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
19934 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
19935 manually entered data.
19937 @item gnus-summary-default-score
19938 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
19939 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
19941 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
19942 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
19943 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
19944 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
19945 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
19946 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
19948 @item gnus-score-over-mark
19949 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
19950 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
19951 default. Default is @samp{+}.
19953 @item gnus-score-below-mark
19954 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
19955 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
19956 default. Default is @samp{-}.
19958 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19959 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19960 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
19961 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
19963 Predefined functions available are:
19966 @item gnus-score-find-single
19967 @findex gnus-score-find-single
19968 Only apply the group's own score file.
19970 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
19971 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
19972 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
19973 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
19974 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
19975 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
19976 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
19977 then a regexp match is done.
19979 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
19980 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
19982 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
19983 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
19984 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
19985 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
19987 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19988 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19989 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
19990 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
19991 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
19995 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
19996 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
19997 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
19998 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
19999 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
20000 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
20001 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
20004 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
20005 overall score file, you could use the value
20007 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
20008 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
20011 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
20012 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
20013 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
20014 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
20015 are expired. It's 7 by default.
20017 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
20018 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
20019 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
20020 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
20021 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
20022 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
20023 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
20024 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
20026 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
20027 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
20028 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
20030 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
20031 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
20032 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
20033 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
20034 threading---according to the current value of
20035 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
20036 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
20037 simplified in this manner.
20042 @node Score File Format
20043 @section Score File Format
20044 @cindex score file format
20046 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
20047 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
20048 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
20050 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
20054 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
20056 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
20058 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
20060 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
20065 (mark-and-expunge -10)
20069 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
20070 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
20071 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
20072 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
20076 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
20077 Scoring}, for a different approach.
20079 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
20080 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
20081 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
20083 Six keys are supported by this alist:
20088 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
20089 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
20090 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
20091 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
20092 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
20093 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
20094 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
20095 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
20096 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
20097 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
20098 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
20099 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
20100 to articles that matches these score entries.
20102 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
20103 score entry has one to four elements.
20107 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
20108 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
20112 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
20113 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
20114 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
20115 is successful. If this element is not present, the
20116 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
20117 instead. This is 1000 by default.
20120 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
20121 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
20122 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
20123 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
20124 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
20127 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
20128 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
20129 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
20130 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
20133 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
20134 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
20135 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
20136 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
20137 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
20138 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
20139 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
20140 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
20141 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
20142 instead, if you feel like.
20145 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
20146 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
20147 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
20148 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
20149 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
20150 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
20154 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
20155 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
20159 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
20160 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
20162 These predicates are true if
20165 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
20168 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
20169 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
20176 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
20177 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
20178 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
20179 it's not. I think.)
20181 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
20182 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
20183 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
20184 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
20187 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
20188 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
20189 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
20190 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
20191 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
20192 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
20193 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
20197 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
20198 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
20199 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
20200 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
20201 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
20202 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
20203 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
20204 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
20207 @item Head, Body, All
20208 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
20212 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
20213 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
20214 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
20215 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
20216 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
20217 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
20218 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
20222 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
20223 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
20224 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
20225 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
20226 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
20227 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
20228 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
20229 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
20230 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
20231 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
20232 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
20236 @cindex score file atoms
20238 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20239 lower than this number will be marked as read.
20242 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20243 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
20245 @item mark-and-expunge
20246 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20247 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
20250 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
20251 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
20252 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
20253 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
20254 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
20257 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
20258 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
20261 @item exclude-files
20262 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
20263 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
20267 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
20268 ignored when handling global score files.
20271 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
20272 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
20273 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
20274 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
20277 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
20278 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
20279 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
20280 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
20282 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
20286 (mark-and-expunge -100)
20289 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
20290 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
20291 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
20292 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
20293 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
20295 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
20296 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
20297 scoring rules exist.
20300 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
20301 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
20302 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
20303 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
20304 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
20305 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
20306 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20307 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
20308 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
20309 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
20310 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
20314 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
20315 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
20316 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
20317 file for a number of groups.
20320 @cindex local variables
20321 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
20322 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
20323 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
20324 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
20325 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
20330 @node Score File Editing
20331 @section Score File Editing
20333 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
20334 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
20335 with a mode for that.
20337 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
20338 additional commands:
20343 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
20344 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
20345 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
20346 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
20349 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
20350 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
20351 Insert the current date in numerical format
20352 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
20353 you were wondering.
20356 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
20357 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
20358 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
20359 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
20360 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
20365 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
20367 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
20368 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
20370 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
20371 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
20374 @node Adaptive Scoring
20375 @section Adaptive Scoring
20376 @cindex adaptive scoring
20378 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
20379 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
20380 stupidity, to be precise.
20382 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
20383 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
20384 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
20385 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
20386 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20387 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
20388 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
20389 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
20390 variable to @code{(word line)}.
20392 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20393 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
20394 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
20395 might look something like this:
20398 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20399 '((gnus-unread-mark)
20400 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
20401 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
20402 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
20403 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
20404 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
20405 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
20406 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
20407 (gnus-ancient-mark)
20408 (gnus-low-score-mark)
20409 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
20412 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
20413 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
20414 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
20415 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
20416 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
20417 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
20420 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
20421 will be applied to each article.
20423 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
20424 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
20425 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
20426 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
20428 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
20429 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
20430 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
20431 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
20433 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
20434 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
20435 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
20436 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
20438 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
20439 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
20440 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
20441 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
20442 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
20443 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
20445 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
20446 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
20447 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
20449 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
20450 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
20451 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
20453 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
20454 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
20455 let you use different rules in different groups.
20457 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
20458 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
20459 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
20462 @vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
20463 Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
20464 human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
20465 deafult) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
20467 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
20468 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
20469 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
20470 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
20471 the length of the match is less than
20472 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
20473 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
20476 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20477 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
20478 headers. If you adapt on words, the
20479 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
20480 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
20483 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20484 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
20485 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
20486 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
20487 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
20490 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
20491 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
20492 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
20493 score with 30 points.
20495 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
20496 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
20497 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
20498 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
20499 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
20501 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
20502 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
20503 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
20504 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
20505 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
20507 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
20508 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
20509 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
20510 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
20512 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
20513 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
20514 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
20515 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
20517 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
20518 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
20519 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
20520 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
20521 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
20523 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
20524 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
20525 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
20527 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
20528 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
20529 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
20530 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
20533 @node Home Score File
20534 @section Home Score File
20536 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
20537 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
20538 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
20539 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
20541 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
20542 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
20543 could perhaps use the same home score file.
20545 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
20546 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
20551 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
20555 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
20556 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
20560 A list. The elements in this list can be:
20564 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
20565 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
20568 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
20569 be used as the home score file. The function will be called with the
20570 name of the group as the parameter.
20573 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
20576 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
20581 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
20584 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20585 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
20588 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
20589 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
20591 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
20593 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20594 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
20597 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
20598 Other functions include
20601 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
20602 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
20603 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
20604 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
20608 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
20609 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
20610 their own home score files:
20613 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20614 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
20615 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
20616 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
20617 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
20620 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
20621 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
20622 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
20623 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
20624 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
20626 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
20627 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
20628 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
20629 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
20630 precedence over this variable.
20633 @node Followups To Yourself
20634 @section Followups To Yourself
20636 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
20637 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
20638 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
20639 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
20640 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
20641 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
20645 @item gnus-score-followup-article
20646 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
20647 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
20650 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
20651 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
20652 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
20656 @vindex message-sent-hook
20657 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
20658 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
20660 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
20664 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
20665 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
20669 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20670 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20673 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
20674 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
20679 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
20683 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
20684 is system-dependent.
20687 @node Scoring On Other Headers
20688 @section Scoring On Other Headers
20689 @cindex scoring on other headers
20691 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
20692 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
20693 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
20694 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
20695 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
20697 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
20698 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
20699 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
20700 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
20701 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
20703 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
20706 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
20707 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
20710 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
20711 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
20712 time if you have much mail.
20714 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
20715 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
20721 @section Scoring Tips
20722 @cindex scoring tips
20728 @cindex scoring crossposts
20729 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
20730 the @code{Xref} header.
20732 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
20735 @item Multiple crossposts
20736 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
20737 more than, say, 3 groups:
20740 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
20744 @item Matching on the body
20745 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
20746 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
20747 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
20748 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
20749 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
20750 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
20751 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
20754 @item Marking as read
20755 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
20756 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
20757 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
20761 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
20763 @item Negated character classes
20764 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
20765 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
20766 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
20770 @node Reverse Scoring
20771 @section Reverse Scoring
20772 @cindex reverse scoring
20774 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
20775 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
20776 like this in your score file:
20780 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
20785 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
20786 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
20789 @node Global Score Files
20790 @section Global Score Files
20791 @cindex global score files
20793 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
20794 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
20795 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
20797 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
20798 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
20799 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
20801 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
20802 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
20803 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
20804 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
20805 files are applicable to which group.
20807 To use the score file
20808 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
20809 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
20813 (setq gnus-global-score-files
20814 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
20815 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
20818 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
20820 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
20821 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
20822 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
20823 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
20825 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
20826 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
20828 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
20829 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
20830 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
20831 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
20832 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
20833 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
20835 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
20841 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
20843 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
20845 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
20847 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
20848 lowered out of existence.
20850 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
20851 articles completely.
20854 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
20855 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
20856 old articles for a long time.
20859 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
20860 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
20861 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
20862 holding our breath yet?
20866 @section Kill Files
20869 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
20870 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
20871 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
20873 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
20874 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
20875 files into score files.
20877 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
20878 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
20879 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
20880 that isn't a very good idea.
20882 Normal kill files look like this:
20885 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20886 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
20890 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
20891 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
20893 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
20894 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
20897 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
20902 @kindex M-k (Summary)
20903 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
20904 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
20907 @kindex M-K (Summary)
20908 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
20909 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
20912 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
20917 @kindex M-k (Group)
20918 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
20919 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
20922 @kindex M-K (Group)
20923 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
20924 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
20927 Kill file variables:
20930 @item gnus-kill-file-name
20931 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
20932 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
20933 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
20934 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
20935 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
20936 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
20938 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20939 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20940 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
20941 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
20944 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
20945 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
20946 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
20947 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
20948 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
20949 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
20950 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
20951 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
20952 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
20954 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20955 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20956 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
20961 @node Converting Kill Files
20962 @section Converting Kill Files
20964 @cindex converting kill files
20966 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
20967 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
20968 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
20971 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
20972 You can fetch it from
20973 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
20975 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
20976 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
20977 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
20981 @node Advanced Scoring
20982 @section Advanced Scoring
20984 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
20985 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
20986 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
20987 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
20988 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
20990 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
20994 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
20995 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
20996 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
21000 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
21001 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
21003 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
21004 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
21005 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
21006 non-@code{nil} value.
21008 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
21009 operator, and various match operators.
21016 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
21017 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
21018 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
21023 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
21024 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
21025 then this operator will return @code{false}.
21030 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
21031 logical negation of the value of its argument.
21035 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
21036 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
21037 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
21038 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
21039 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
21040 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
21041 the ancestry you want to go.
21043 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
21044 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
21045 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
21046 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
21047 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
21050 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
21051 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
21053 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
21054 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
21057 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
21058 when he's talking about Gnus:
21063 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21064 ("subject" "Gnus"))
21071 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
21075 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21082 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
21083 really don't want to read what he's written:
21087 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21088 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
21092 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
21093 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
21094 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
21101 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
21102 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
21103 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
21104 ("body" "white.*socks"))
21108 Suppose you're reading a high volume group and you're only interested
21109 in replies. The plan is to score down all articles that don't have
21110 subject that begin with "Re:", "Fw:" or "Fwd:" and then score up all
21111 parents of articles that have subjects that begin with reply marks.
21114 ((! ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
21116 ((1- ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
21120 The possibilities are endless.
21122 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
21123 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
21125 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
21126 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
21127 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
21128 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
21129 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
21130 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
21131 @samp{subject}) first.
21133 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
21134 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
21145 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
21146 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
21152 ("subject" "Gnus")))
21159 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
21160 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
21165 @section Score Decays
21166 @cindex score decays
21169 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
21170 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
21171 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
21172 use them in any sensible way.
21174 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
21175 @findex gnus-decay-score
21176 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
21177 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
21178 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
21179 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
21180 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
21181 If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
21182 regexp are treated. E.g. you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
21183 @emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
21184 performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
21185 @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
21189 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
21190 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
21191 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
21193 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
21195 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
21197 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
21198 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
21199 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
21200 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
21201 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
21203 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
21207 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
21208 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
21209 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
21210 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
21214 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
21217 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
21220 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
21224 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
21225 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
21226 the new score, which should be an integer.
