10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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289 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
290 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
293 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
294 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
295 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
296 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
297 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
298 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
299 License'' in the Emacs manual.
301 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
302 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
303 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
305 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
306 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
307 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
308 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
316 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
318 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
319 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
321 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
322 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
323 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
324 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
325 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
326 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
327 License'' in the Emacs manual.
329 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
330 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
331 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
333 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
334 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
335 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
336 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
344 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
347 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
348 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
349 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
351 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
352 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
353 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
354 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
355 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
356 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
357 License'' in the Emacs manual.
359 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
360 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
361 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
363 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
364 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
365 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
366 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
375 @top The Gnus Newsreader
379 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
380 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
381 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
384 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v0.05
395 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
396 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
398 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
399 being accused of plagiarism:
401 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
402 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
403 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
404 can even read news with it!
406 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
407 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
408 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
409 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
410 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
416 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
417 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
418 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
419 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
420 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
421 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
422 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
423 * Various:: General purpose settings.
424 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
425 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
426 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
427 * Key Index:: Key Index.
430 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
434 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
435 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
436 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
437 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
438 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
439 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
440 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
441 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
442 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
443 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
444 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
448 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
449 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
450 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
454 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
455 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
456 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
457 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
458 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
459 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
460 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
461 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
462 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
463 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
464 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
465 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
466 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
467 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
468 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
469 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
470 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
474 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
475 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
476 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
480 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
481 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
482 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
483 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
484 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
488 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
489 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
490 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
491 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
492 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
496 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
497 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
498 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
499 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
500 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
502 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
503 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
504 * Threading:: How threads are made.
505 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
506 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
507 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
508 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
509 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
510 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
511 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
512 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
513 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
514 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
515 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
516 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
517 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
518 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
519 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
520 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
521 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
522 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
523 or reselecting the current group.
524 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
525 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
526 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
527 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
529 Summary Buffer Format
531 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
532 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
533 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
534 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
538 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
539 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
541 Reply, Followup and Post
543 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
544 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
545 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
546 * Canceling and Superseding::
550 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
551 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
552 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
554 * Generic Marking Commands::
555 * Setting Process Marks::
559 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
560 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
561 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
565 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
566 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
568 Customizing Threading
570 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
571 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
572 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
573 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
577 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
578 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
579 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
580 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
581 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
582 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
586 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
587 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
588 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
592 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
593 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
594 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
595 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
596 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
597 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
598 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
599 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
600 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
601 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
603 Alternative Approaches
605 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
606 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
608 Various Summary Stuff
610 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
611 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
612 * Summary Generation Commands::
613 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
617 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
618 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
619 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
620 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
621 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
625 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
626 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
627 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
628 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
629 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
630 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
631 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
632 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
636 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
637 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
638 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
639 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
640 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
641 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
642 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
643 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
647 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
648 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
649 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
650 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
651 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
652 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
653 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
657 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
658 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
662 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
663 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
664 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
668 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
669 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
670 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
671 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
672 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
673 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
674 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
675 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
676 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
677 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
678 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
679 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
680 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
684 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
685 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
686 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
688 Choosing a Mail Back End
690 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
691 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
692 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
693 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
694 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
695 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
700 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
701 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
702 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
703 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
704 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
705 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
709 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
710 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
711 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
715 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
716 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
717 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
718 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
719 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
723 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
727 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
728 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
729 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
733 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
734 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
738 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
739 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
740 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
741 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
742 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
743 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
744 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
745 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
746 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
747 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
751 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
752 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
753 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
757 * Group Agent Commands::
758 * Summary Agent Commands::
759 * Server Agent Commands::
763 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
764 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
765 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
766 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
767 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
768 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
769 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
770 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
771 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
772 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
773 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
774 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
775 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
776 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
777 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
778 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
779 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
783 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
784 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
785 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
786 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
790 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
791 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
792 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
796 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
797 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
798 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
799 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
800 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
801 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
802 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
803 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
804 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
805 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
806 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
807 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
808 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
809 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
810 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
811 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
812 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
813 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
814 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
818 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
819 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
820 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
821 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
822 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
823 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
824 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
825 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
829 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
830 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
831 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
832 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
833 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
837 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
838 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
839 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
840 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
841 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
845 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
846 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
847 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
848 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
849 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
850 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
851 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
852 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
853 * Frequently Asked Questions::
857 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
858 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
859 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
860 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
861 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
862 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
863 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
864 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
865 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
869 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
870 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
871 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
872 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
873 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
877 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
878 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
879 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
880 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
884 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
885 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
886 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
887 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
888 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
889 * Group Info:: The group info format.
890 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
891 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
892 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
896 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
897 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
898 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
899 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
900 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
901 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
905 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
906 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
910 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
911 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
917 @chapter Starting Gnus
922 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
923 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
926 @findex gnus-other-frame
927 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
928 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
929 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
931 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
932 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
933 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
935 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
936 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
939 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
940 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
941 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
942 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
943 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
944 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
945 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
946 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
947 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
948 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
949 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
953 @node Finding the News
954 @section Finding the News
957 @vindex gnus-select-method
959 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
960 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
961 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
962 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
965 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
966 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
969 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
972 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
975 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
978 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
979 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
980 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
982 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
984 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
985 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
986 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
987 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
988 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
989 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
991 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
992 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
993 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
994 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
996 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
997 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
998 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
999 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1000 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1001 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1002 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1003 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1004 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1007 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1009 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1010 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1011 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1012 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1013 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1014 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1016 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1018 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1019 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1020 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1021 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1022 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1023 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1026 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1027 you would typically set this variable to
1030 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1034 @node The First Time
1035 @section The First Time
1036 @cindex first time usage
1038 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1039 be subscribed by default.
1041 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1042 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1043 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1044 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1047 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1048 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1049 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1051 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1052 help you with most common problems.
1054 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1055 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1059 @node The Server is Down
1060 @section The Server is Down
1061 @cindex server errors
1063 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1064 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1065 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1067 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1068 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1069 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1070 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1071 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1072 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1073 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1075 @findex gnus-no-server
1076 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1078 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1079 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1080 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1081 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1082 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1083 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1084 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1088 @section Slave Gnusae
1091 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1092 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1093 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1094 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1096 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1097 @code{.newsrc} file.
1099 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1100 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1101 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1102 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1103 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1104 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1105 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1107 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1108 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1109 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1110 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1111 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1112 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1113 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1114 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1116 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1117 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1120 @node Fetching a Group
1121 @section Fetching a Group
1122 @cindex fetching a group
1124 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1125 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1126 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1127 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1128 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1129 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1135 @cindex subscription
1137 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1138 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1139 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1140 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1141 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1142 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1143 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1144 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1145 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1148 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1149 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1150 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1154 @node Checking New Groups
1155 @subsection Checking New Groups
1157 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1158 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1159 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1160 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1161 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1162 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1163 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1164 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1165 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1166 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1168 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1169 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1170 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1171 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1172 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1173 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1174 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1175 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1176 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1177 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1178 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1180 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1181 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1182 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1183 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1184 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1185 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1188 @node Subscription Methods
1189 @subsection Subscription Methods
1191 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1192 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1193 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1195 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1196 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1198 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1202 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1203 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1204 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1205 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1206 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1208 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1209 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1210 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1211 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1213 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1214 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1215 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1217 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1218 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1219 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1220 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1221 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1222 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1223 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1224 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1225 up. Or something like that.
1227 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1228 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1229 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1230 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1231 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1233 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1234 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1235 Kill all new groups.
1237 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1238 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1239 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1240 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1241 topic parameter that looks like
1247 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1250 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1255 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1256 A closely related variable is
1257 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1258 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1259 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1260 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1263 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1264 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1265 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1266 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1269 @node Filtering New Groups
1270 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1272 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1273 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1274 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1277 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1280 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1281 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1282 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1283 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1284 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1285 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1286 subscribing these groups.
1287 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1288 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1290 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1291 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1292 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1293 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1294 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1295 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1296 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1297 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1299 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1300 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1301 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1302 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1303 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1304 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1305 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1306 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1307 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1308 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1310 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1311 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1314 @node Changing Servers
1315 @section Changing Servers
1316 @cindex changing servers
1318 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1319 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1320 very flaky and you want to use another.