21228 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
21229 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
21234 @include message.texi
21235 @chapter Emacs MIME
21236 @include emacs-mime.texi
21238 @include sieve.texi
21250 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
21251 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
21252 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
21253 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
21254 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
21255 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
21256 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
21257 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
21258 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
21259 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
21260 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
21261 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
21262 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
21263 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
21264 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
21265 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
21266 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
21267 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
21268 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
21269 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
21270 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
21274 @node Process/Prefix
21275 @section Process/Prefix
21276 @cindex process/prefix convention
21278 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
21279 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
21281 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
21282 command to be performed on.
21286 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
21287 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
21288 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
21289 with the current one.
21291 @vindex transient-mark-mode
21292 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
21293 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
21295 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
21296 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
21299 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
21300 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
21302 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
21305 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
21306 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
21307 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
21308 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21310 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
21311 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
21312 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
21313 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
21314 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
21315 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
21316 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
21317 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
21319 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
21320 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
21321 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
21322 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
21323 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
21327 @section Interactive
21328 @cindex interaction
21332 @item gnus-novice-user
21333 @vindex gnus-novice-user
21334 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
21335 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
21336 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
21337 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
21340 @item gnus-expert-user
21341 @vindex gnus-expert-user
21342 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
21343 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
21344 matter how strange.
21346 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
21347 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
21348 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
21349 is @code{t} by default.
21351 @item gnus-interactive-exit
21352 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
21353 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21358 @node Symbolic Prefixes
21359 @section Symbolic Prefixes
21360 @cindex symbolic prefixes
21362 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
21363 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
21364 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
21365 rule of 900 to the current article.
21367 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
21368 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
21369 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
21370 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
21371 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
21372 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
21373 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
21375 @kindex M-i (Summary)
21376 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
21377 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
21378 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
21379 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
21380 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
21381 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
21382 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
21383 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
21385 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
21386 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
21387 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
21389 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
21393 @node Formatting Variables
21394 @section Formatting Variables
21395 @cindex formatting variables
21397 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
21398 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
21399 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
21400 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
21401 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
21404 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
21405 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
21406 lots of percentages everywhere.
21409 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
21410 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
21411 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
21412 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
21413 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
21414 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
21415 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
21416 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
21419 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
21420 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
21421 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
21422 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
21423 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
21424 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
21425 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
21426 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
21428 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
21429 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
21431 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
21432 @findex gnus-update-format
21433 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
21434 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
21435 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
21436 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
21440 @node Formatting Basics
21441 @subsection Formatting Basics
21443 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
21444 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
21445 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
21447 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
21448 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
21449 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
21450 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
21451 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
21454 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
21455 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
21456 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
21457 less than 4 characters wide.
21459 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
21460 @samp{%&user-date;}.
21463 @node Mode Line Formatting
21464 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
21466 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
21467 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
21468 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
21469 with the following two differences:
21474 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
21477 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
21478 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
21479 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
21480 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
21481 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
21482 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
21483 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
21488 @node Advanced Formatting
21489 @subsection Advanced Formatting
21491 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
21492 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
21493 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
21494 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
21496 These are the valid modifiers:
21501 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
21505 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
21510 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
21513 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
21518 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
21521 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
21524 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
21527 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
21533 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
21538 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
21539 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
21540 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
21541 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
21542 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
21543 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
21544 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
21546 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
21547 last operation, padding.
21549 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
21550 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
21551 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
21552 @xref{Compilation}.
21555 @node User-Defined Specs
21556 @subsection User-Defined Specs
21558 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
21559 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
21560 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
21561 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
21562 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
21563 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
21564 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
21565 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
21566 should protect against that.
21568 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
21569 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
21571 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
21572 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
21573 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
21574 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
21578 @node Formatting Fonts
21579 @subsection Formatting Fonts
21581 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
21582 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
21583 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
21584 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
21587 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
21588 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
21589 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
21590 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
21591 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
21592 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
21594 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
21595 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
21596 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
21597 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
21598 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
21599 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
21600 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
21601 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
21602 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
21603 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
21604 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
21607 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
21610 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
21611 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
21612 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
21614 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
21615 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
21616 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
21617 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
21618 ;; @r{Set the color.}
21619 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
21620 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
21622 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
21623 (setq gnus-group-line-format
21624 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
21627 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
21628 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
21630 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
21631 mode-line variables.
21633 @node Positioning Point
21634 @subsection Positioning Point
21636 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
21637 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
21638 line. You can customize this behavior in three different ways.
21640 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
21642 @findex gnus-goto-colon
21643 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
21644 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
21646 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
21647 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
21648 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
21653 @subsection Tabulation
21655 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
21656 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
21657 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
21658 about lining up the following text afterwards.
21660 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
21661 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
21663 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
21664 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
21665 This is the soft tabulator.
21667 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
21668 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
21669 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
21672 @node Wide Characters
21673 @subsection Wide Characters
21675 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
21676 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
21677 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
21679 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
21680 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
21681 these countries, that's not true.
21683 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
21684 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
21685 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
21686 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
21690 @node Window Layout
21691 @section Window Layout
21692 @cindex window layout
21694 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
21696 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
21697 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
21698 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
21699 @code{t} by default.
21701 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
21702 glitches. Use at your own peril.
21704 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
21705 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
21706 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
21709 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
21710 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
21711 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
21715 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
21716 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
21717 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
21718 possible names is listed below.
21720 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
21721 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
21724 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
21728 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
21729 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
21730 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
21731 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
21732 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
21733 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
21734 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
21735 size spec per split.
21737 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
21738 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
21739 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
21740 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
21741 present) gets focus.
21743 Here's a more complicated example:
21746 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
21747 (summary 0.25 point)
21748 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
21752 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
21753 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
21754 occupy, not a percentage.
21756 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
21757 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
21758 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
21759 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
21760 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
21763 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
21766 (article (horizontal 1.0
21771 (summary 0.25 point)
21776 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
21777 @code{horizontal} thingie?
21779 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
21780 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
21781 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
21782 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
21783 the screen is to be given to this strip.
21785 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
21786 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
21787 lines from the splits.
21789 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
21794 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
21795 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
21796 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
21797 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
21798 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
21799 size = number | frame-params
21800 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
21804 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
21805 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
21806 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
21807 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
21809 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
21810 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
21811 @cindex window height
21812 @cindex window width
21813 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
21814 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
21815 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
21816 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
21817 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
21818 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
21820 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
21821 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
21822 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
21823 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
21825 @findex gnus-configure-frame
21826 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
21827 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
21828 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
21829 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
21830 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
21831 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
21832 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
21833 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
21834 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
21835 configuration list.
21838 (gnus-configure-frame
21842 (article 0.3 point))
21850 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
21851 @code{frame} split:
21854 (gnus-configure-frame
21857 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
21859 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
21860 (user-position . t)
21861 (left . -1) (top . 1))
21866 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
21867 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
21868 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
21869 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
21870 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
21871 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
21872 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
21873 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
21875 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
21876 be found in its default value.
21878 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
21879 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
21880 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
21884 (message (horizontal 1.0
21885 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
21887 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
21892 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
21893 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
21894 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
21899 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
21900 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
21901 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
21902 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
21903 (name . "Message"))
21904 (message 1.0 point))))
21907 @findex gnus-add-configuration
21908 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
21909 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
21910 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
21911 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
21914 (gnus-add-configuration
21915 '(article (vertical 1.0
21917 (summary .25 point)
21921 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
21922 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
21923 Gnus has been loaded.
21925 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
21926 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
21927 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
21928 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
21929 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
21931 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
21932 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
21933 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
21936 @subsection Example Window Configurations
21940 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
21941 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
21956 (gnus-add-configuration
21959 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21961 (summary 0.16 point)
21964 (gnus-add-configuration
21967 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21968 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
21974 @node Faces and Fonts
21975 @section Faces and Fonts
21980 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
21981 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
21982 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
21987 @section Compilation
21988 @cindex compilation
21989 @cindex byte-compilation
21991 @findex gnus-compile
21993 Remember all those line format specification variables?
21994 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
21995 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
21996 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
21997 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
21998 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
22001 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
22002 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
22003 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
22004 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
22005 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
22006 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
22007 them into the @file{~/.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
22011 @section Mode Lines
22014 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
22015 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
22016 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
22017 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
22018 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
22019 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
22020 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
22023 @cindex display-time
22025 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
22026 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
22027 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
22028 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
22029 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
22030 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
22031 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
22032 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
22035 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
22037 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
22038 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
22040 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
22041 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
22042 (length display-time-string)))))
22045 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
22046 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
22047 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
22048 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
22049 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
22052 @node Highlighting and Menus
22053 @section Highlighting and Menus
22055 @cindex highlighting
22058 @vindex gnus-visual
22059 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
22060 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
22061 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
22064 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
22065 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
22068 @item group-highlight
22069 Do highlights in the group buffer.
22070 @item summary-highlight
22071 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
22072 @item article-highlight
22073 Do highlights in the article buffer.
22075 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
22077 Create menus in the group buffer.
22079 Create menus in the summary buffers.
22081 Create menus in the article buffer.
22083 Create menus in the browse buffer.
22085 Create menus in the server buffer.
22087 Create menus in the score buffers.
22089 Create menus in all buffers.
22092 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
22093 buffers, you could say something like:
22096 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
22099 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
22102 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
22105 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
22106 in all Gnus buffers.
22108 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
22111 @item gnus-mouse-face
22112 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
22113 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
22114 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
22118 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
22122 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
22123 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
22124 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
22126 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
22127 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
22128 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
22130 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
22131 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
22132 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
22134 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
22135 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
22136 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
22138 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
22139 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
22140 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
22142 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
22143 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
22144 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
22155 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
22156 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
22157 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
22158 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
22159 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
22163 @vindex gnus-carpal
22164 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
22165 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
22166 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
22171 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
22172 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
22173 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
22175 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
22176 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
22177 Face used on buttons.
22179 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
22180 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
22181 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
22183 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
22184 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
22185 Buttons in the group buffer.
22187 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
22188 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
22189 Buttons in the summary buffer.
22191 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
22192 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
22193 Buttons in the server buffer.
22195 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
22196 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
22197 Buttons in the browse buffer.
22200 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
22201 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
22202 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
22210 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
22211 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
22212 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
22213 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
22214 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
22216 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
22217 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
22218 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
22220 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
22221 been idle for thirty minutes:
22224 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
22227 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
22231 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
22234 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
22235 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
22236 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22238 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
22239 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
22240 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
22241 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22243 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
22244 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
22245 @var{idle} minutes.
22247 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
22248 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
22251 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
22252 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
22253 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
22255 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
22256 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
22257 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
22258 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
22260 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
22261 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22263 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
22265 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
22268 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
22269 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
22270 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
22271 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
22272 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
22273 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
22274 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
22275 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
22276 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
22277 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
22278 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
22280 @findex gnus-demon-init
22281 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
22282 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
22283 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
22284 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
22285 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
22287 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
22288 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
22289 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
22298 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
22299 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
22301 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
22302 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
22303 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
22304 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
22307 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
22308 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
22309 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
22310 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
22312 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
22313 this will make spam disappear.
22315 There are some variables to customize, of course:
22318 @item gnus-use-nocem
22319 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
22320 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
22323 You can also set this variable to a positive number as a group level.
22324 In that case, Gnus scans NoCeM messages when checking new news if this
22325 value is not exceeding a group level that you specify as the prefix
22326 argument to some commands, e.g. @code{gnus},
22327 @code{gnus-group-get-new-news}, etc. Otherwise, Gnus does not scan
22328 NoCeM messages if you specify a group level to those commands. For
22329 example, if you use 1 or 2 on the mail groups and the levels on the news
22330 groups remain the default, 3 is the best choice.
22332 @item gnus-nocem-groups
22333 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
22334 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
22337 ("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
22338 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")
22341 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
22342 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
22343 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
22344 people you want to listen to. The default is
22346 ("Automoose-1" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
22347 "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo" "hweede@@snafu.de")
22349 fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
22351 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
22352 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
22354 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
22355 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
22356 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
22357 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
22358 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
22359 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
22360 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
22361 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
22362 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
22363 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
22365 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
22366 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
22369 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
22372 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
22373 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
22376 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
22379 The specs are applied left-to-right.
22382 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
22383 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
22385 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
22386 says she is. The default is @code{pgg-verify}, which returns
22387 non-@code{nil} if the verification is successful, otherwise (including
22388 the case the NoCeM message was not signed) returns @code{nil}. If this
22389 is too slow and you don't care for verification (which may be dangerous),
22390 you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
22392 Formerly the default was @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
22393 function. While you can still use it, you can change it into
22394 @code{pgg-verify} running with GnuPG if you are willing to add the
22395 @acronym{PGP} public keys to GnuPG's keyring.
22397 @item gnus-nocem-directory
22398 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
22399 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
22400 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
22402 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
22403 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
22404 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
22405 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
22406 might then see old spam.
22408 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
22409 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
22410 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
22411 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
22412 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
22415 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
22416 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
22417 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
22418 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
22422 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
22423 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
22424 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
22425 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
22432 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
22433 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
22434 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
22436 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
22437 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
22438 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
22439 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
22440 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
22441 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
22442 @code{undo} function.
22444 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
22445 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
22446 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
22447 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
22448 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
22449 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
22450 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
22451 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
22452 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
22453 never be totally undoable.
22455 @findex gnus-undo-mode
22456 @vindex gnus-use-undo
22458 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
22459 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
22460 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
22461 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
22465 @node Predicate Specifiers
22466 @section Predicate Specifiers
22467 @cindex predicate specifiers
22469 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
22470 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
22471 to type all that much.
22473 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
22478 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
22479 gnus-article-unread-p)
22482 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
22483 functions all take one parameter.
22485 @findex gnus-make-predicate
22486 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
22487 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
22488 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
22493 @section Moderation
22496 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
22497 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
22498 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
22501 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
22505 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
22508 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
22510 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
22515 You split your incoming mail by matching on
22516 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
22517 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
22520 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
22521 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
22524 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
22525 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
22529 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
22532 (setq gnus-moderated-list
22533 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
22537 @node Fetching a Group
22538 @section Fetching a Group
22539 @cindex fetching a group
22541 @findex gnus-fetch-group
22542 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
22543 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
22544 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
22545 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
22546 It takes the group name as a parameter.
22549 @node Image Enhancements
22550 @section Image Enhancements
22552 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
22553 support images yet.}, is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has
22554 taken advantage of that.
22557 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
22558 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
22559 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
22560 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
22561 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
22569 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
22570 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
22571 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
22575 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
22576 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
22577 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
22585 Viewing an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
22586 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
22587 have suitable conversion or display programs installed. If your Emacs
22588 has image support the default action is to display the face before the
22589 @code{From} header. If there's no native @code{X-Face} support, Gnus
22590 will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using external programs
22591 from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends. For XEmacs it's faster if
22592 XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support. The default action
22593 under Emacs without image support is to fork off the @code{display}
22596 On a GNU/Linux system, the @code{display} program is from the
22597 ImageMagick package. For external conversion programs look for packages
22598 with names like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.
22600 The variable that controls this is the
22601 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
22602 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
22603 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
22604 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
22605 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
22607 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
22615 @vindex gnus-x-face
22616 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
22617 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
22618 default colors are black and white.
22620 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
22621 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
22622 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
22623 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
22624 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
22625 XEmacs. Here are examples:
22628 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
22629 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22630 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
22631 (png . (:ascent 80))))
22633 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
22634 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22635 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
22636 (png . (:relief -2))))
22639 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
22640 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
22641 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
22642 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
22643 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
22644 @samp{libcompface} library.
22647 If you use posting styles, you can use an @code{x-face-file} entry in
22648 @code{gnus-posting-styles}, @xref{Posting Styles}. If you don't, Gnus
22649 provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow easier
22650 insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages. You also need the
22651 above mentioned ImageMagick, netpbm or other image conversion packages
22652 (depending the values of the variables below) for these functions.
22654 @findex gnus-random-x-face
22655 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
22656 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
22657 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
22658 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
22659 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
22660 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
22661 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
22662 header data as a string.
22664 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
22665 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
22666 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
22667 randomly generated data.
22669 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
22670 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
22671 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
22672 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
22673 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
22675 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
22676 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22679 (setq message-required-news-headers
22680 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22681 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
22684 Using the last function would be something like this:
22687 (setq message-required-news-headers
22688 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22689 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
22690 (gnus-x-face-from-file
22691 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
22699 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces' implementations should really be harmonized.
22701 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
22702 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
22703 represent the author of the message.
22706 @findex gnus-article-display-face
22707 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
22708 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
22711 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
22712 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
22714 Viewing an @code{Face} header requires an Emacs that is able to display
22717 @c (if (featurep 'xemacs)
22719 @c (image-type-available-p 'png))
22721 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
22722 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
22724 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
22725 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
22726 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
22728 @findex gnus-face-from-file
22729 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
22730 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
22731 converts the file to Face format by using the
22732 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
22734 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
22735 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22738 (setq message-required-news-headers
22739 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22740 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
22741 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
22746 @subsection Smileys
22751 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
22756 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
22757 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
22759 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
22760 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22763 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
22766 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
22767 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
22768 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
22769 text and maps that to file names.
22771 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
22772 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
22773 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
22774 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
22775 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
22778 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
22783 @item smiley-data-directory
22784 @vindex smiley-data-directory
22785 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
22787 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
22788 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
22789 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
22803 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
22804 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
22805 over your shoulder as you read news.
22807 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
22816 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
22817 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
22818 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
22819 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
22820 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
22821 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
22822 @code{GIF} formats.
22825 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22826 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
22827 point your Web browser at
22828 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
22830 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
22831 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
22833 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
22834 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
22837 @vindex gnus-picon-style
22838 The variable @code{gnus-picon-style} controls how picons are displayed.
22839 If @code{inline}, the textual representation is replaced. If
22840 @code{right}, picons are added right to the textual representation.
22842 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
22846 @item gnus-picon-databases
22847 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22848 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
22849 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
22850 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
22851 "/usr/local/faces")}.
22853 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
22854 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
22855 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22856 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
22858 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
22859 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
22860 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
22861 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
22863 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
22864 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
22865 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22866 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
22867 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
22869 @item gnus-picon-file-types
22870 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
22871 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
22872 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
22878 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
22881 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22882 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22883 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
22884 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
22885 unusual directory structure.
22887 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22888 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22889 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
22894 @subsubsection Toolbar
22898 @item gnus-use-toolbar
22899 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
22900 This variable specifies the position to display the toolbar. If
22901 @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If it is non-@code{nil}, it should
22902 be one of the symbols @code{default}, @code{top}, @code{bottom},
22903 @code{right}, and @code{left}. @code{default} means to use the default
22904 toolbar, the rest mean to display the toolbar on the place which those
22905 names show. The default is @code{default}.
22907 @item gnus-toolbar-thickness
22908 @vindex gnus-toolbar-thickness
22909 Cons of the height and the width specifying the thickness of a toolbar.
22910 The height is used for the toolbar displayed on the top or the bottom,
22911 the width is used for the toolbar displayed on the right or the left.
22912 The default is that of the default toolbar.
22914 @item gnus-group-toolbar
22915 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
22916 The toolbar in the group buffer.
22918 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
22919 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
22920 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
22922 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22923 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22924 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
22935 @node Fuzzy Matching
22936 @section Fuzzy Matching
22937 @cindex fuzzy matching
22939 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
22940 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
22942 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
22943 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
22944 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
22946 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
22947 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
22948 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
22949 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
22950 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
22953 @node Thwarting Email Spam
22954 @section Thwarting Email Spam
22958 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22960 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
22961 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
22962 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
22963 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
22964 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
22965 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
22966 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
22967 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
22970 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
22971 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
22972 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
22973 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
22974 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
22975 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
22977 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
22980 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
22981 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
22982 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
22983 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
22984 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
22985 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
22988 @node The problem of spam
22989 @subsection The problem of spam
22991 @cindex spam filtering approaches
22992 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
22994 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22996 First, some background on spam.
22998 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
22999 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
23000 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
23001 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
23002 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
23003 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
23004 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
23005 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
23006 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
23008 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
23009 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
23010 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
23011 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
23012 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
23013 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
23014 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
23015 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
23016 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
23019 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
23020 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
23021 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
23022 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
23023 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
23024 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
23025 from Bulgarian IPs.
23027 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
23028 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
23029 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
23030 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
23032 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
23033 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
23034 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
23035 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
23037 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
23038 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
23039 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
23040 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
23041 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
23042 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
23043 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
23044 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
23045 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
23047 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
23048 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
23049 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
23050 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
23051 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
23052 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
23053 down for some time because of the incident.
23055 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
23056 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
23057 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
23058 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
23059 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
23060 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
23061 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
23062 to store the database of spam analyses. Statistical analysis on the
23063 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
23064 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
23065 the server that it has misclassified mail.
23067 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
23068 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
23069 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
23070 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
23071 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
23072 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
23073 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
23076 @node Anti-Spam Basics
23077 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
23081 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23083 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
23084 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
23086 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
23087 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
23088 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
23089 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
23090 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
23091 part of the mail address.)
23094 (setq message-default-news-headers
23095 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
23098 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
23099 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
23103 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
23104 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
23105 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
23110 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
23111 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
23112 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
23113 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
23115 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
23116 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
23117 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
23118 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
23119 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
23120 your fancy split rule in this way:
23125 (to "larsi" "misc")
23129 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
23130 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
23131 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
23132 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
23133 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
23135 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
23136 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
23137 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
23138 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
23140 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
23144 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
23145 @cindex SpamAssassin
23146 @cindex Vipul's Razor
23149 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
23150 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
23151 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
23152 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
23153 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
23154 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
23155 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
23157 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
23158 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
23159 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
23162 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
23163 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
23164 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
23165 Specifiers}) follow.
23169 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
23173 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
23176 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
23177 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
23178 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
23181 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
23185 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
23188 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
23189 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
23193 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
23194 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
23195 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
23196 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
23199 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
23201 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
23205 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
23206 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
23210 Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
23211 downloaded by default. You need to set
23212 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
23213 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
23215 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
23216 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
23217 spam. And here is the nifty function:
23220 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
23221 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
23223 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
23224 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
23225 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
23229 @subsection Hashcash
23232 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
23233 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
23234 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
23235 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
23236 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
23238 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
23239 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
23240 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
23241 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
23242 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
23243 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
23244 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
23245 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
23246 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
23247 one of them separately.
23250 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
23251 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
23252 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:} header.
23253 For more details, and for the external application @code{hashcash} you
23254 need to install to use this feature, see
23255 @uref{http://www.hashcash.org/}. Even more information can be found
23256 at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
23258 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
23259 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
23260 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
23263 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
23266 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
23270 @item hashcash-default-payment
23271 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
23272 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
23273 should consist of. By default this is 20. Suggested useful values
23276 @item hashcash-payment-alist
23277 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
23278 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
23279 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
23280 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
23281 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
23282 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
23283 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
23284 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
23286 @item hashcash-path
23287 @vindex hashcash-path
23288 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
23289 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's @code{nil}
23290 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
23291 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
23292 when you generate hashcash payments.
23296 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
23297 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
23298 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
23299 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
23300 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} back end to validate hashcash
23301 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly (@pxref{Anti-spam
23302 Hashcash Payments}).
23304 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
23305 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
23306 @cindex spam filtering
23309 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
23310 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
23311 filters new mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
23312 @dfn{Ham} is the name used throughout @code{spam.el} to indicate
23315 Make sure you read the section on the @code{spam.el} sequence of
23316 events. See @xref{Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events}.
23318 @cindex spam-initialize
23319 To use @code{spam.el}, you @strong{must} run the function
23320 @code{spam-initialize} to autoload @file{spam.el} and to install the
23321 @code{spam.el} hooks. There is one exception: if you use the
23322 @code{spam-use-stat} (@pxref{spam-stat spam filtering}) setting, you
23323 should turn it on before @code{spam-initialize}:
23326 (setq spam-use-stat t) ;; if needed
23330 So, what happens when you load @file{spam.el}?
23332 First, some hooks will get installed by @code{spam-initialize}. There
23333 are some hooks for @code{spam-stat} so it can save its databases, and
23334 there are hooks so interesting things will happen when you enter and
23335 leave a group. More on the sequence of events later (@pxref{Spam
23336 ELisp Package Sequence of Events}).
23338 You get the following keyboard commands:
23348 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
23349 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
23351 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
23352 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
23353 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
23354 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
23360 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
23361 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
23363 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
23369 Also, when you load @file{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
23370 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
23374 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
23375 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
23376 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
23377 * Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer::
23378 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
23379 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
23380 * BBDB Whitelists::
23381 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
23382 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
23384 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
23386 * SpamAssassin back end::
23387 * ifile spam filtering::
23388 * spam-stat spam filtering::
23390 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
23393 @node Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
23394 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
23395 @cindex spam filtering
23396 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
23398 You must read this section to understand how @code{spam.el} works.
23399 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
23401 There are two @emph{contact points}, if you will, between
23402 @code{spam.el} and the rest of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and
23405 Getting new mail in Gnus is done in one of two ways. You can either
23406 split your incoming mail or you can classify new articles as ham or
23407 spam when you enter the group.