1322 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1323 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1327 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1328 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1329 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1330 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1333 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1334 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1335 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1336 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1338 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1339 @findex gnus-change-server
1340 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1341 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1342 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1343 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1344 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1346 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1347 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1348 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1349 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1350 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1352 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1353 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1354 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1355 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1356 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1357 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1359 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1360 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1361 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1365 @section Startup Files
1366 @cindex startup files
1371 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1372 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1374 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1375 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1376 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1377 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1378 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1379 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1380 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1382 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1383 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1384 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1385 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1386 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1387 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1389 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1390 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1391 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1392 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1393 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1394 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1395 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1396 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1397 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1398 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1400 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1401 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1402 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1403 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1404 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1405 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1406 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1407 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1408 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1409 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1410 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1411 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1413 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1414 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1415 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1416 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1418 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1419 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1420 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1421 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1422 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1423 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1424 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1425 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1426 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1427 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1430 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1431 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1433 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1434 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1437 @vindex gnus-init-file
1438 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1439 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1440 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1441 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1442 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1443 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1444 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1445 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1446 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1452 @cindex dribble file
1455 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1456 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1457 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1458 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1459 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1462 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1463 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1466 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1467 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1468 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1470 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1471 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1472 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1473 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1474 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1475 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1477 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1478 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1479 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1482 @node The Active File
1483 @section The Active File
1485 @cindex ignored groups
1487 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1488 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1489 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1491 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1492 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1493 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1494 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1495 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1496 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1497 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1500 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1501 @c if you set it to anything else.
1503 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1505 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1506 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1507 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1509 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1510 you actually subscribe to.
1512 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1513 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1514 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1515 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1517 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1518 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1519 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1520 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1521 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1522 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1524 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1525 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1526 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1529 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1530 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1531 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1532 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1533 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1534 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1536 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1537 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1539 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1540 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1542 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1543 secondary select methods.
1546 @node Startup Variables
1547 @section Startup Variables
1551 @item gnus-load-hook
1552 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1553 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1554 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1555 times you start Gnus.
1557 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1558 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1559 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1561 @item gnus-startup-hook
1562 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1563 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1565 @item gnus-started-hook
1566 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1567 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1570 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1571 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1572 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1573 generating the group buffer.
1575 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1576 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1577 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1578 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1579 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1580 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1581 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1582 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1584 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1585 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1586 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1587 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1588 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1589 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1591 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1592 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1593 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1595 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1596 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1597 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1599 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1600 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1601 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1602 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1608 @chapter Group Buffer
1609 @cindex group buffer
1611 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1613 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1614 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1615 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1616 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1617 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1618 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1619 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1620 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1621 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1622 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1623 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1624 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1625 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1626 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1627 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1628 @c human rights at 9...
1631 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1632 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1633 long as Gnus is active.
1637 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1638 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1639 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1640 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1641 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1642 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1643 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1644 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1650 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1651 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1652 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1653 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1654 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1655 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1656 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1657 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1658 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1659 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1660 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1661 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1662 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1663 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1664 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1665 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1666 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1670 @node Group Buffer Format
1671 @section Group Buffer Format
1674 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1675 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1676 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1680 @node Group Line Specification
1681 @subsection Group Line Specification
1682 @cindex group buffer format
1684 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1685 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1687 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1690 25: news.announce.newusers
1691 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1696 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1697 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1698 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1699 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1701 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1702 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1703 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1704 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1705 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1706 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1708 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1710 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1711 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1712 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1713 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1714 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1716 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1717 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1718 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1720 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1725 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1728 Whether the group is subscribed.
1731 Level of subscribedness.
1734 Number of unread articles.
1737 Number of dormant articles.
1740 Number of ticked articles.
1743 Number of read articles.
1746 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1747 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1749 Gnus uses this estimation because the NNTP protocol provides efficient
1750 access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting the true
1751 unread message count is not possible efficiently. For hysterical
1752 raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of unread
1753 messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1754 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the
1755 back end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1756 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1759 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1762 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1771 Newsgroup description.
1774 @samp{m} if moderated.
1777 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1786 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1790 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1793 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1794 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1795 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1796 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1797 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1800 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1802 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1806 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1809 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1813 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1814 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1815 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1816 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1817 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1818 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1823 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1824 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1825 group, or a bogus native group.
1828 @node Group Modeline Specification
1829 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1830 @cindex group modeline
1832 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1833 The mode line can be changed by setting
1834 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1835 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1839 The native news server.
1841 The native select method.
1845 @node Group Highlighting
1846 @subsection Group Highlighting
1847 @cindex highlighting
1848 @cindex group highlighting
1850 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1851 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1852 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1853 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1854 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1856 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1860 (cond (window-system
1861 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1862 (defface my-group-face-1
1863 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1864 (defface my-group-face-2
1865 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1866 (defface my-group-face-3
1867 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1868 (defface my-group-face-4
1869 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1870 (defface my-group-face-5
1871 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1873 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1874 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1875 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1876 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1877 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1878 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1881 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1883 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1890 The number of unread articles in the group.
1894 Whether the group is a mail group.
1896 The level of the group.
1898 The score of the group.
1900 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1902 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1903 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1905 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1906 topic being inserted.
1909 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1910 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1911 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1913 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1914 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1915 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1916 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1917 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1920 @node Group Maneuvering
1921 @section Group Maneuvering
1922 @cindex group movement
1924 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1925 expected, hopefully.
1931 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1932 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1933 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1939 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1940 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1941 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1945 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1946 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1950 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1951 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1955 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1956 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1957 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1961 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1962 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1963 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1966 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1972 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1973 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1974 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1979 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1980 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1981 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1985 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1986 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1987 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1990 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1991 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1992 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1993 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1997 @node Selecting a Group
1998 @section Selecting a Group
1999 @cindex group selection
2004 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2005 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2006 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2007 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2008 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2009 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2010 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2011 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2012 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2013 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2015 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2016 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2017 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2019 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2020 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2025 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2026 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2027 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2028 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2029 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2033 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2034 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2035 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2036 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2037 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2038 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2039 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2040 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2041 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2042 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2045 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2046 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2047 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2048 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2049 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2052 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2053 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2054 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2055 doing any processing of its contents
2056 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2057 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2058 manner will have no permanent effects.
2062 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2063 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2064 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2065 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2066 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2067 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2068 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2069 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2072 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2073 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2074 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2075 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2076 Which article this is is controlled by the
2077 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2083 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2086 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2089 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2092 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2096 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2097 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2099 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2100 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2101 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2102 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2106 @node Subscription Commands
2107 @section Subscription Commands
2108 @cindex subscription
2116 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2117 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2118 Toggle subscription to the current group
2119 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2125 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2126 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2127 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2128 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2134 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2135 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2136 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2142 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2143 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2146 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2147 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2148 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2149 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2150 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2156 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2157 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2161 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2162 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2165 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2166 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2167 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2168 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2169 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2170 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2171 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2172 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2173 @file{.newsrc} file.
2177 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2187 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2188 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2189 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2190 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2191 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2192 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2197 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2198 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2199 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2203 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2204 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2205 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2207 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2208 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2209 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2210 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2211 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2212 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2219 @section Group Levels
2223 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2224 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2225 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2226 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2227 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2229 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2235 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2236 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2237 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2238 prompted for a level.
2241 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2242 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2243 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2244 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2245 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2246 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2247 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2248 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2249 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2250 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2251 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2252 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2253 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2254 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2255 reasons of efficiency.
2257 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2258 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2260 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2261 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2262 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2263 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2264 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2265 groups are hidden, in a way.
2267 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2268 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2269 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2270 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2271 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2272 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2274 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2275 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2276 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2277 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2278 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2279 list of killed groups.)
2281 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2282 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2283 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2285 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2286 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2287 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2288 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2289 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2290 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2291 relevant valid ranges.
2293 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2294 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2295 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2296 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2297 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2298 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2301 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2302 one with the best level.
2304 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2305 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2306 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2309 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2310 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2311 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2312 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2315 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2316 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2317 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2318 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2320 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2321 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2322 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2323 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2324 to 5. The default is 6.
2328 @section Group Score
2333 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2334 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2335 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2338 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2339 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2340 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2341 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2342 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2343 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2344 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2345 least significant part.))
2347 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2348 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2349 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2350 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2351 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2352 action after each summary exit, you can add
2353 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2354 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2355 slow things down somewhat.
2358 @node Marking Groups
2359 @section Marking Groups
2360 @cindex marking groups
2362 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2363 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2364 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2365 bidding on those groups.
2367 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2368 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2369 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2377 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2378 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2384 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2385 Remove the mark from the current group
2386 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2390 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2391 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2395 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2396 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2400 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2401 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2405 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2406 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2407 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2410 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2412 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2413 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2414 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2415 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2416 the command to be executed.