23409 Splitting incoming mail is better suited to mail back ends such as
23410 @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap} where new mail appears in a single file
23411 called a @dfn{Spool File}. See @xref{Spam ELisp Package Filtering of
23414 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect
23415 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect-methods
23416 For back ends such as @code{nntp} there is no incoming mail spool, so
23417 an alternate mechanism must be used. This may also happen for
23418 back ends where the server is in charge of splitting incoming mail, and
23419 Gnus does not do further splitting. The @code{spam-autodetect} and
23420 @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameters (accessible with
23421 @kbd{G c} and @kbd{G p} as usual), and the corresponding variables
23422 @code{gnus-spam-autodetect} and @code{gnus-spam-autodetect-methods}
23423 (accessible with @kbd{M-x customize-variable} as usual) can help.
23425 When @code{spam-autodetect} is used (you can turn it on for a
23426 group/topic or wholesale by regular expression matches, as needed), it
23427 hooks into the process of entering a group. Thus, entering a group
23428 with unseen or unread articles becomes the substitute for checking
23429 incoming mail. Whether only unseen articles or all unread articles
23430 will be processed is determined by the
23431 @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages}. When set to @code{t}, unread
23432 messages will be rechecked. You should probably stick with the
23433 default of only checking unseen messages.
23435 @code{spam-autodetect} grants the user at once more and less control
23436 of spam filtering. The user will have more control over each group's
23437 spam methods, so for instance the @samp{ding} group may have
23438 @code{spam-use-BBDB} as the autodetection method, while the
23439 @samp{suspect} group may have the @code{spam-use-blacklist} and
23440 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods enabled. Every article detected to
23441 be spam will be marked with the spam mark @samp{$} and processed on
23442 exit from the group as normal spam. The user has less control over
23443 the @emph{sequence} of checks, as he might with @code{spam-split}.
23445 When the newly split mail goes into groups, or messages are
23446 autodetected to be ham or spam, those groups must be exited (after
23447 entering, if needed) for further spam processing to happen. It
23448 matters whether the group is considered a ham group, a spam group, or
23449 is unclassified, based on its @code{spam-content} parameter
23450 (@pxref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). Spam groups have the
23451 additional characteristic that, when entered, any unseen or unread
23452 articles (depending on the @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam}
23453 variable) will be marked as spam. Thus, mail split into a spam group
23454 gets automatically marked as spam when you enter the group.
23456 Thus, when you exit a group, the @code{spam-processors} are applied,
23457 if any are set, and the processed mail is moved to the
23458 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination}
23459 depending on the article's classification. If the
23460 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination},
23461 whichever is appropriate, are @code{nil}, the article is left in the
23464 If a spam is found in any group (this can be changed to only non-spam
23465 groups with @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only}), it is
23466 processed by the active @code{spam-processors} (@pxref{Spam ELisp
23467 Package Global Variables}) when the group is exited. Furthermore, the
23468 spam is moved to the @code{spam-process-destination} (@pxref{Spam
23469 ELisp Package Global Variables}) for further training or deletion.
23470 You have to load the @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
23471 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want spam to be processed
23472 no more than once. Thus, spam is detected and processed everywhere,
23473 which is what most people want. If the
23474 @code{spam-process-destination} is @code{nil}, the spam is marked as
23475 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
23477 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23478 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23480 If a ham mail is found in a ham group, as determined by the
23481 @code{ham-marks} parameter, it is processed as ham by the active ham
23482 @code{spam-processor} when the group is exited. With the variables
23483 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
23484 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} the behavior can be further
23485 altered so ham found anywhere can be processed. You have to load the
23486 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
23487 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want ham to be processed
23488 no more than once. Thus, ham is detected and processed only when
23489 necessary, which is what most people want. More on this in
23490 @xref{Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples}.
23492 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23493 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23495 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
23496 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
23497 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
23499 @node Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
23500 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
23501 @cindex spam filtering
23502 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
23505 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
23506 must add the following to your fancy split list
23507 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
23513 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
23514 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
23515 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
23517 Also, @code{spam-split} will not modify incoming mail in any way.
23519 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
23520 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
23521 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
23522 but you can customize @code{spam-split-group}. Make sure the contents
23523 of @code{spam-split-group} are an @emph{unqualified} group name, for
23524 instance in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server} the value
23525 @samp{spam} will turn out to be @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The
23526 value @samp{nnimap+server:spam}, therefore, is wrong and will
23527 actually give you the group
23528 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam} which may or may not
23529 work depending on your server's tolerance for strange group names.
23531 You can also give @code{spam-split} a parameter,
23532 e.g. @code{spam-use-regex-headers} or @code{"maybe-spam"}. Why is
23535 Take these split rules (with @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and
23536 @code{spam-use-blackholes} set):
23539 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23540 (any "ding" "ding")
23542 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23546 Now, the problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the
23547 ding folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam
23548 detected by SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through,
23549 when it's sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to
23550 the ding list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the
23551 invocation of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
23553 You can let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, but all other
23554 @code{spam-split} rules (including a second invocation of the
23555 regex-headers check) will be after the ding rule:
23560 ;; @r{all spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
23561 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23562 (any "ding" "ding")
23563 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
23565 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23569 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
23570 your particular needs, and to target the results of those checks to a
23571 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
23572 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
23573 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
23574 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
23575 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
23577 You should still have specific checks such as
23578 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} set to @code{t}, even if you
23579 specifically invoke @code{spam-split} with the check. The reason is
23580 that when loading @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done
23581 depending on what @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. This
23582 is usually not critical, though.
23584 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
23586 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
23587 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
23588 the headers. By default, the nnimap back end will only retrieve the
23589 message headers. If you use a @emph{statistical} filter,
23590 e.g. @code{spam-check-bogofilter}, @code{spam-check-ifile}, or
23591 @code{spam-check-stat} (the splitters that can benefit from the full
23592 message body), this variable will be set automatically. It is not set
23593 for non-statistical back ends by default because it will slow
23594 @acronym{IMAP} down.
23596 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
23598 @node Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
23599 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
23600 @cindex spam filtering
23601 @cindex spam filtering variables
23602 @cindex spam variables
23605 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
23606 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
23607 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
23608 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
23609 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
23610 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
23611 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
23612 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
23613 will be detected later.
23615 The format of the spam or ham processor entry used to be a symbol,
23616 but now it is a @sc{cons} cell. See the individual spam processor entries
23617 for more information.
23619 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
23620 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
23621 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
23622 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
23623 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
23624 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
23625 by customizing the corresponding variable
23626 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
23627 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
23628 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
23629 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
23630 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
23631 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
23632 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
23635 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
23637 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
23638 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
23639 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
23640 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
23641 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
23642 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
23643 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
23644 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
23645 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
23646 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
23647 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
23648 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
23649 processor which will study them as spam samples.
23651 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
23652 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
23653 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
23654 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
23655 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
23656 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
23657 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
23658 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
23661 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
23662 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
23663 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
23664 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
23665 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
23666 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
23667 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
23672 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
23673 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
23674 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
23675 you really want to.
23678 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
23679 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
23680 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
23681 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
23682 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
23683 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
23686 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
23687 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
23688 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
23689 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
23690 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
23691 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
23692 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
23693 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
23694 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
23695 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
23696 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
23697 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
23698 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
23699 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
23700 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
23702 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23703 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23705 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
23706 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
23707 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
23709 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
23710 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
23712 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
23713 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
23714 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
23715 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
23716 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
23718 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
23719 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
23720 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
23721 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
23722 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
23725 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
23726 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
23727 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
23728 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
23729 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
23730 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
23731 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
23732 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
23733 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
23734 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
23735 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
23736 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
23737 group buffer then you need it here as well.
23739 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23740 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23742 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
23743 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
23746 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
23747 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
23748 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
23749 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
23750 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
23751 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
23752 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
23754 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
23755 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
23756 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
23757 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
23759 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
23760 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
23761 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
23762 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
23763 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
23764 from the mail server.
23766 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
23767 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
23768 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
23769 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
23771 @node Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer
23772 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer
23773 @cindex spam scoring
23774 @cindex spam sorting
23775 @cindex spam score summary buffer
23776 @cindex spam sort summary buffer
23779 You can display the spam score of articles in your summary buffer, and
23780 you can sort articles by their spam score.
23782 First you need to decide which back end you will be using. If you use
23783 the @code{spam-use-spamassassin},
23784 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}, or @code{spam-use-regex-headers}
23785 back end, the @code{X-Spam-Status} header will be used. If you use
23786 @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, the @code{X-Bogosity} header will be used.
23787 If you use @code{spam-use-crm114}, any header that matches the CRM114
23788 score format will be used. As long as you set the appropriate back end
23789 variable to t @emph{before} you load @file{spam.el}, you will be
23790 fine. @code{spam.el} will automatically add the right header to the
23791 internal Gnus list of required headers.
23793 To show the spam score in your summary buffer, add this line to your
23794 @code{gnus.el} file (note @code{spam.el} does not do that by default
23795 so it won't override any existing @code{S} formats you may have).
23798 (defalias 'gnus-user-format-function-S 'spam-user-format-function-S)
23801 Now just set your summary line format to use @code{%uS}. Here's an
23802 example that formats the spam score in a 5-character field:
23805 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
23806 "%U%R %10&user-date; $%5uS %6k %B %(%4L: %*%-25,25a%) %s \n")
23809 Finally, to sort by spam status, either do it globally:
23813 gnus-show-threads nil
23814 gnus-article-sort-functions
23815 '(spam-article-sort-by-spam-status))
23818 or per group (@pxref{Sorting the Summary Buffer}).
23820 @node Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
23821 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
23822 @cindex spam filtering
23823 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
23824 @cindex spam configuration examples
23827 @subsubheading Ted's setup
23829 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
23831 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
23832 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
23833 (gnus-registry-initialize)
23836 ;; @r{I like @kbd{C-s} for marking spam}
23837 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map "\C-s" 'gnus-summary-mark-as-spam)
23840 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
23842 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
23843 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
23844 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
23845 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23846 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
23847 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
23848 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
23849 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
23850 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23851 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
23852 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23853 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
23854 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
23855 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
23856 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23857 (any "ding" "ding")
23858 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
23860 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23863 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
23865 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
23866 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
23867 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
23868 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
23870 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23872 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
23873 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
23874 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
23875 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
23876 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23878 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
23879 ((spam-autodetect . t))
23881 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
23883 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
23884 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
23886 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
23887 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
23888 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
23890 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
23892 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
23893 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
23895 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
23896 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
23897 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
23899 (gnus-ticked-mark))
23900 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
23901 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
23902 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
23904 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
23905 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
23906 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
23910 @subsubheading Using @code{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
23911 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23913 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
23914 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
23915 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
23916 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
23917 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
23918 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
23919 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
23920 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
23921 @samp{training.spam} folders.
23923 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
23924 does most of the job for me:
23927 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
23928 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
23929 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
23930 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23931 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
23932 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
23933 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
23938 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
23940 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
23941 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
23942 bogofilter or DCC).
23944 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
23945 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
23946 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark (@code{ham-marks},
23947 @ref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). On group exit, those
23948 messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want to have
23949 the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter) and
23950 deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
23952 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
23953 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
23954 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
23955 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
23956 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
23957 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
23959 @item @b{Ham folders:}
23961 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
23962 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
23963 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
23964 @samp{training.spam}.
23967 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
23969 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23971 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
23972 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
23973 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
23977 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
23980 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
23981 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
23982 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
23983 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
23984 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
23986 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
23987 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
23988 @cindex spam filtering
23989 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
23990 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
23993 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
23995 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
23996 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
23997 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
23998 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
24003 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
24005 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
24006 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
24007 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
24008 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
24009 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24013 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
24015 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
24016 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
24017 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
24021 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
24023 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24024 customizing the group parameters or the
24025 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24026 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24027 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
24031 Instead of the obsolete
24032 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
24033 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
24034 the same way, we promise.
24038 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
24040 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24041 customizing the group parameters or the
24042 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24043 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24044 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24049 Instead of the obsolete
24050 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
24051 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
24052 the same way, we promise.
24056 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
24057 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
24058 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
24059 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
24060 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
24062 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
24063 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
24064 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
24065 Emacs regular expression syntax.
24067 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
24068 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
24069 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
24070 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
24071 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
24072 @file{blacklist} respectively.
24074 @node BBDB Whitelists
24075 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
24076 @cindex spam filtering
24077 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
24078 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
24081 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
24083 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
24084 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
24085 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
24086 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
24087 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
24088 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
24089 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24093 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
24095 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
24096 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
24097 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
24098 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
24099 classified as spammers.