2419 @node Foreign Groups
2420 @section Foreign Groups
2421 @cindex foreign groups
2423 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2424 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2425 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2426 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2433 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2434 @cindex making groups
2435 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2436 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2437 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2441 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2442 @cindex renaming groups
2443 Rename the current group to something else
2444 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2445 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2451 @findex gnus-group-customize
2452 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2456 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2457 @cindex renaming groups
2458 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2459 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2463 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2464 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2465 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2469 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2470 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2471 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2475 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2477 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2478 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2483 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2484 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2488 @cindex (ding) archive
2489 @cindex archive group
2490 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2491 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2492 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2493 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2494 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2495 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2496 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2500 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2502 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2503 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2504 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2505 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2509 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2511 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2512 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2513 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2517 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2518 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2520 Make a group based on some file or other
2521 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2522 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2523 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2524 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2525 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2526 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2527 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2528 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2529 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2533 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2534 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2535 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2536 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2540 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2545 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2546 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2547 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2548 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2549 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2550 @xref{Web Searches}.
2552 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2553 to a particular group by using a match string like
2554 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2557 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2558 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2559 This function will delete the current group
2560 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2561 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2562 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2563 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2564 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2568 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2569 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2570 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2574 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2575 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2576 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2579 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2582 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2583 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2584 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2585 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2586 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2587 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2591 @node Group Parameters
2592 @section Group Parameters
2593 @cindex group parameters
2595 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2596 Here's an example group parameter list:
2599 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2603 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2604 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2605 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2606 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2608 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2609 is an alist of regexps and values.
2611 The following group parameters can be used:
2616 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2619 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2622 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2623 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2624 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2625 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2626 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2628 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2629 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2630 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2631 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2632 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2633 list address instead.
2635 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2639 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2642 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2645 It is totally ignored
2646 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2647 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2649 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2650 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2651 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2652 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2653 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2655 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2656 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2657 sending the message.
2659 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2660 @cindex Mail List Groups
2661 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2662 entering summary buffer.
2664 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2668 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2669 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2670 of whether it has any unread articles.
2672 @item broken-reply-to
2673 @cindex broken-reply-to
2674 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2675 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2676 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2677 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2678 broken behavior. So there!
2682 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2683 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2687 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2688 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2689 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2694 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2695 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2696 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2697 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2698 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2699 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2700 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2704 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2705 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2706 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2708 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2711 @cindex total-expire
2712 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2713 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2714 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2715 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2718 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2722 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2723 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2724 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2725 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2726 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2727 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2730 @cindex score file group parameter
2731 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2732 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2733 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2736 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2737 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2738 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2739 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2742 @cindex admin-address
2743 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2744 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2745 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2746 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2750 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2751 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2755 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2758 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2759 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2762 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2766 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2768 Here are some examples:
2772 Display only read articles.
2775 Display everything except expirable articles.
2777 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2778 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2782 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2783 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2784 @code{read}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2785 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2786 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{seen} and @code{recent}.
2790 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2791 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2792 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2796 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2797 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2798 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2803 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2804 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2805 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2807 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2809 @item ignored-charsets
2810 @cindex ignored-charset
2811 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2812 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2813 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2815 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2818 @cindex posting-style
2819 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2820 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2821 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2822 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2823 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2825 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2826 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2827 like this in the group parameters:
2832 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2837 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2838 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2842 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2843 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2844 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2845 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2846 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2850 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2851 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2852 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2853 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2855 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2856 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2857 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2858 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2861 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2862 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2866 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2869 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2870 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2871 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2872 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2873 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2874 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2875 @code{eval}ed there.
2877 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2878 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2879 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2880 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2881 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2885 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2886 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2887 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2888 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2889 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2891 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2892 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2896 (setq gnus-parameters
2898 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2899 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2900 (gnus-summary-line-format
2901 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2905 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2909 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2913 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2916 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2917 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2920 @node Listing Groups
2921 @section Listing Groups
2922 @cindex group listing
2924 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2932 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2933 List all groups that have unread articles
2934 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2935 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2936 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2937 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2944 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2945 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2946 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2947 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2948 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2949 unsubscribed groups).
2953 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2954 List all unread groups on a specific level
2955 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2956 with no unread articles.
2960 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2961 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2962 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2963 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2968 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2969 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2973 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2974 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2975 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2979 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2980 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2984 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2985 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2986 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2987 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2988 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2989 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2990 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2991 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2995 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2996 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2997 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3001 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3002 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3003 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3007 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3008 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3012 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3013 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3017 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3018 List groups limited within the current selection
3019 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3023 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3024 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3028 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3029 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3033 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3034 @cindex visible group parameter
3035 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3036 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3037 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3038 get the same effect.
3040 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3041 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3042 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3043 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3044 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3047 @node Sorting Groups
3048 @section Sorting Groups
3049 @cindex sorting groups
3051 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3052 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3053 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3054 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3055 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3056 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3061 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3062 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3063 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3065 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3066 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3067 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3069 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3070 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3071 Sort by group level.
3073 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3074 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3075 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3077 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3078 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3079 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3080 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3082 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3083 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3084 Sort by number of unread articles.
3086 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3087 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3088 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3090 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3091 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3092 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3097 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3098 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3102 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3103 some sorting criteria:
3107 @kindex G S a (Group)
3108 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3109 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3110 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3113 @kindex G S u (Group)
3114 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3115 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3116 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3119 @kindex G S l (Group)
3120 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3121 Sort the group buffer by group level
3122 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3125 @kindex G S v (Group)
3126 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3127 Sort the group buffer by group score
3128 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3131 @kindex G S r (Group)
3132 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3133 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3134 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3137 @kindex G S m (Group)
3138 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3139 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3140 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3144 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3145 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3147 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3148 commands will sort in reverse order.
3150 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3154 @kindex G P a (Group)
3155 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3156 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3157 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3160 @kindex G P u (Group)
3161 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3162 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3163 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3166 @kindex G P l (Group)
3167 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3168 Sort the groups by group level
3169 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3172 @kindex G P v (Group)
3173 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3174 Sort the groups by group score
3175 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3178 @kindex G P r (Group)
3179 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3180 Sort the groups by group rank
3181 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3184 @kindex G P m (Group)
3185 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3186 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3187 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3191 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3195 @node Group Maintenance
3196 @section Group Maintenance
3197 @cindex bogus groups
3202 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3203 Find bogus groups and delete them
3204 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3208 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3209 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3210 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3211 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3212 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3216 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3217 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3218 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3219 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3220 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3221 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3224 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3225 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3226 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3227 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3232 @node Browse Foreign Server
3233 @section Browse Foreign Server
3234 @cindex foreign servers
3235 @cindex browsing servers
3240 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3241 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3242 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3243 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3246 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3247 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3248 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3249 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3251 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3256 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3257 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3261 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3262 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3265 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3266 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3267 Enter the current group and display the first article
3268 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3271 @kindex RET (Browse)
3272 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3273 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3277 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3278 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3279 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3285 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3286 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3290 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3291 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3292 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3297 @section Exiting Gnus
3298 @cindex exiting Gnus
3300 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3305 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3306 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3307 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3308 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3312 @findex gnus-group-exit
3313 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3314 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3318 @findex gnus-group-quit
3319 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3320 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3323 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3324 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3325 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3326 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3327 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3332 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3333 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3334 trying to customize meta-variables.
3339 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3340 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3341 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3347 @section Group Topics
3350 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3351 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3352 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3353 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3354 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3355 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3359 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3360 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3371 2: alt.religion.emacs
3374 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3376 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3377 13: comp.sources.unix
3380 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3382 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3383 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3384 is a toggling command.)
3386 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3387 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3388 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3389 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3392 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3393 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3394 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3397 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3401 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3402 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3403 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3404 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3405 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3409 @node Topic Commands
3410 @subsection Topic Commands
3411 @cindex topic commands
3413 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3414 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3415 definitions slightly.