24101 While @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} @emph{can} be used as an alias
24102 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} as far as @code{spam.el} is concerned, it is
24103 @emph{not} a separate back end. If you set
24104 @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} to t, @emph{all} your BBDB splitting
24109 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
24111 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24112 customizing the group parameters or the
24113 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24114 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24115 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24120 Instead of the obsolete
24121 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
24122 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
24123 the same way, we promise.
24127 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
24128 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
24129 @cindex spam reporting
24130 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24131 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24134 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
24136 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24137 customizing the group parameters or the
24138 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24139 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24140 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
24143 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
24147 Instead of the obsolete
24148 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
24149 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
24150 same way, we promise.
24154 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
24156 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
24157 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
24158 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
24159 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
24160 @code{spam-report.el} will fetch the number from the article headers.
24164 @defvar spam-report-user-mail-address
24166 Mail address exposed in the User-Agent spam reports to Gmane. It allows
24167 the Gmane administrators to contact you in case of misreports. The
24168 default is @code{user-mail-address}.
24172 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
24173 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
24174 @cindex spam filtering
24175 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
24178 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
24180 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
24181 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
24182 instead of the sender address. Messages without a hashcash payment
24183 token will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an explicit
24184 filter, meaning that unless a hashcash token is found, the messages
24185 are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24190 @subsubsection Blackholes
24191 @cindex spam filtering
24192 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
24195 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
24197 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
24198 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
24199 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
24200 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
24201 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
24202 contains outdated servers.
24204 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
24205 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
24206 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
24207 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
24208 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
24209 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
24213 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
24215 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
24219 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
24221 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
24222 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
24226 @defvar spam-use-dig
24228 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
24229 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
24233 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
24234 ham processor for blackholes.
24236 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
24237 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
24238 @cindex spam filtering
24239 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
24242 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
24244 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
24245 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
24246 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
24247 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
24248 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
24249 message is spam or ham, respectively.
24253 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
24255 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24256 the message, positively identify it as spam.
24260 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
24262 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24263 the message, positively identify it as ham.
24267 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
24268 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
24271 @subsubsection Bogofilter
24272 @cindex spam filtering
24273 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
24276 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
24278 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24281 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
24282 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
24283 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
24284 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
24285 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
24286 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
24288 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
24289 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
24292 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
24293 processing will be turned off.
24295 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
24299 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
24301 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24302 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
24303 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
24304 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
24305 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
24306 installation documents for details.
24308 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
24312 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
24313 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24314 customizing the group parameters or the
24315 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24316 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
24317 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
24321 Instead of the obsolete
24322 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24323 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24324 the same way, we promise.
24327 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
24328 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24329 customizing the group parameters or the
24330 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24331 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24332 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
24333 of non-spam messages.
24337 Instead of the obsolete
24338 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24339 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24340 the same way, we promise.
24343 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
24345 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
24346 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
24347 database directory.
24351 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
24352 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24353 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
24354 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
24355 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
24356 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
24358 @node SpamAssassin back end
24359 @subsubsection SpamAssassin back end
24360 @cindex spam filtering
24361 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
24364 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
24366 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
24368 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
24369 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
24370 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
24371 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
24374 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
24375 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
24376 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
24377 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
24380 You should not enable this is you use
24381 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
24385 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
24387 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
24388 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
24390 You should not enable this is you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
24394 @defvar spam-spamassassin-path
24396 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
24397 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
24398 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
24399 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
24403 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
24404 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
24405 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
24406 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
24407 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
24408 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
24409 to test this functionality.
24411 @node ifile spam filtering
24412 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
24413 @cindex spam filtering
24414 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
24417 @defvar spam-use-ifile
24419 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
24420 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
24424 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
24426 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
24427 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
24428 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
24432 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
24434 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
24435 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
24436 the default value of @samp{spam}.
24439 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
24441 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
24442 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
24446 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
24447 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24448 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
24449 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
24452 @node spam-stat spam filtering
24453 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
24454 @cindex spam filtering
24455 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
24459 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
24461 @defvar spam-use-stat
24463 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
24464 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
24468 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
24469 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24470 customizing the group parameters or the
24471 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24472 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24473 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
24477 Instead of the obsolete
24478 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24479 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24480 the same way, we promise.
24483 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
24484 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24485 customizing the group parameters or the
24486 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24487 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24488 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
24489 of non-spam messages.
24493 Instead of the obsolete
24494 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24495 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24496 the same way, we promise.
24499 This enables @code{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
24500 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
24501 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
24502 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
24503 @code{spam-split} are provided.
24506 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
24507 @cindex spam filtering
24511 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
24512 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
24513 installed separately.
24515 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
24516 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
24517 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
24518 mail as a spam mail or not.
24520 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
24521 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
24522 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
24524 The easiest method is to make @code{spam.el} (@pxref{Filtering Spam
24525 Using The Spam ELisp Package}) call SpamOracle.
24527 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
24528 To enable SpamOracle usage by @code{spam.el}, set the variable
24529 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
24530 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy} as described in
24531 the section @xref{Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package}. In
24532 this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is filtered using
24533 SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be moved to
24534 @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham messages stay
24538 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
24539 spam-split-group "Junk"
24540 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
24541 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
24542 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
24545 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
24546 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
24550 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
24551 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
24552 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
24556 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
24557 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
24558 store its analyses. This is controlled by the variable
24559 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
24560 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
24561 database to live somewhere special, set
24562 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
24565 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
24566 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
24567 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns the
24568 characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
24569 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
24570 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary buffer
24571 and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using @code{spam.el}'s
24572 spam- and ham-processors, which is much more convenient. For a
24573 detailed description of spam- and ham-processors, @xref{Filtering Spam
24574 Using The Spam ELisp Package}.
24576 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
24577 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24578 customizing the group parameter or the
24579 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
24580 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
24581 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
24585 Instead of the obsolete
24586 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
24587 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
24588 the same way, we promise.
24591 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
24592 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24593 customizing the group parameter or the
24594 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
24595 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
24596 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
24601 Instead of the obsolete
24602 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
24603 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
24604 the same way, we promise.
24607 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
24608 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
24611 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
24612 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
24613 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
24615 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
24616 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
24617 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
24618 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
24619 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
24620 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
24622 @node Extending the Spam ELisp package
24623 @subsubsection Extending the Spam ELisp package
24624 @cindex spam filtering
24625 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
24626 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
24628 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
24629 incoming mail, provide the following:
24637 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
24638 "True if blackbox should be used.")
24641 Write @code{spam-check-blackbox} if Blackbox can check incoming mail.
24643 Write @code{spam-blackbox-register-routine} and
24644 @code{spam-blackbox-unregister-routine} using the bogofilter
24645 register/unregister routines as a start, or other restister/unregister
24646 routines more appropriate to Blackbox, if Blackbox can
24647 register/unregister spam and ham.
24652 The @code{spam-check-blackbox} function should return @samp{nil} or
24653 @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other conventions. See the
24654 existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can
24655 do, and stick to the template unless you fully understand the reasons
24660 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
24667 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
24668 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
24670 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
24671 variables. Instead the form @code{(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
24672 @code{(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
24673 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
24676 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
24677 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
24678 Only applicable to spam groups.")
24680 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
24681 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
24682 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
24691 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
24692 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
24694 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
24695 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
24696 variable customization.
24700 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
24702 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
24703 @code{gnus.el} if Blackbox can check incoming mail for spam contents.
24705 Finally, use the appropriate @code{spam-install-*-backend} function in
24706 @code{spam.el}. Here are the available functions.
24712 @code{spam-install-backend-alias}
24714 This function will simply install an alias for a back end that does
24715 everything like the original back end. It is currently only used to
24716 make @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} act like @code{spam-use-BBDB}.
24719 @code{spam-install-nocheck-backend}
24721 This function installs a back end that has no check function, but can
24722 register/unregister ham or spam. The @code{spam-use-gmane} back end is
24726 @code{spam-install-checkonly-backend}
24728 This function will install a back end that can only check incoming mail
24729 for spam contents. It can't register or unregister messages.
24730 @code{spam-use-blackholes} and @code{spam-use-hashcash} are such
24734 @code{spam-install-statistical-checkonly-backend}
24736 This function installs a statistical back end (one which requires the
24737 full body of a message to check it) that can only check incoming mail
24738 for contents. @code{spam-use-regex-body} is such a filter.
24741 @code{spam-install-statistical-backend}
24743 This function install a statistical back end with incoming checks and
24744 registration/unregistration routines. @code{spam-use-bogofilter} is
24748 @code{spam-install-backend}
24750 This is the most normal back end installation, where a back end that can
24751 check and register/unregister messages is set up without statistical
24752 abilities. The @code{spam-use-BBDB} is such a back end.
24755 @code{spam-install-mover-backend}
24757 Mover back ends are internal to @code{spam.el} and specifically move
24758 articles around when the summary is exited. You will very probably
24759 never install such a back end.
24765 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
24766 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
24767 @cindex Paul Graham
24768 @cindex Graham, Paul
24769 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
24770 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
24771 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
24773 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
24774 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
24775 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
24776 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
24777 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
24778 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
24779 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
24780 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
24781 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
24784 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
24785 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
24786 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
24787 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
24788 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
24789 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
24790 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
24791 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
24793 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
24794 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
24795 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
24796 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
24797 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
24800 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
24801 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
24802 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
24805 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
24806 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
24808 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
24809 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
24810 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
24811 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
24812 need several hundred emails in both collections.
24814 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
24815 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
24816 per mail. Use the following:
24818 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
24819 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
24820 is treated as one spam mail.
24823 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
24824 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
24825 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
24828 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
24829 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
24830 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
24831 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
24832 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
24833 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
24835 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
24836 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
24837 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
24838 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
24839 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
24842 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
24843 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
24844 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
24845 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
24848 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
24849 reset the dictionary.
24851 @defun spam-stat-reset
24852 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
24855 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
24856 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
24857 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
24858 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
24859 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
24860 only non-spam mails.
24862 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
24863 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
24864 to update the dictionary incrementally.
24867 @defun spam-stat-save
24868 Save the dictionary.
24871 @defvar spam-stat-file
24872 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
24873 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
24876 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
24877 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
24879 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
24880 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24883 (require 'spam-stat)
24887 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
24890 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
24891 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
24892 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
24893 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
24895 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
24896 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
24897 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
24898 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
24901 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24902 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24906 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
24907 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
24910 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
24911 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
24912 expression are considered potential spam.
24915 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24916 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24917 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24921 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
24922 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
24923 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
24924 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
24925 mails, when creating the dictionary!
24928 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24929 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24930 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24934 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
24935 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
24936 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
24937 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
24938 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
24942 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24943 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
24944 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24945 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24950 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24951 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24953 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
24955 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
24956 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
24957 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24960 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
24961 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
24962 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24965 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
24966 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
24967 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
24968 already been processed as non-spam.
24971 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
24972 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
24973 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
24974 been processed as spam.
24977 @defun spam-stat-save
24978 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
24979 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24982 @defun spam-stat-load
24983 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
24984 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24987 @defun spam-stat-score-word
24988 Return the spam score for a word.
24991 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
24992 Return the spam score for a buffer.
24995 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
24996 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
24997 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
25000 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
25001 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
25004 (require 'spam-stat)
25008 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
25011 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
25012 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25013 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25014 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25015 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
25016 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
25017 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25018 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25019 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
25020 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25021 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
25022 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
25023 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25024 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25027 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
25030 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
25031 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25032 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25033 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
25034 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
25035 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25039 @section Interaction with other modes
25044 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provided some useful functions for dired
25045 buffers. It is enabled with
25047 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
25052 @findex gnus-dired-attach
25053 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
25054 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
25057 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
25058 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
25059 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
25063 @findex gnus-dired-print
25064 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
25065 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
25068 @node Various Various
25069 @section Various Various
25075 @item gnus-home-directory
25076 @vindex gnus-home-directory
25077 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
25078 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
25080 @item gnus-directory
25081 @vindex gnus-directory
25082 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
25083 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
25084 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
25086 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{~/.gnus.el} file is read.
25087 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
25088 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
25089 @file{~/.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
25091 @item gnus-default-directory
25092 @vindex gnus-default-directory
25093 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
25094 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
25095 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
25096 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
25097 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
25098 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
25101 @vindex gnus-verbose
25102 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
25103 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
25104 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
25105 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
25106 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
25108 @item gnus-verbose-backends
25109 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
25110 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
25111 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
25113 @item nnheader-max-head-length
25114 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
25115 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
25116 as little as possible. This variable (default 8192) specifies
25117 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
25118 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
25119 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
25120 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
25121 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
25122 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
25124 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
25125 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
25126 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
25127 read when doing the operation described above.