3417 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3418 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3419 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3420 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3421 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3422 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3424 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3431 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3432 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3433 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3437 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3439 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3440 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3441 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3442 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3445 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3446 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3447 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3448 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3452 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3453 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3454 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3455 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3461 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3462 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3463 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3467 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3468 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3469 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3472 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3473 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3474 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3475 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3476 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3478 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3479 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3483 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3484 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3491 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3493 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3494 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3495 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3496 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3497 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3498 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3502 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3508 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3509 Move the current group to some other topic
3510 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3511 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3515 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3516 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3520 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3521 Copy the current group to some other topic
3522 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3523 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3527 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3528 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3529 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3533 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3534 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3535 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3539 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3540 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3541 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3542 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3543 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3544 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3545 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3548 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3549 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3553 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3554 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3555 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3559 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3560 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3561 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3565 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3566 Toggle hiding empty topics
3567 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3571 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3572 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3573 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3576 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3577 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3578 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3579 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3582 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3583 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3584 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3585 expiry process (if any)
3586 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3590 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3591 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3594 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3595 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3596 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3600 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3601 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3602 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3605 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3606 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3607 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3610 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3611 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3612 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3616 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3617 @cindex group parameters
3618 @cindex topic parameters
3620 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3621 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3626 @node Topic Variables
3627 @subsection Topic Variables
3628 @cindex topic variables
3630 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3631 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3633 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3634 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3635 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3648 Number of groups in the topic.
3650 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3652 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3655 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3656 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3657 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3660 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3661 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3663 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3664 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3665 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3669 @subsection Topic Sorting
3670 @cindex topic sorting
3672 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3678 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3679 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3680 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3681 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3684 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3685 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3686 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3687 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3690 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3691 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3692 Sort the current topic by group level
3693 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3696 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3697 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3698 Sort the current topic by group score
3699 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3702 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3703 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3704 Sort the current topic by group rank
3705 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3708 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3709 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3710 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3711 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3714 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3715 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3716 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3717 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3721 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3724 @node Topic Topology
3725 @subsection Topic Topology
3726 @cindex topic topology
3729 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3735 2: alt.religion.emacs
3738 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3740 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3741 13: comp.sources.unix
3744 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3745 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3746 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3751 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3752 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3756 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3757 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3758 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3759 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3760 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3761 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3763 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3764 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3765 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3768 @node Topic Parameters
3769 @subsection Topic Parameters
3770 @cindex topic parameters
3772 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3773 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3774 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3776 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3781 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3782 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3783 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3786 @item subscribe-level
3787 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3788 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3789 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3793 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3794 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3795 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3796 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3802 2: alt.religion.emacs
3806 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3808 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3809 13: comp.sources.unix
3813 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3814 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3815 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3816 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3817 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3818 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3820 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3821 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3822 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3823 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3824 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3826 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3827 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3828 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3829 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3830 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3831 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3832 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3833 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3836 @node Misc Group Stuff
3837 @section Misc Group Stuff
3840 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3841 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3842 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3843 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3844 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3851 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3852 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3853 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3857 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3858 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3859 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3860 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3861 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3862 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3863 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3867 @findex gnus-group-mail
3868 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3869 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3870 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3871 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3875 @findex gnus-group-news
3876 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3877 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3878 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3880 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3881 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3882 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3883 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3884 for this to work though.
3888 Variables for the group buffer:
3892 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3893 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3894 is called after the group buffer has been
3897 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3898 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3899 is called after the group buffer is
3900 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3903 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3904 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3905 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3906 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3908 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3909 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3910 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3911 whether they are empty or not.
3913 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3914 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3915 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3916 non-ASCII group names.
3920 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3921 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3924 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3925 @cindex UTF-8 group names
3926 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3927 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
3928 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
3929 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
3933 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3934 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3939 @node Scanning New Messages
3940 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3941 @cindex new messages
3942 @cindex scanning new news
3948 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3949 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3950 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3951 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3952 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3953 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3958 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3959 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3960 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3961 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3962 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3963 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3964 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3966 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3967 @cindex activating groups
3969 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3970 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3975 @findex gnus-group-restart
3976 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3977 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3978 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3982 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3983 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3985 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3986 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3990 @node Group Information
3991 @subsection Group Information
3992 @cindex group information
3993 @cindex information on groups
4000 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4001 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4004 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4005 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4006 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4007 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4008 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4009 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4010 for fetching the file.
4012 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4013 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4017 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4019 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4020 @cindex describing groups
4021 @cindex group description
4022 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4023 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4024 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4028 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4029 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4030 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4037 @findex gnus-version
4038 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4042 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4043 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4046 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4049 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4050 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4054 @node Group Timestamp
4055 @subsection Group Timestamp
4057 @cindex group timestamps
4059 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4060 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4061 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4064 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4067 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4069 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4070 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4073 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4074 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4077 This will result in lines looking like:
4080 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4081 0: custom 19961002T012713
4084 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4085 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4089 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4090 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4095 @subsection File Commands
4096 @cindex file commands
4102 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4103 @vindex gnus-init-file
4104 @cindex reading init file
4105 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4106 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4110 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4111 @cindex saving .newsrc
4112 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4113 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4114 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4117 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4118 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4119 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4124 @node Sieve Commands
4125 @subsection Sieve Commands
4126 @cindex group sieve commands
4128 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4129 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4130 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4131 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4132 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4134 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4135 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4136 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4137 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4138 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4139 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4140 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4141 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4142 regenerate the Sieve script.
4144 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4145 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4146 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4147 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4148 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4149 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4150 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4151 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4152 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4153 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4156 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4157 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4162 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4168 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4169 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4170 @cindex generating sieve script
4171 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4172 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4176 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4177 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4178 @cindex updating sieve script
4179 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4180 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4181 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4186 @node Summary Buffer
4187 @chapter Summary Buffer
4188 @cindex summary buffer
4190 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4191 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4193 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4194 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4196 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4199 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4200 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4201 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4202 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4203 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4204 * Delayed Articles::
4205 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4206 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4207 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4208 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4209 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4210 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4211 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4212 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4213 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4214 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4215 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4216 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4217 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4218 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4219 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4220 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4221 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4222 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4223 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4224 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4225 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4226 or reselecting the current group.
4227 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4228 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4229 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4230 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4234 @node Summary Buffer Format
4235 @section Summary Buffer Format
4236 @cindex summary buffer format
4240 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4241 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4242 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4248 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4249 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4250 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4251 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4254 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4255 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4256 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4257 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4258 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4259 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4260 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4261 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4262 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4263 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4264 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4267 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4268 'mail-extract-address-components)
4271 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4272 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4273 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4274 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4277 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4278 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4280 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4281 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4282 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4283 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4284 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4286 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4287 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4288 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4289 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4290 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4291 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4293 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%) %s\n}.
4295 The following format specification characters and extended format
4296 specification(s) are understood:
4302 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4303 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4305 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4306 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4307 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4309 Full @code{From} header.
4311 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4313 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4314 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4316 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4317 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4318 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4319 may be more thorough.
4321 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4324 Number of lines in the article.
4326 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4327 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4329 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4331 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4334 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4335 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4337 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4338 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4340 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4341 for adopted articles.
4343 One space for each thread level.
4345 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4347 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4350 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4351 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4352 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4355 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4357 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4358 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4359 default level. If the difference between
4360 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4361 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4369 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4371 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4377 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4378 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4380 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4381 article has any children.
4387 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4388 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4390 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4391 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4392 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4393 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4394 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4395 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4398 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4399 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4400 There can only be one such area.
4402 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4403 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4404 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4405 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4406 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4407 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4409 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4410 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4412 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4415 @node To From Newsgroups
4416 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4420 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4421 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4422 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4423 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4424 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4428 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4429 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4430 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4434 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4435 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4438 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4439 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4442 @findex gnus-extra-header
4443 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4444 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4445 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4448 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4452 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4453 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4454 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4455 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4456 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4457 headers are used instead.
4461 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4462 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4463 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4464 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4467 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4468 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4469 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4470 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4472 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4476 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4478 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4479 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4480 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4481 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4485 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4488 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4489 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4496 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4497 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4500 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4501 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4503 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4504 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4505 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4506 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4508 Here are the elements you can play with:
4514 Unprefixed group name.
4516 Current article number.
4518 Current article score.
4522 Number of unread articles in this group.
4524 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4527 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4528 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4529 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4530 and no unselected ones.
4532 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4533 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4535 Subject of the current article.
4537 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4539 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4541 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4543 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4545 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4547 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4551 @node Summary Highlighting
4552 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4556 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4557 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4558 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4559 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4560 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4562 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4563 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4564 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4565 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4567 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4568 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4569 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4570 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4572 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4573 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4574 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4575 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4576 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4577 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4580 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4581 ((> score default) . bold))
4583 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4584 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4588 @node Summary Maneuvering
4589 @section Summary Maneuvering
4590 @cindex summary movement
4592 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4593 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4595 None of these commands select articles.
4600 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4601 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4602 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4603 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4604 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4608 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4609 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4610 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4611 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4612 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4615 @kindex G g (Summary)
4616 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4617 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4618 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4621 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4622 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4623 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4624 to the group buffer.
4626 Variables related to summary movement:
4630 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4631 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4632 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4633 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4634 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4635 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4636 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4637 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4638 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4639 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4640 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4641 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4642 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4643 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4645 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4646 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4647 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4648 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4649 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4650 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4651 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4653 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4655 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4656 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4657 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4658 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4659 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4661 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4662 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4663 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4664 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4665 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4666 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4667 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4668 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4671 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4672 the given number of lines from the top.
4677 @node Choosing Articles
4678 @section Choosing Articles
4679 @cindex selecting articles
4682 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4683 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4687 @node Choosing Commands
4688 @subsection Choosing Commands
4690 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4691 and they all select and display an article.
4693 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4694 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4698 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4699 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4700 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4701 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4706 @kindex G n (Summary)
4707 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4708 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4709 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4714 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4715 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4716 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4721 @kindex G N (Summary)
4722 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4723 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4728 @kindex G P (Summary)
4729 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4730 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4733 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4734 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4735 Go to the next article with the same subject
4736 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4739 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4740 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4741 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4742 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4746 @kindex G f (Summary)
4748 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4749 Go to the first unread article
4750 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4754 @kindex G b (Summary)
4756 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4757 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4758 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4759 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4764 @kindex G l (Summary)
4765 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4766 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4769 @kindex G o (Summary)
4770 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4772 @cindex article history
4773 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4774 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4775 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4776 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4777 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4778 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4783 @kindex G j (Summary)
4784 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4785 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4786 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4791 @node Choosing Variables
4792 @subsection Choosing Variables
4794 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4797 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4798 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4799 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4800 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4801 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4802 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4804 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4805 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4806 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4807 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4809 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4810 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4811 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4812 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4813 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4814 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4815 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4816 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4817 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4818 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4819 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4820 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4821 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4822 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4827 @node Paging the Article
4828 @section Scrolling the Article
4829 @cindex article scrolling
4834 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4835 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4836 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4837 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4838 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4841 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4842 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4843 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4846 @kindex RET (Summary)
4847 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4848 Scroll the current article one line forward
4849 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4852 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4853 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4854 Scroll the current article one line backward
4855 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4859 @kindex A g (Summary)
4861 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4862 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4863 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4864 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4865 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4866 the way it came from the server.
4868 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4869 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4870 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4873 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4878 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4883 @kindex A < (Summary)
4884 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4885 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4886 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4891 @kindex A > (Summary)
4892 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4893 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4897 @kindex A s (Summary)
4899 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4900 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4901 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4905 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4906 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4911 @node Reply Followup and Post
4912 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4915 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4916 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4917 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4918 * Canceling and Superseding::
4922 @node Summary Mail Commands
4923 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4925 @cindex composing mail
4927 Commands for composing a mail message:
4933 @kindex S r (Summary)
4935 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4936 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4937 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4938 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4939 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4944 @kindex S R (Summary)
4945 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4946 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4947 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4948 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4949 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4952 @kindex S w (Summary)
4953 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4954 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4955 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4956 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4957 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4960 @kindex S W (Summary)
4961 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4962 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4963 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4964 the process/prefix convention.
4967 @kindex S v (Summary)
4968 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
4969 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
4970 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
4971 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4972 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
4973 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
4977 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4978 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4979 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4980 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4981 Forward the current article to some other person
4982 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
4983 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
4984 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4985 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
4986 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4987 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
4988 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4989 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4990 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4995 @kindex S m (Summary)
4996 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4997 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4998 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
4999 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5000 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5005 @kindex S i (Summary)
5006 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5007 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5008 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5009 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5011 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5012 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5013 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5014 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5015 for this to work though.
5018 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5019 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5020 @cindex bouncing mail
5021 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5022 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5023 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5024 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5025 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5026 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5027 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5028 very well fail, though.
5031 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5032 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5033 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5034 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5035 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5036 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5037 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5038 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5039 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5040 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5042 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5043 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5044 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5045 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5046 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
5048 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5049 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5052 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5053 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5054 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5055 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5056 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5059 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5060 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5061 @cindex crossposting
5062 @cindex excessive crossposting
5063 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5064 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5066 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5067 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5068 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5069 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5070 command understands the process/prefix convention
5071 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5075 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5076 Manual}, for more information.
5079 @node Summary Post Commands
5080 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5082 @cindex composing news
5084 Commands for posting a news article:
5090 @kindex S p (Summary)
5091 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5092 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5093 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5094 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5095 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5100 @kindex S f (Summary)
5101 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5102 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5103 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5107 @kindex S F (Summary)
5109 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5110 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5111 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5112 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5113 process/prefix convention.
5116 @kindex S n (Summary)
5117 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5118 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5119 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5122 @kindex S N (Summary)
5123 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5124 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5125 message through mail and include the original message
5126 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5127 the process/prefix convention.
5130 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5131 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5132 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5133 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5134 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5135 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5136 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5137 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5138 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5139 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5140 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5141 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5142 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
5145 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5146 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5148 @cindex making digests
5149 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5150 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5151 process/prefix convention.
5154 @kindex S u (Summary)
5155 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5156 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5157 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5158 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5161 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5162 Manual}, for more information.
5165 @node Summary Message Commands
5166 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5170 @kindex S y (Summary)
5171 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5172 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5173 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5174 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5175 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5180 @node Canceling and Superseding
5181 @subsection Canceling Articles
5182 @cindex canceling articles
5183 @cindex superseding articles
5185 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5186 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5188 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5190 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5192 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5193 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5194 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5195 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5196 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5197 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5199 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5200 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5203 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5204 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5205 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5207 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5208 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5209 your original article.
5211 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5213 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5214 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5215 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5218 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5219 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5220 have posted almost the same article twice.
5222 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5223 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5224 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5225 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5226 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5227 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5228 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5229 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5230 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5231 canceled/superseded.
5233 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5235 @node Delayed Articles
5236 @section Delayed Articles
5237 @cindex delayed sending
5238 @cindex send delayed
5240 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5241 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5242 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5243 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5246 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5249 @findex gnus-delay-article
5250 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5251 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5252 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5253 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5257 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5258 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5259 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5260 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5263 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5264 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5265 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5268 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5269 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5270 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5271 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5272 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5273 that means a time tomorrow.
5276 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5277 couple of variables:
5280 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5281 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5282 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5283 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5285 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5286 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5287 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5288 formats described above.
5290 @item gnus-delay-group
5291 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5292 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5293 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5294 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5296 @item gnus-delay-header
5297 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5298 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5299 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5300 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5303 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5304 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5305 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5306 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5307 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5309 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5310 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5311 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5312 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5313 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5314 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5317 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5318 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5319 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5320 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5321 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5322 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5323 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5324 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5326 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5327 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5328 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5329 forget to set that up :-)
5333 @node Marking Articles
5334 @section Marking Articles
5335 @cindex article marking
5336 @cindex article ticking
5339 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5341 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5342 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5343 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5345 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5348 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5349 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5350 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5354 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5358 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5359 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5360 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5364 @node Unread Articles
5365 @subsection Unread Articles
5367 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5372 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5373 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5375 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5376 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5377 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5378 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5379 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5380 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5381 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5384 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5385 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5387 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5388 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5389 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5390 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5394 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5395 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5397 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5402 @subsection Read Articles
5403 @cindex expirable mark
5405 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5410 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5411 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5412 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5415 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5416 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5419 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5420 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5421 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5424 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5425 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5428 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5429 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5432 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5433 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5436 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5437 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5440 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5441 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5444 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5445 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5448 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5449 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5453 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5454 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5455 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5459 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5460 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5462 One more special mark, though:
5466 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5467 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5469 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5470 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5471 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5472 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5478 @subsection Other Marks
5479 @cindex process mark
5482 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5488 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5489 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5490 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5491 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5492 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5495 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5496 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5497 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5498 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5500 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5501 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5502 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5504 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5505 Articles that are ``recently'' arrived in the group will be marked
5506 with an @samp{N} in the second column (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Most
5507 back end doesn't support the mark, in which case it's not shown.
5510 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5511 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5512 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5515 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5516 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5517 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5518 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5521 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5522 Articles that according to the back end haven't been seen by the user
5523 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5524 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all back ends support this
5525 mark, in which case it simply never appear.