25129 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25130 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25132 @cindex invalid characters in file names
25133 @cindex characters in file names
25134 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
25135 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
25136 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
25140 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25145 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
25146 Windows (phooey) systems.
25148 @item gnus-hidden-properties
25149 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
25150 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
25151 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
25152 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
25154 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
25155 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
25156 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
25157 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
25158 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
25160 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
25161 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
25162 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
25164 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
25165 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
25167 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
25168 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
25169 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
25170 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
25173 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
25181 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
25182 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
25184 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
25186 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
25192 Not because of victories @*
25195 but for the common sunshine,@*
25197 the largess of the spring.
25201 but for the day's work done@*
25202 as well as I was able;@*
25203 not for a seat upon the dais@*
25204 but at the common table.@*
25209 @chapter Appendices
25212 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
25213 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
25214 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
25215 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
25216 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
25217 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
25218 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
25219 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
25220 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
25227 @cindex installing under XEmacs
25229 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
25230 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
25231 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
25232 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
25233 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{W3},
25234 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
25241 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
25242 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
25244 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
25245 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
25246 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
25247 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
25248 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
25250 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
25251 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
25252 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
25253 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
25254 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
25255 appropriate name, don't you think?)
25257 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
25258 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
25259 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
25260 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
25263 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
25264 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
25265 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
25266 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
25267 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
25268 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
25269 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
25270 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
25271 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
25275 @node Gnus Versions
25276 @subsection Gnus Versions
25278 @cindex September Gnus
25280 @cindex Quassia Gnus
25281 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
25284 @cindex Gnus versions
25286 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
25287 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
25288 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
25290 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
25291 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
25293 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
25294 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
25296 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
25297 It was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
25299 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
25300 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
25303 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun and was released as
25304 Gnus 5.10 on May 1st 2003 (24 releases).
25306 On the January 4th 2004, No Gnus was begun.
25308 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
25309 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
25310 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'', ``No Gnus'' -- don't panic.
25311 Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever
25312 you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach.
25313 Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
25316 @node Other Gnus Versions
25317 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
25320 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
25321 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
25322 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
25323 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
25325 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
25326 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
25327 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
25328 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
25335 What's the point of Gnus?
25337 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
25338 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
25339 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
25340 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
25341 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
25342 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
25343 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
25344 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
25345 keep track of millions of people who post?
25347 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
25348 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
25349 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
25350 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
25351 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
25352 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
25353 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
25354 every one of you to explore and invent.
25356 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
25357 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
25360 @node Compatibility
25361 @subsection Compatibility
25363 @cindex compatibility
25364 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
25365 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
25366 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
25371 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
25375 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
25378 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
25381 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
25382 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
25383 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
25384 important variables have their values copied into their global
25385 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
25386 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
25388 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
25389 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
25390 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
25391 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
25392 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
25396 @cindex highlighting
25397 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
25398 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
25399 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
25400 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
25401 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
25402 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
25405 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
25406 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
25407 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
25408 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
25410 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
25411 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
25412 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
25413 to stop doing it the old way.
25415 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
25417 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
25419 @cindex reporting bugs
25421 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
25422 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
25423 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
25425 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
25426 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
25427 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
25428 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
25433 @subsection Conformity
25435 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
25436 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
25444 There are no known breaches of this standard.
25448 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
25450 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
25451 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
25452 We do have some breaches to this one.
25458 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
25459 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
25460 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
25461 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
25462 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
25467 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
25468 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
25469 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
25470 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
25472 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
25473 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
25474 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
25476 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
25477 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
25479 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
25482 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
25483 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
25484 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
25485 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
25486 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
25489 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
25490 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
25491 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RFC 1991/2440 format.
25492 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
25494 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
25495 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
25497 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
25498 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
25499 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
25500 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
25501 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
25502 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
25503 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
25504 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
25508 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
25509 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
25514 @subsection Emacsen
25520 Gnus should work on:
25528 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
25532 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
25533 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
25536 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
25537 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
25538 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
25542 @node Gnus Development
25543 @subsection Gnus Development
25545 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
25546 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
25547 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
25548 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
25549 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
25550 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
25551 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
25552 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
25554 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
25555 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
25556 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
25557 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
25558 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
25561 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
25562 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
25563 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
25564 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
25565 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
25567 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
25568 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
25569 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
25570 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
25571 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
25572 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
25573 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
25574 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
25575 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
25576 can't be assumed to do so.
25581 @subsection Contributors
25582 @cindex contributors
25584 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
25585 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
25586 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
25587 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
25588 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
25589 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
25590 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
25591 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
25592 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
25593 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
25595 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
25601 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
25604 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
25605 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
25606 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
25607 functionality and stuff.
25610 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
25611 well as numerous other things).
25614 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
25617 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
25620 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
25623 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
25626 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
25627 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
25630 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
25633 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
25636 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
25639 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
25642 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
25645 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
25648 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
25649 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
25652 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
25655 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
25658 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
25661 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
25665 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
25668 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
25671 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
25674 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
25675 well as autoconf support.
25679 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
25680 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
25682 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
25697 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
25699 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
25703 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
25713 Alexei V. Barantsev,
25728 Massimo Campostrini,
25733 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
25734 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
25738 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
25741 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
25747 Michael Welsh Duggan,
25752 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
25756 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
25764 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
25766 Michelangelo Grigni,
25770 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
25772 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
25774 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
25781 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
25782 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
25783 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
25785 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
25795 Peter Skov Knudsen,
25796 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
25798 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
25799 Thor Kristoffersen,
25802 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
25820 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
25821 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
25828 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
25833 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
25837 John McClary Prevost,
25843 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
25848 Christian von Roques,
25851 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
25858 Philippe Schnoebelen,
25860 Randal L. Schwartz,
25874 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
25879 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
25899 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
25900 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
25901 (550kB and counting).
25903 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
25906 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
25907 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
25911 @subsection New Features
25912 @cindex new features
25915 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
25916 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
25917 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
25918 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
25919 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
25920 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
25921 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
25924 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
25925 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
25926 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
25929 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
25931 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
25936 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
25937 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
25940 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
25941 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
25944 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
25947 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
25948 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
25949 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
25952 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
25953 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
25954 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
25955 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
25958 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
25959 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25962 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
25963 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
25964 (@pxref{The Active File}).
25967 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
25968 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
25971 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
25972 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
25973 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
25976 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
25977 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
25978 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
25981 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
25982 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
25985 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
25986 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
25989 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
25990 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
25993 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
25994 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25997 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
25998 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
26001 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
26002 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
26005 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
26008 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
26009 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
26012 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
26013 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
26016 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
26017 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
26020 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
26023 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
26024 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
26027 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
26031 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
26035 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
26036 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
26039 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
26045 @node September Gnus
26046 @subsubsection September Gnus
26050 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
26054 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
26059 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
26060 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
26064 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
26065 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
26069 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
26073 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
26074 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
26077 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
26081 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
26084 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
26087 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
26090 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
26094 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
26095 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
26098 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
26102 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
26106 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
26110 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
26114 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
26117 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
26118 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
26121 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
26125 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
26126 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
26129 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
26132 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
26133 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
26134 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
26137 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
26141 The Gnus cache is much faster.
26144 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
26148 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
26149 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
26152 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
26153 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
26156 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
26157 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
26160 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
26161 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
26162 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
26165 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
26166 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
26169 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
26172 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
26175 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
26178 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
26181 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
26182 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
26185 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
26189 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
26192 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
26197 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
26200 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
26204 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
26207 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
26211 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
26214 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
26217 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
26218 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
26221 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
26222 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
26226 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
26227 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
26230 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
26234 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
26235 buffer to allow easier treatment.
26238 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
26241 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
26245 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
26249 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
26250 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
26253 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
26257 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
26258 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
26261 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
26262 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26265 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
26269 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26272 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
26275 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
26281 @subsubsection Red Gnus
26283 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
26287 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
26294 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
26297 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
26298 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
26301 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
26302 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
26306 Article washing status can be displayed in the
26307 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
26310 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
26313 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
26314 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
26317 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
26321 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
26322 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
26326 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
26327 Server Internals}).
26330 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
26334 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
26337 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
26338 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
26341 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
26342 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
26343 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
26346 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
26347 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
26350 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
26351 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
26354 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
26358 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
26359 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26362 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
26363 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
26366 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
26370 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
26373 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
26377 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
26378 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26381 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
26382 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
26385 A new command for reading collections of documents
26386 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
26387 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
26390 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
26394 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
26395 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
26398 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
26399 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
26400 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
26403 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
26404 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
26408 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
26412 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
26416 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
26421 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
26425 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
26429 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
26430 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
26433 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
26439 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
26441 New features in Gnus 5.6:
26446 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
26447 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
26448 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
26451 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
26452 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
26453 group, which is created automatically.
26456 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
26460 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
26463 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
26464 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
26467 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
26471 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
26474 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
26475 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
26478 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
26481 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
26485 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
26486 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
26489 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
26490 control over simplification.
26493 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
26496 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
26500 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
26503 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
26506 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
26507 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
26508 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
26511 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
26512 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
26515 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
26519 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
26520 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
26523 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
26524 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
26527 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
26531 A history of where mails have been split is available.
26534 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
26537 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
26538 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
26541 A new function for citing in Message has been
26542 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
26545 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
26548 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
26552 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
26553 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
26556 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
26557 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
26560 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
26563 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
26567 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
26568 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
26570 New features in Gnus 5.8:
26575 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
26576 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
26578 If you used procmail like in
26581 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
26582 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
26583 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
26584 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
26587 this now has changed to
26591 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
26595 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
26598 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
26599 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
26602 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
26603 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
26606 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
26607 called to position point.
26610 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
26611 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
26614 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
26615 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
26618 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
26619 subtly different manner.
26622 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
26623 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
26624 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
26627 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
26632 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
26635 New features in Gnus 5.10:
26640 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
26641 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
26642 region if the region is active.
26645 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
26649 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
26650 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
26653 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
26654 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
26657 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
26659 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
26660 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
26661 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
26662 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
26663 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
26664 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
26665 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
26666 isn't save in general.
26671 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
26672 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
26673 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
26674 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
26679 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
26680 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
26681 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
26685 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
26688 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
26693 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
26694 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
26696 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
26697 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
26701 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
26702 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
26705 Retrieval of charters and control messages
26707 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
26708 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
26713 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
26714 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
26715 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
26718 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
26719 decompressed when activated.
26722 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
26723 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
26726 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
26729 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
26730 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
26733 Warn about email replies to news
26735 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
26736 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
26740 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
26741 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
26745 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
26746 opposed to old but unread messages).
26749 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
26750 Gcc articles as read.
26753 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
26756 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
26757 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
26760 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
26761 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
26764 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
26765 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
26768 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
26769 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
26772 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
26774 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
26775 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
26776 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
26777 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
26780 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
26782 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
26783 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
26784 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, iff you want
26785 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
26786 the second parameter.
26788 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
26789 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
26790 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
26791 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
26792 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
26793 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
26794 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
26795 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
26796 cycle used under Unix systems.
26798 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} superfluous, so it has
26802 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
26804 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
26805 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
26806 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
26807 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
26808 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
26812 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
26814 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
26815 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
26816 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
26817 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
26821 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
26823 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
26824 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
26825 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
26826 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
26828 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
26829 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
26830 message cited below.
26833 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
26836 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
26838 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
26839 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
26840 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
26841 variable in @file{~/.gnus.el} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
26842 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
26845 (setq gnus-parameters
26847 (gnus-show-threads nil)
26848 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
26849 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
26850 (to-group . "\\1"))))
26854 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now iconized for Emacs too.
26856 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.gnus.el} to
26860 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
26862 Earlier it was generated iff the user configurable email address was
26863 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
26864 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
26865 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
26866 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
26867 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
26868 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
26869 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
26870 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
26873 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
26875 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
26876 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
26877 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
26878 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
26879 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
26880 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
26883 References and X-Draft-From headers are no longer generated when you
26884 start composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
26888 Improved anti-spam features.
26890 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
26891 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
26892 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
26893 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
26894 are also new. @xref{Thwarting Email Spam}.
26897 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers.
26900 Face headers handling.
26903 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
26904 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
26907 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
26910 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
26912 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
26913 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
26914 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
26915 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
26916 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
26917 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
26918 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
26919 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
26920 when getting new mail, remove the function.
26923 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
26925 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
26926 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
26927 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
26928 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
26929 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
26930 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
26931 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
26932 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
26933 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
26934 was inserted directly.