5528 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5529 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5530 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5533 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5534 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5535 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5536 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5537 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5540 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5541 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5542 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5543 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5544 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5545 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5549 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5550 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5551 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5553 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5554 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5555 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5559 @subsection Setting Marks
5560 @cindex setting marks
5562 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5567 @kindex M c (Summary)
5568 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5569 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5570 @cindex mark as unread
5571 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5572 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5578 @kindex M t (Summary)
5579 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5580 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5581 @xref{Article Caching}.
5586 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5587 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5588 Mark the current article as dormant
5589 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5593 @kindex M d (Summary)
5595 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5596 Mark the current article as read
5597 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5601 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5602 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5603 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5608 @kindex M k (Summary)
5609 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5610 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5611 and then select the next unread article
5612 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5616 @kindex M K (Summary)
5617 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5618 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5619 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5620 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5623 @kindex M C (Summary)
5624 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5625 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5626 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5629 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5630 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5631 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5632 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5635 @kindex M H (Summary)
5636 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5637 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5638 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5641 @kindex M h (Summary)
5642 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5643 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5644 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5647 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5648 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5649 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5650 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5653 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5654 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5655 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5656 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5660 @kindex M e (Summary)
5662 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5663 Mark the current article as expirable
5664 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5667 @kindex M b (Summary)
5668 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5669 Set a bookmark in the current article
5670 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5673 @kindex M B (Summary)
5674 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5675 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5676 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5679 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5680 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5681 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5682 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5685 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5686 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5687 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5688 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5691 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5692 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5693 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5694 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5695 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5698 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5699 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5700 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5701 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5702 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5703 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5704 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5705 The default is @code{t}.
5708 @node Generic Marking Commands
5709 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5711 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5712 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5713 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5714 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5715 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5718 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5719 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5722 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5723 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5724 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5725 to list in this manual.
5727 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5728 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5729 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5730 article, you could say something like:
5733 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5734 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5735 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5741 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5742 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5746 @node Setting Process Marks
5747 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5748 @cindex setting process marks
5755 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5756 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5757 Mark the current article with the process mark
5758 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5759 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5763 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5764 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5765 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5766 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5769 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5770 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5771 Remove the process mark from all articles
5772 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5775 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5776 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5777 Invert the list of process marked articles
5778 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5781 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5782 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5783 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5784 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5787 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5788 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5789 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5790 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5793 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5794 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5795 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5798 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5799 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5800 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5801 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5804 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5805 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5806 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5807 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5810 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5811 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5812 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5813 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5816 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5817 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5818 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5821 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5822 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5823 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5824 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5827 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5828 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5829 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5832 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5833 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5834 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5835 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5838 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5839 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5840 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5841 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5844 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5845 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5846 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5847 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5850 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5851 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5852 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5853 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5857 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5858 set process marks based on article body contents.
5865 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5866 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5867 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5870 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5871 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5872 additional articles.
5878 @kindex / / (Summary)
5879 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5880 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5881 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
5885 @kindex / a (Summary)
5886 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5887 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5888 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
5892 @kindex / x (Summary)
5893 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5894 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5895 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5896 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
5901 @kindex / u (Summary)
5903 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5904 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5905 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5906 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5907 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5910 @kindex / m (Summary)
5911 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5912 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5913 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5916 @kindex / t (Summary)
5917 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5918 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5919 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5920 articles younger than that number of days.
5923 @kindex / n (Summary)
5924 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5925 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5926 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5927 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5930 @kindex / w (Summary)
5931 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5932 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5933 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5937 @kindex / v (Summary)
5938 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5939 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5940 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5943 @kindex / p (Summary)
5944 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter
5945 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
5946 group parameter predicate
5947 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter}). See @pxref{Group
5948 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
5952 @kindex M S (Summary)
5953 @kindex / E (Summary)
5954 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5955 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5956 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5959 @kindex / D (Summary)
5960 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5961 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5962 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5965 @kindex / * (Summary)
5966 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5967 Include all cached articles in the limit
5968 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5971 @kindex / d (Summary)
5972 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5973 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5974 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5977 @kindex / M (Summary)
5978 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5979 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5982 @kindex / T (Summary)
5983 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5984 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5987 @kindex / c (Summary)
5988 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5989 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5990 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5993 @kindex / C (Summary)
5994 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5995 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5996 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5997 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6000 @kindex / N (Summary)
6001 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6002 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6003 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6006 @kindex / o (Summary)
6007 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6008 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6009 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6017 @cindex article threading
6019 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6020 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6021 hierarchical fashion.
6023 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6024 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6025 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6026 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6027 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6028 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6029 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6031 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6035 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6038 A tree-like article structure.
6041 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6044 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6045 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6046 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6047 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6048 called loose threads.
6050 @item thread gathering
6051 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6053 @item sparse threads
6054 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6055 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6061 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6062 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6066 @node Customizing Threading
6067 @subsection Customizing Threading
6068 @cindex customizing threading
6071 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6072 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6073 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6074 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6079 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6082 @cindex loose threads
6085 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6086 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6087 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6088 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6089 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6090 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6092 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6093 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6094 There are four possible values:
6098 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6099 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6100 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6101 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6102 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6107 @cindex adopting articles
6112 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6113 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6114 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6115 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6118 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6119 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6120 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6121 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6122 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6123 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6124 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6127 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6128 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6129 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6133 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6134 display them after one another.
6137 Don't gather loose threads.
6140 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6141 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6142 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6143 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6144 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6145 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6146 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6147 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6148 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6149 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6150 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6152 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6153 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6154 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6157 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6158 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6159 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6160 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6161 simplification is used.
6163 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6164 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6165 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6166 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6168 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6170 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6176 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6177 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6178 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6179 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6184 (mapconcat 'identity
6185 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6187 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6190 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6193 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6194 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6195 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6196 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6197 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6198 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6200 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6203 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6204 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6205 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6207 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6208 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6211 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6212 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6213 Remove excessive whitespace.
6216 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6219 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6220 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6221 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6222 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6223 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6224 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6225 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6226 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6228 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6229 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6230 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6231 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6232 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6233 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6234 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6235 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6236 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6240 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6241 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6242 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6243 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6245 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6246 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6247 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6250 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6254 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6255 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6261 @node Filling In Threads
6262 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6265 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6266 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6267 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6268 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6269 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6270 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6271 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6272 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6273 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6274 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
6275 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
6276 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
6278 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6279 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6280 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6282 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6283 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6284 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6285 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6286 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6287 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6288 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6289 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6290 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6291 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6292 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6293 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6294 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6295 @code{nil} by default.
6297 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6298 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6299 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6300 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6301 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6302 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6303 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6305 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6306 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6307 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6312 @node More Threading
6313 @subsubsection More Threading
6316 @item gnus-show-threads
6317 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6318 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6319 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6320 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6321 slower and more awkward.
6323 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6324 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6325 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6328 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6329 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6330 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6331 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6332 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6333 threads are expunged.
6335 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6336 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6337 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6340 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6341 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6342 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6343 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6344 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6345 result in a new thread.
6347 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6348 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6349 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6352 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6353 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6354 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6355 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6356 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6357 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6358 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6359 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6360 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6361 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6362 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6367 @node Low-Level Threading
6368 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6372 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6373 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6374 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6376 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6377 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6378 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6379 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6380 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6381 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6382 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6383 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6384 meaningful. Here's one example:
6387 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6389 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6390 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6392 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6394 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6401 @node Thread Commands
6402 @subsection Thread Commands
6403 @cindex thread commands
6409 @kindex T k (Summary)
6410 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6411 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6412 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6413 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6414 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6419 @kindex T l (Summary)
6420 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6421 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6422 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6423 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6426 @kindex T i (Summary)
6427 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6428 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6429 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6432 @kindex T # (Summary)
6433 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6434 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6435 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6438 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6439 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6440 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6441 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6444 @kindex T T (Summary)
6445 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6446 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6449 @kindex T s (Summary)
6450 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6451 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6452 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6455 @kindex T h (Summary)
6456 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6457 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6460 @kindex T S (Summary)
6461 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6462 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6465 @kindex T H (Summary)
6466 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6467 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6470 @kindex T t (Summary)
6471 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6472 Re-thread the current article's thread
6473 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6474 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6477 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6478 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6479 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6480 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6484 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6485 understand the numeric prefix.