26937 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
26939 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
26940 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
26946 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
26947 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
26948 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
26949 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
26950 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
26951 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
26952 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
26953 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
26954 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
26955 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
26956 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
26957 behavior of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
26958 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
26959 is not needed any more.
26962 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
26964 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
26965 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
26966 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
26967 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
26968 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
26972 @file{deuglify.el} (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article})
26974 A new file from Raymond Scholz @email{rscholz@@zonix.de} for deuglifying
26975 broken Outlook (Express) articles.
26977 @c FIXME: `gnus-load' is mentioned in README, which is not included in
26978 @c CVS. We should find a better place for this item.
26980 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
26982 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
26983 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
26984 lisp directory into load-path.
26986 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
26987 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
26990 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
26992 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
26995 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
26997 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
26998 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
26999 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
27000 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
27003 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
27005 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
27007 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
27008 'bbdb-complete-name)
27012 Externalizing and deleting of attachments.
27014 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
27015 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
27016 local files as external parts.
27018 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
27019 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
27020 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
27021 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
27022 that support editing.
27025 @code{gnus-default-charset}
27027 The default value is determined from the
27028 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
27029 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
27030 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
27033 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
27035 Add a new format of match like
27037 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
27038 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
27040 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
27042 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
27043 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
27047 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
27049 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
27050 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
27051 need add those two headers too.
27054 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
27056 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
27057 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
27058 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
27061 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
27062 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
27063 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
27067 The option @code{mm-fill-flowed} can be used to disable treatment of
27068 ``format=flowed'' messages. Also, flowed text is disabled when sending
27069 inline PGP signed messages. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
27072 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
27074 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
27077 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
27079 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
27082 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
27084 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
27085 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
27086 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
27089 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
27091 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
27095 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
27097 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
27098 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
27099 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
27100 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
27101 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
27102 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
27103 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
27104 The behavior can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
27107 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
27109 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
27110 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
27111 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
27112 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
27113 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
27116 Extended format specs.
27118 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
27119 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
27120 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
27121 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
27122 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
27123 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
27126 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
27128 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
27129 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
27130 out other articles.
27133 Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
27135 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
27136 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
27137 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
27138 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
27141 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
27143 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
27144 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
27145 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
27148 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
27150 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
27151 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
27152 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
27153 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
27154 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
27155 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
27156 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
27157 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
27158 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
27159 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
27160 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
27163 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
27164 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
27167 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
27168 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
27169 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
27170 message, Message Manual}).
27173 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
27174 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
27176 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
27177 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
27178 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
27180 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
27184 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
27185 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
27187 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
27188 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
27189 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
27190 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
27193 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
27196 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
27199 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
27200 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
27203 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to symbol @code{best}.
27205 The behavior for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
27206 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
27207 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
27208 invalidate the digital signature.
27212 @subsubsection No Gnus
27215 New features in No Gnus:
27216 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
27218 @include gnus-news.texi
27224 @section The Manual
27228 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
27229 either @code{texi2dvi}
27231 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
27232 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
27234 to get what you hold in your hands now.
27236 The following conventions have been used:
27241 This is a @samp{string}
27244 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
27247 This is a @file{file}
27250 This is a @code{symbol}
27254 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
27258 (setq flargnoze "yes")
27261 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
27264 (setq flumphel 'yes)
27267 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
27268 ever get them confused.
27272 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
27273 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
27274 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
27275 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
27276 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
27277 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
27278 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
27284 @node On Writing Manuals
27285 @section On Writing Manuals
27287 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
27288 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
27289 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
27290 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
27291 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
27292 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
27295 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
27296 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
27297 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
27300 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
27301 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
27306 @section Terminology
27308 @cindex terminology
27313 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
27314 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
27315 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
27316 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
27317 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
27321 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
27322 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
27323 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
27324 not posting, and replying is not following up.
27328 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
27332 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
27337 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
27338 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
27339 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
27340 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
27341 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
27342 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
27343 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
27344 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
27345 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
27348 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
27349 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
27350 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
27351 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
27352 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
27353 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
27355 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
27356 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
27357 access the articles.
27359 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
27360 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
27361 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
27366 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
27367 default, way of getting news.
27371 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
27372 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
27377 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
27378 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
27382 A message that has been posted as news.
27385 @cindex mail message
27386 A message that has been mailed.
27390 A mail message or news article
27394 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
27399 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
27404 A line from the head of an article.
27408 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
27409 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
27411 @item @acronym{NOV}
27412 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
27413 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
27414 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
27415 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
27416 normal @sc{head} format.
27420 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
27421 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
27422 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
27423 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
27424 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
27425 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
27427 @item killed groups
27428 @cindex killed groups
27429 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
27430 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
27432 @item zombie groups
27433 @cindex zombie groups
27434 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
27437 @cindex active file
27438 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
27439 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
27440 is rather large, as you might surmise.
27443 @cindex bogus groups
27444 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
27445 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
27446 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
27449 @cindex activating groups
27450 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
27451 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
27452 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
27456 News servers store their articles locally in one fashion or other.
27457 One old-fashioned storage method is to have just one file per
27458 article. That's called a ``traditional spool''.
27462 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
27464 @item select method
27465 @cindex select method
27466 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
27469 @item virtual server
27470 @cindex virtual server
27471 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
27472 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
27473 whole is a virtual server.
27477 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
27478 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
27481 @item ephemeral groups
27482 @cindex ephemeral groups
27483 @cindex temporary groups
27484 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
27485 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
27486 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
27489 @cindex solid groups
27490 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
27491 group buffer are solid groups.
27493 @item sparse articles
27494 @cindex sparse articles
27495 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
27496 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
27500 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
27501 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
27505 @cindex thread root
27506 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
27507 articles in the thread.
27511 An article that has responses.
27515 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
27519 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
27520 specified by RFC 1153.
27523 @cindex splitting, terminolgy
27524 @cindex mail sorting
27525 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
27526 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
27527 incorrectly called mail filtering.
27533 @node Customization
27534 @section Customization
27535 @cindex general customization
27537 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
27538 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
27539 for some quite common situations.
27542 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
27543 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
27544 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
27545 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
27549 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
27550 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
27552 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
27553 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
27554 Gnus has to get from the @acronym{NNTP} server.
27558 @item gnus-read-active-file
27559 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
27560 entire active file from the server. This file is often very large. You
27561 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
27562 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
27563 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
27565 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
27566 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
27567 the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast. Not all @acronym{NNTP} servers
27568 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
27572 @node Slow Terminal Connection
27573 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
27575 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
27576 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
27577 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
27581 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
27582 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
27583 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
27584 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
27585 horizontal and vertical recentering.
27587 @item gnus-visible-headers
27588 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
27589 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
27590 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
27591 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
27593 Use the following to enable all the available hiding features:
27595 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
27596 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
27597 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
27600 @item gnus-use-full-window
27601 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
27602 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
27603 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
27604 want to read them anyway.
27606 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
27607 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
27611 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
27612 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
27613 lines, which might save some time.
27617 @node Little Disk Space
27618 @subsection Little Disk Space
27621 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
27622 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
27626 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
27627 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
27628 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
27629 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
27632 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
27633 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
27634 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
27635 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
27638 @item gnus-save-killed-list
27639 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
27640 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
27641 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
27642 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
27648 @subsection Slow Machine
27649 @cindex slow machine
27651 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
27652 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
27654 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
27655 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
27657 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
27658 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
27659 summary buffer faster.
27663 @node Troubleshooting
27664 @section Troubleshooting
27665 @cindex troubleshooting
27667 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
27675 Make sure your computer is switched on.
27678 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
27679 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
27683 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
27684 like @samp{Gnus v5.10.6} you have the right files loaded. Otherwise
27685 you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
27688 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
27689 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
27692 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
27693 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
27694 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
27695 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
27696 something like that.
27699 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
27702 @cindex reporting bugs
27704 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
27706 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
27707 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
27708 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
27709 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
27711 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
27712 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
27713 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
27714 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
27717 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
27718 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
27719 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
27720 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
27721 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
27722 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
27724 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
27725 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
27726 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
27730 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
27731 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
27734 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
27735 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
27736 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
27737 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
27738 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
27739 you discover some weird behavior when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
27740 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
27741 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
27742 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
27743 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
27744 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
27745 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
27746 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
27747 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
27752 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
27753 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
27754 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
27755 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
27756 helps isolating the real problem areas).
27758 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
27759 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
27760 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
27761 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
27762 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
27763 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
27764 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
27765 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
27766 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
27767 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
27768 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
27769 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
27770 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
27773 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
27774 @cindex ding mailing list
27775 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
27776 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
27777 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
27778 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
27782 @node Gnus Reference Guide
27783 @section Gnus Reference Guide
27785 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
27786 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
27787 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
27788 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
27791 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
27792 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
27793 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
27794 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
27795 and general methods of operation.
27798 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
27799 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
27800 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
27801 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
27802 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
27803 * Group Info:: The group info format.
27804 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
27805 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
27806 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
27810 @node Gnus Utility Functions
27811 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
27812 @cindex Gnus utility functions
27813 @cindex utility functions
27815 @cindex internal variables
27817 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
27818 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
27819 Below is a list of the most common ones.
27823 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
27824 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
27825 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
27827 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
27828 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
27829 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
27831 @item gnus-group-real-name
27832 @findex gnus-group-real-name
27833 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
27836 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
27837 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
27838 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
27839 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
27841 @item gnus-get-info
27842 @findex gnus-get-info
27843 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
27845 @item gnus-group-unread
27846 @findex gnus-group-unread
27847 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
27851 @findex gnus-active
27852 The active entry for @var{group}.
27854 @item gnus-set-active
27855 @findex gnus-set-active
27856 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
27858 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
27859 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
27860 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
27863 @item gnus-continuum-version
27864 @findex gnus-continuum-version
27865 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
27866 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
27869 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
27870 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
27871 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
27873 @item gnus-news-group-p
27874 @findex gnus-news-group-p
27875 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
27877 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
27878 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
27879 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
27881 @item gnus-server-to-method
27882 @findex gnus-server-to-method
27883 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
27885 @item gnus-server-equal
27886 @findex gnus-server-equal
27887 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
27889 @item gnus-group-native-p
27890 @findex gnus-group-native-p
27891 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
27893 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
27894 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
27895 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
27897 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
27898 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
27899 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
27901 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
27902 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
27903 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
27904 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
27906 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
27907 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
27908 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
27910 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
27911 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
27912 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
27914 @item gnus-check-backend-function
27915 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
27916 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
27917 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
27920 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
27924 @item gnus-read-method
27925 @findex gnus-read-method
27926 Prompts the user for a select method.
27931 @node Back End Interface
27932 @subsection Back End Interface
27934 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
27935 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
27936 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
27937 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
27938 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
27939 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
27941 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
27942 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
27943 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
27944 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
27945 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
27946 been opened, the function should fail.
27948 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
27949 name. Take this example:
27953 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
27954 (nntp-port-number 4324))
27957 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
27958 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
27960 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
27961 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
27962 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
27964 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
27965 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
27966 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
27968 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
27969 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
27970 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
27971 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
27972 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
27973 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
27976 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
27977 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
27978 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
27979 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
27982 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
27983 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
27984 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
27985 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
27986 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
27987 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
27988 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
27989 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
27990 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
27991 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
27993 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
27994 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
27995 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
27996 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
27997 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
27998 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
27999 of numbers as long as possible.
28001 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
28002 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
28003 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
28005 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
28008 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
28011 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
28012 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
28013 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
28014 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
28015 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
28016 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
28020 @node Required Back End Functions
28021 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
28025 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
28027 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
28028 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
28029 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
28030 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
28032 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
28033 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
28034 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
28035 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
28037 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
28038 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
28039 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
28040 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
28041 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
28042 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
28043 number, do maximum fetches.
28045 Here's an example HEAD:
28048 221 1056 Article retrieved.
28049 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
28050 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
28051 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
28052 Subject: Re: Something very droll
28053 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
28054 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
28056 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
28057 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
28058 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
28062 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
28063 these in the data buffer.
28065 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
28069 head = error / valid-head
28070 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
28071 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
28072 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
28073 header = <text> eol
28077 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
28079 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
28080 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
28084 nov-buffer = *nov-line
28085 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
28086 field = <text except TAB>
28089 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
28093 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
28095 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
28096 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
28098 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
28099 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
28100 server. In fact, it should do so.
28102 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
28103 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
28106 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
28108 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
28109 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
28112 There should be no data returned.
28115 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
28117 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
28118 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
28119 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
28120 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
28122 There should be no data returned.
28125 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
28127 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
28128 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
28129 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
28130 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
28132 There should be no data returned.
28135 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
28137 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
28139 There should be no data returned.
28142 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
28144 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
28145 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
28146 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
28147 it would be nice if that were possible.