6490 @kindex T n (Summary)
6492 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6494 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6495 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6496 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6499 @kindex T p (Summary)
6501 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6503 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6504 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6505 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6508 @kindex T d (Summary)
6509 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6510 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6513 @kindex T u (Summary)
6514 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6515 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6518 @kindex T o (Summary)
6519 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6520 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6523 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6524 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6525 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6526 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6527 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6528 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6529 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6530 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6531 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6532 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6533 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6534 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6538 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6539 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6541 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6542 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6543 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6544 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6545 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6546 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6547 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6548 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6549 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6550 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6551 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6553 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6554 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6555 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6556 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
6557 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6559 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6560 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6561 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6563 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6564 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6565 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6566 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6567 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6568 ascending article order.
6570 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6571 by number, you could do something like:
6574 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6575 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6576 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6577 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6580 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6581 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6582 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6583 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6584 which the articles arrived.
6586 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6590 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6592 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6593 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6596 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6597 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6598 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6599 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6602 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6603 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6604 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6605 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6606 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6607 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6608 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6609 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6610 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6611 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6612 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6613 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6614 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6616 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6620 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6621 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6622 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6627 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6628 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6629 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6630 @cindex article pre-fetch
6633 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6634 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6635 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6636 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6637 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6639 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6640 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6642 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6643 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6644 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6645 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6646 connection is blocked.
6648 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6649 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6650 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6651 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6653 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6654 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6655 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6656 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6659 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6662 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6663 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6664 happen automatically.
6666 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6667 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6668 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6669 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6670 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6671 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6672 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6674 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6675 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6676 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6677 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6678 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6679 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6680 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6681 data structure as the only parameter.
6683 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6686 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6687 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6688 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6689 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6692 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6695 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6696 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6697 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6699 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6700 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6701 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6702 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6706 Remove articles when they are read.
6709 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6712 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6714 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6715 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6716 @c from the next group.
6719 @node Article Caching
6720 @section Article Caching
6721 @cindex article caching
6724 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6725 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6726 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6727 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6728 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6730 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6732 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6733 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6734 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6735 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6736 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6737 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6738 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6739 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6741 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6742 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6743 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6744 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6745 as dormant, and don't worry.
6747 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6749 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6750 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6751 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6752 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6753 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6754 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6755 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6756 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6757 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6758 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6760 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6761 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6762 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6763 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6764 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6765 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6766 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6767 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6768 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6769 not then be downloaded by this command.
6771 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6772 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6773 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6774 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6775 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6776 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6778 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6779 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6780 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6781 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6782 variables, the group is not cached.
6784 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6785 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6786 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6787 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6788 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6789 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6790 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6791 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6792 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6796 @node Persistent Articles
6797 @section Persistent Articles
6798 @cindex persistent articles
6800 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6801 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6802 useful in my opinion.
6804 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6805 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6806 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6807 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6808 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6809 the expiry going on at the news server.
6811 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6812 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6813 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6819 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6820 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6823 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6824 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6825 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6826 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6830 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6832 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6833 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6834 interested in persistent articles:
6837 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6841 @node Article Backlog
6842 @section Article Backlog
6844 @cindex article backlog
6846 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6847 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6848 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6849 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6850 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6851 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6852 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6853 increase memory usage some.
6855 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6856 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6857 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6858 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6859 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6860 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6861 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6863 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6866 @node Saving Articles
6867 @section Saving Articles
6868 @cindex saving articles
6870 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6871 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6872 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6873 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6874 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6876 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6877 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6878 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6880 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6881 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6882 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6883 deleted before saving.
6889 @kindex O o (Summary)
6891 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6892 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6893 Save the current article using the default article saver
6894 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6897 @kindex O m (Summary)
6898 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6899 Save the current article in mail format
6900 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6903 @kindex O r (Summary)
6904 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6905 Save the current article in rmail format
6906 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6909 @kindex O f (Summary)
6910 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6911 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6912 Save the current article in plain file format
6913 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6916 @kindex O F (Summary)
6917 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6918 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6919 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6922 @kindex O b (Summary)
6923 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6924 Save the current article body in plain file format
6925 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6928 @kindex O h (Summary)
6929 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6930 Save the current article in mh folder format
6931 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6934 @kindex O v (Summary)
6935 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6936 Save the current article in a VM folder
6937 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6941 @kindex O p (Summary)
6943 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6944 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6945 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6948 @kindex O P (Summary)
6949 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
6950 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
6951 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
6952 external program Muttprint (see
6953 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
6954 options to use is controlled by the variable
6955 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
6959 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6960 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6961 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6962 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6963 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6964 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6965 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6966 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6967 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6968 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6969 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6970 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6974 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6975 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6976 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6977 functions below, or you can create your own.
6981 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6982 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6983 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6984 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6985 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6986 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6987 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6989 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6990 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6991 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6992 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6993 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6994 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6996 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6997 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6998 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6999 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7000 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7001 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7002 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7004 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7005 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7006 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7007 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7008 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7009 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7011 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7012 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7013 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7014 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7015 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7017 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7018 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7019 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7020 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7021 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7024 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7025 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7026 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7027 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7028 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7030 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7031 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7032 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7033 reader to use this setting.
7036 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7037 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7038 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7039 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7042 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7043 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7044 available functions that generate names:
7048 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7049 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7050 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7052 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7053 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7054 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7056 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7057 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7058 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7060 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7061 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7062 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7064 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7065 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7066 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7069 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7070 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7071 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7072 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7073 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7077 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7078 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7079 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7080 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7083 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7084 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7085 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7086 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7087 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7088 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7089 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7090 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7091 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7093 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7094 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7095 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7096 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7098 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7099 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7100 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7103 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7104 lots of mail groups called things like
7105 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7106 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7107 following will do just that:
7110 (defun my-save-name (group)
7111 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7112 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7114 (setq gnus-split-methods
7115 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7120 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7121 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7122 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7123 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7124 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7125 all the files in the top level directory
7126 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7127 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7128 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7129 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7131 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7132 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7133 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7134 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7135 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7138 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7142 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7143 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7144 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7147 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7148 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7149 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7150 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7153 @node Decoding Articles
7154 @section Decoding Articles
7155 @cindex decoding articles
7157 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7158 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7161 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7162 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7163 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7164 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7165 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7166 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7170 @cindex article series
7171 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7172 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7173 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7174 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7175 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7177 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7178 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7179 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7181 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7182 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7183 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7185 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7186 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7187 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7190 @node Uuencoded Articles
7191 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7193 @cindex uuencoded articles
7198 @kindex X u (Summary)
7199 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7200 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7201 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7204 @kindex X U (Summary)
7205 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7206 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7207 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7210 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7211 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7212 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7215 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7216 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7217 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7218 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7222 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7223 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7224 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7225 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7226 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7228 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7229 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7230 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7231 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7234 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7235 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7236 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7237 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7238 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7239 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7243 @node Shell Archives
7244 @subsection Shell Archives
7246 @cindex shell archives
7247 @cindex shared articles
7249 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7250 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7251 some commands to deal with these:
7256 @kindex X s (Summary)
7257 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7258 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7261 @kindex X S (Summary)
7262 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7263 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7266 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7267 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7268 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7271 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7272 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7273 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7274 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7278 @node PostScript Files
7279 @subsection PostScript Files
7285 @kindex X p (Summary)
7286 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7287 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7290 @kindex X P (Summary)
7291 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7292 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7293 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7296 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7297 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7298 View the current PostScript series
7299 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7302 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7303 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7304 View and save the current PostScript series
7305 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7310 @subsection Other Files
7314 @kindex X o (Summary)
7315 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7316 Save the current series
7317 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7320 @kindex X b (Summary)
7321 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7322 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7323 doesn't really work yet.
7327 @node Decoding Variables
7328 @subsection Decoding Variables
7330 Adjective, not verb.
7333 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7334 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7335 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7339 @node Rule Variables
7340 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7341 @cindex rule variables
7343 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7344 variables are of the form
7347 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7354 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7355 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7357 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7358 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7361 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7362 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7365 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7366 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7367 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7368 user and default view rules.
7370 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7371 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7372 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7377 @node Other Decode Variables
7378 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7381 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7383 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7384 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7385 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7386 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7387 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7391 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7392 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7395 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7396 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7397 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7400 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7401 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7402 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7403 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7404 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7407 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7408 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7409 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7411 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7412 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7413 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7414 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7415 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7418 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7419 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7420 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7422 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7423 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7424 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7425 looking for files to display.
7427 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7428 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7429 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7432 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7433 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7434 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7437 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7438 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7439 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7442 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7443 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7444 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7447 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7448 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7449 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7450 decoded articles as unread.
7452 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7453 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7454 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7455 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7457 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7458 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7459 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7461 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7462 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7464 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7465 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7466 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7467 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7469 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7470 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7471 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7472 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7473 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7474 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7475 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7476 simply dropped them.