28149 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
28150 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
28151 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
28152 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
28153 into its article buffer.
28155 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
28156 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
28157 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
28158 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
28159 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
28160 on successful article retrieval.
28163 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
28165 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
28166 making @var{group} the current group.
28168 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
28171 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
28174 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
28177 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
28178 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
28179 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
28180 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
28181 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
28182 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
28183 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
28184 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
28185 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
28189 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
28190 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
28191 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
28195 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
28197 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
28198 a no-op on most back ends.
28200 There should be no data returned.
28203 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
28205 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
28208 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
28211 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
28212 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
28215 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
28216 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
28217 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
28218 and the highest as 0.
28221 active-file = *active-line
28222 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
28224 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
28227 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
28228 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
28229 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
28232 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
28234 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
28235 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
28236 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
28237 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
28238 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
28239 clear if the posting could not be completed.
28241 There should be no result data from this function.
28246 @node Optional Back End Functions
28247 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
28251 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
28253 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
28254 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
28255 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
28257 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
28258 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
28259 former is in the same format as the data from
28260 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
28261 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
28264 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
28268 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
28270 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
28271 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
28272 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
28273 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
28274 should return a non-@code{nil} value (exceptionally,
28275 @code{nntp-request-update-info} always returns @code{nil} not to waste
28276 the network resources).
28278 There should be no result data from this function.
28281 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
28283 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
28284 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
28285 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
28286 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
28287 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
28288 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
28289 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
28290 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
28292 There should be no result data from this function.
28295 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
28297 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
28298 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
28299 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
28300 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
28301 propagate the mark information to the server.
28303 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
28306 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
28309 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
28310 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
28311 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
28312 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
28313 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
28314 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
28315 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
28316 possible, not limit itself to these.
28318 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
28319 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
28320 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
28321 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
28323 An example action list:
28326 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
28327 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
28328 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
28331 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
28332 mark on (currently not used for anything).
28334 There should be no result data from this function.
28336 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
28338 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
28339 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
28340 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
28341 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
28342 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
28344 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
28345 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
28346 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
28349 There should be no result data from this function.
28352 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
28354 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
28355 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
28356 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
28357 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
28358 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
28359 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
28360 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
28361 local if that's practical.
28363 There should be no result data from this function.
28366 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
28368 The result data from this function should be a description of
28372 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
28374 description = <text>
28377 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
28379 The result data from this function should be the description of all
28380 groups available on the server.
28383 description-buffer = *description-line
28387 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
28389 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
28390 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
28391 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
28392 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
28393 in the active buffer format.
28395 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
28396 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
28397 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
28398 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
28399 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
28400 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
28401 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
28404 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
28406 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
28408 There should be no return data.
28411 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
28413 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
28414 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
28415 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
28416 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
28417 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
28420 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
28423 There should be no result data returned.
28426 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
28428 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
28429 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
28431 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
28432 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
28433 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
28434 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
28435 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
28436 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
28438 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
28439 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
28442 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
28443 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
28445 There should be no data returned.
28448 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
28450 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
28451 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
28452 this function in short order.
28454 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
28455 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
28457 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
28458 article for that group.
28460 There should be no data returned.
28463 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
28465 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
28466 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
28468 There should be no data returned.
28471 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
28473 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
28474 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
28475 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
28477 There should be no data returned.
28480 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
28482 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
28483 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
28485 There should be no data returned.
28490 @node Error Messaging
28491 @subsubsection Error Messaging
28493 @findex nnheader-report
28494 @findex nnheader-get-report
28495 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
28496 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
28497 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
28498 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
28499 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
28500 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
28503 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
28505 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
28508 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
28509 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
28510 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
28511 takes one argument---the server symbol.
28513 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
28514 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
28515 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
28518 @node Writing New Back Ends
28519 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
28521 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
28522 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
28523 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
28524 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
28525 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
28528 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
28529 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
28530 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
28532 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
28533 package called @code{nnoo}.
28535 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
28536 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
28542 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
28543 parameters. For instance:
28546 (nnoo-declare nndir
28550 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
28551 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
28554 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
28555 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
28556 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
28558 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
28559 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
28560 a function in those back ends.
28563 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
28564 "Where nndir will look for groups."
28565 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
28568 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
28569 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
28570 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
28572 @item nnoo-define-basics
28573 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
28577 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
28581 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
28582 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
28583 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
28585 @item nnoo-map-functions
28586 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
28587 functions from the parent back ends.
28590 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
28591 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28592 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
28595 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
28596 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
28597 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
28598 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
28601 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
28602 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
28603 haven't already been defined.
28609 nnmh-request-newgroups)
28613 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
28614 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
28615 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
28620 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
28623 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
28624 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
28628 (require 'nnheader)
28632 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
28634 (nnoo-declare nndir
28637 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
28638 "Where nndir will look for groups."
28639 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
28641 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
28642 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
28645 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
28647 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
28648 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
28649 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
28651 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
28652 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
28654 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
28656 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
28658 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
28659 (setq nndir-directory
28660 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
28662 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
28663 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
28664 (push `(nndir-current-group
28665 ,(file-name-nondirectory
28666 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
28668 (push `(nndir-top-directory
28669 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
28671 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
28673 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
28674 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28675 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28676 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
28677 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
28681 nnmh-status-message
28683 nnmh-request-newgroups))
28689 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
28690 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
28692 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
28693 @findex gnus-declare-backend
28694 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
28695 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
28696 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
28698 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
28699 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
28704 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
28707 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
28709 The abilities can be:
28713 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
28715 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
28717 This back end supports both mail and news.
28719 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
28722 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
28723 articles and groups.
28725 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
28726 true for almost all back ends.
28727 @item prompt-address
28728 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
28729 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
28730 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
28734 @node Mail-like Back Ends
28735 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
28737 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
28738 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
28739 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
28740 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
28743 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
28744 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
28745 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
28748 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
28749 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
28752 This function takes four parameters.
28756 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
28759 @item exit-function
28760 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
28762 @item temp-directory
28763 Where the temporary files should be stored.
28766 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
28767 performed for one group only.
28770 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
28771 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
28772 find the article number assigned to this article.
28774 The function also uses the following variables:
28775 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
28776 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
28777 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
28778 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
28782 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
28783 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
28787 @node Score File Syntax
28788 @subsection Score File Syntax
28790 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
28791 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
28792 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
28794 Here's a typical score file:
28798 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
28805 BNF definition of a score file:
28808 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
28809 element = rule / atom
28810 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
28811 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
28812 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
28813 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
28815 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
28816 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
28817 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
28818 date-header = "date"
28819 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28820 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28821 score = "nil" / <integer>
28822 date = "nil" / <natural number>
28823 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
28824 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
28825 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
28826 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
28827 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28828 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28829 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
28830 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28831 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
28832 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
28833 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
28834 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
28835 exclude-files / read-only / touched
28836 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
28837 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
28838 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
28839 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
28840 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
28841 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
28842 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
28843 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
28844 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
28845 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
28846 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
28847 eval = "eval" space <form>
28848 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
28851 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
28854 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
28855 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
28856 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
28857 one looong line, then that's ok.
28859 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
28860 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
28864 @subsection Headers
28866 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
28867 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
28868 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
28869 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
28871 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
28872 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
28873 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
28874 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
28875 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
28876 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
28877 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
28879 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
28880 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
28881 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
28882 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
28883 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
28885 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
28886 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
28892 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
28893 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
28895 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
28896 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
28897 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
28898 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
28900 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
28904 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
28907 is transformed into
28910 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
28913 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
28914 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
28917 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
28920 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
28921 is slightly tricky:
28924 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
28930 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
28933 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
28939 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
28946 and is equal to the previous range.
28948 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
28949 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
28950 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
28954 range = simple-range / normal-range
28955 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
28956 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
28957 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
28958 number *[ " " contents ]
28961 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
28962 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
28963 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
28964 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
28965 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
28970 @subsection Group Info
28972 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
28973 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
28974 describes the group.
28976 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
28977 second is a more complex one:
28980 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
28982 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
28983 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
28985 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
28988 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
28989 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
28990 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
28991 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
28992 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
28993 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
28994 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
28995 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
28996 this section is about.
28998 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
28999 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
29000 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
29002 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
29005 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
29006 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
29007 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
29008 group = quote <string> quote
29009 ralevel = rank / level
29010 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
29011 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
29012 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
29014 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
29015 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
29016 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
29017 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
29020 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
29021 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
29024 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
29025 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
29028 @item gnus-info-group
29029 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
29030 @findex gnus-info-group
29031 @findex gnus-info-set-group
29032 Get/set the group name.
29034 @item gnus-info-rank
29035 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
29036 @findex gnus-info-rank
29037 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
29038 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
29040 @item gnus-info-level
29041 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
29042 @findex gnus-info-level
29043 @findex gnus-info-set-level
29044 Get/set the group level.
29046 @item gnus-info-score
29047 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
29048 @findex gnus-info-score
29049 @findex gnus-info-set-score
29050 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
29052 @item gnus-info-read
29053 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
29054 @findex gnus-info-read
29055 @findex gnus-info-set-read
29056 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
29058 @item gnus-info-marks
29059 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
29060 @findex gnus-info-marks
29061 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
29062 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
29064 @item gnus-info-method
29065 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
29066 @findex gnus-info-method
29067 @findex gnus-info-set-method
29068 Get/set the group select method.
29070 @item gnus-info-params
29071 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
29072 @findex gnus-info-params
29073 @findex gnus-info-set-params
29074 Get/set the group parameters.
29077 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
29078 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
29080 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
29081 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
29082 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
29083 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
29086 @node Extended Interactive
29087 @subsection Extended Interactive
29088 @cindex interactive
29089 @findex gnus-interactive
29091 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
29092 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
29093 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
29096 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
29097 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
29102 The best thing to do would have been to implement
29103 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
29104 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
29105 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
29106 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
29107 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
29108 @code{interactive}.
29110 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
29115 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
29116 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
29120 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
29121 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
29122 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
29125 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
29129 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
29133 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
29139 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
29140 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
29144 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
29145 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
29146 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
29148 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
29149 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
29150 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
29151 Gnus, that's very useful.
29153 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
29154 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
29155 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
29156 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
29157 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
29158 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
29159 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
29160 following function:
29163 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
29167 (,function ,@@args))
29171 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
29172 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
29173 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
29176 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
29177 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
29178 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
29180 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
29181 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
29182 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
29185 @node Various File Formats
29186 @subsection Various File Formats
29189 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
29190 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
29194 @node Active File Format
29195 @subsubsection Active File Format
29197 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
29198 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
29201 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
29204 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
29205 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
29206 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
29207 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
29208 no.general 1000 900 y
29211 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
29214 active = *group-line
29215 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
29216 group = <non-white-space string>
29218 high-number = <non-negative integer>
29219 low-number = <positive integer>
29220 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
29223 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
29224 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
29227 @node Newsgroups File Format
29228 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
29230 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
29231 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
29232 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
29235 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
29236 Here's the definition:
29240 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
29241 group = <non-white-space string>
29243 description = <string>
29248 @node Emacs for Heathens
29249 @section Emacs for Heathens
29251 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
29252 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
29253 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
29254 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
29255 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
29256 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
29257 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
29261 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
29262 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
29267 @subsection Keystrokes
29271 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
29274 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
29277 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
29278 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
29279 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
29280 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
29281 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
29282 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
29284 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
29285 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
29286 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
29287 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
29288 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
29289 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
29290 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
29292 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
29293 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
29294 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
29295 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
29296 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
29297 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
29298 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
29300 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
29301 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
29302 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
29303 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
29304 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
29310 @subsection Emacs Lisp
29312 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
29313 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
29314 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
29315 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
29317 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
29318 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
29319 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
29320 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
29321 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
29322 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
29323 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{~/.gnus.el}
29324 file to customize Gnus. (You can also use the @file{~/.emacs} file, but
29325 in order to set things of Gnus up, it is much better to use the
29326 @file{~/.gnus.el} file, @xref{Startup Files}.)
29328 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
29329 write the following:
29332 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
29335 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
29336 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
29337 you can go and fill your @file{~/.gnus.el} file with lots of these to
29338 change how Gnus works.
29340 If you have put that thing in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, it will be
29341 read and @code{eval}ed (which is Lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
29342 start Gnus. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
29343 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
29344 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
29346 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
29347 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
29348 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
29352 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
29356 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
29359 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
29360 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
29363 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
29366 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
29367 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
29370 @include gnus-faq.texi
29390 @c Local Variables:
29392 @c coding: iso-8859-1
29396 arch-tag: c9fa47e7-78ca-4681-bda9-9fef45d1c819