7481 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7482 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7486 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7487 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7488 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7489 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7490 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7491 for you when you post the article.
7493 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7494 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7495 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7496 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7498 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7499 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7500 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7501 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7502 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7503 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7504 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7506 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7507 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7508 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7509 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7510 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7511 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7512 Default is @code{t}.
7518 @subsection Viewing Files
7519 @cindex viewing files
7520 @cindex pseudo-articles
7522 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7523 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7524 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7525 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7526 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7527 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7528 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7530 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7531 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7532 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7533 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7535 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7536 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7537 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7539 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7540 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7541 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7542 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7543 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7545 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7546 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7547 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7548 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7549 a list of parameters to that command.
7551 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7552 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7553 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7555 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7556 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7557 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7560 @node Article Treatment
7561 @section Article Treatment
7563 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7564 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7565 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7566 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7567 these articles easier.
7570 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7571 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7572 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7573 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7574 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7575 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7576 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7577 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7578 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7579 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7583 @node Article Highlighting
7584 @subsection Article Highlighting
7585 @cindex highlighting
7587 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7588 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7593 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7594 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7595 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7596 Do much highlighting of the current article
7597 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7598 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7601 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7602 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7603 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7604 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7605 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7606 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7607 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7608 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7609 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7610 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7611 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7612 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7615 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7616 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7617 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7619 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7622 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7624 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7625 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7626 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7628 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7629 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7630 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7632 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7633 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7634 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7635 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7636 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7637 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7639 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7640 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7641 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7643 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7644 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7645 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7647 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7648 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7649 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7650 that it's a citation.
7652 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7653 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7654 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7656 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7657 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7658 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7660 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7661 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7662 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7663 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7669 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7670 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7671 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7672 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7673 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7674 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7675 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7676 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7681 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7684 @node Article Fontisizing
7685 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7687 @cindex article emphasis
7689 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7690 @kindex W e (Summary)
7691 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7692 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7693 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7694 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7696 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7697 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7698 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7699 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7700 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7701 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7702 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7703 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7707 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7708 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7709 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7718 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7719 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7720 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7721 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7722 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7723 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7724 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7725 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7726 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7727 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7728 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7729 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7730 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7732 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7733 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7734 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7738 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7741 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7743 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7744 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7745 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7746 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7748 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7751 @node Article Hiding
7752 @subsection Article Hiding
7753 @cindex article hiding
7755 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7756 too much cruft in most articles.
7761 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7762 @findex gnus-article-hide
7763 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7764 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7765 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7768 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7769 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7770 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7774 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7775 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7776 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7777 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7780 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7781 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7782 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7786 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7787 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7788 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7789 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7790 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7791 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7792 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7793 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7797 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7798 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7799 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7800 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7805 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7806 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7807 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7808 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7809 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7810 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7811 articles that have signatures in them do:
7813 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7815 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7817 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7818 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7820 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7823 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7828 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7829 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7830 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7831 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7834 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7835 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7838 @cindex stripping advertisements
7839 @cindex advertisements
7840 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7841 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7842 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7843 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7844 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7845 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7846 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7847 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7848 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7849 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7853 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7854 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7855 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7856 customizing the hiding:
7860 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7861 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7862 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7863 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7864 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7865 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7866 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7871 Starting point of the hidden text.
7873 Ending point of the hidden text.
7875 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7877 Number of lines of hidden text.
7880 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7881 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7882 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7883 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7884 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7889 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7890 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7892 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7893 following two variables:
7896 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7897 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7898 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7899 50), hide the cited text.
7901 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7902 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7903 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7908 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7909 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7910 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7911 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7912 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7913 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7917 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7918 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7919 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7921 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7922 citation customization.
7924 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7928 @node Article Washing
7929 @subsection Article Washing
7931 @cindex article washing
7933 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7934 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7936 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7937 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7940 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7941 articles by default.
7946 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7947 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7951 @kindex W l (Summary)
7952 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7953 Remove page breaks from the current article
7954 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7958 @kindex W r (Summary)
7959 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7960 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7961 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7962 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7963 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7964 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7966 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7967 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7968 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7969 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7973 @kindex W t (Summary)
7975 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
7976 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7977 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
7980 @kindex W v (Summary)
7981 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7982 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7983 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7986 @kindex W o (Summary)
7987 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7988 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7991 @kindex W d (Summary)
7992 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7993 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7995 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7997 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7998 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7999 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8000 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8003 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8004 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8005 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8006 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8009 @kindex W w (Summary)
8010 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8011 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8013 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8017 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8018 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8019 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8022 @kindex W C (Summary)
8023 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8024 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8025 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8028 @kindex W c (Summary)
8029 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8030 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8031 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8032 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8033 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8036 @kindex W q (Summary)
8037 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8038 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8039 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
8040 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
8041 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
8042 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
8043 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
8044 header that says that this encoding has been done.
8045 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8048 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8049 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8050 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8051 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8052 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
8053 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8054 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8056 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8059 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8060 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8061 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8062 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8063 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8066 @kindex W h (Summary)
8067 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8068 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
8069 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
8070 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
8072 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8075 @kindex W b (Summary)
8076 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8077 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8078 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8081 @kindex W B (Summary)
8082 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8083 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8084 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8087 @kindex W p (Summary)
8088 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8089 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8090 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8091 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8092 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8093 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8094 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8097 @kindex W s (Summary)
8098 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8099 Verify a signed (PGP, PGP/MIME or S/MIME) message
8100 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}).
8103 @kindex W W H (Summary)
8104 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
8105 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8106 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
8109 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8110 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8111 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8112 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8115 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8116 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8117 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8118 lines with a single empty line.
8119 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8122 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8123 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8124 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8125 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8128 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8129 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8130 Do all the three commands above
8131 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8134 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8135 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8136 Remove all blank lines
8137 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8140 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8141 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8142 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8143 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8146 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8147 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8148 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8149 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8153 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8156 @node Article Header
8157 @subsection Article Header
8159 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8164 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8165 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8166 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8169 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8170 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8171 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8172 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8175 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8176 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-header
8177 Fold all the message headers
8178 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8183 @node Article Buttons
8184 @subsection Article Buttons
8187 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8188 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8189 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8190 button on these references.
8192 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8193 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
8194 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
8199 @item gnus-button-alist
8200 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8201 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8204 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8210 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8211 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8212 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
8215 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8216 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8217 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8220 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8221 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8222 avoid false matches.
8225 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8228 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8229 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8233 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8236 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8239 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8240 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8241 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8242 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8243 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8246 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8249 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8251 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8252 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8253 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8254 default values of the variables above.
8256 @item gnus-article-button-face
8257 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8258 Face used on buttons.
8260 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8261 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8262 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8266 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8270 @subsection Article Date
8272 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8273 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8274 when the article was sent.
8279 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8280 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8281 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8282 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8285 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8286 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8288 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8289 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8292 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8293 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8294 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8297 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8298 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8299 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8300 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8303 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8304 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8305 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8306 @findex format-time-string
8307 Display the date using a user-defined format
8308 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8309 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8310 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8311 for a list of possible format specs.
8314 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8315 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8316 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8317 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8318 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8319 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8322 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8325 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8326 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8329 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8330 into wonderful absurdities.
8332 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8335 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8338 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8339 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8343 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8344 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8345 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8346 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8347 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8348 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8349 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8353 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8354 preferred format automatically.
8357 @node Article Display
8358 @subsection Article Display
8363 These commands add various frivolous display gimmics to the article
8364 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8366 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8367 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8369 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8370 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8372 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8373 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8375 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8380 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8381 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8382 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8383 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8386 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8387 @findex gnus-smiley-smiley
8388 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8391 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8392 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8393 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8396 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8397 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8398 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8399 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8402 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8403 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8404 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8405 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8408 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8409 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8410 Remove all images from the article buffer
8411 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8417 @node Article Signature
8418 @subsection Article Signature
8420 @cindex article signature
8422 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8423 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8424 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8425 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8426 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8427 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8428 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8429 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8430 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8433 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8434 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8435 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8436 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8437 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8438 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8439 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8440 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8443 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8446 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8447 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8448 signature when displaying articles.
8452 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8455 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8458 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8459 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8461 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8462 in question is not a signature.
8465 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8466 listed above. Here's an example:
8469 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8470 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8473 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8474 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8475 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8476 signature after all.
8479 @node Article Miscellania
8480 @subsection Article Miscellania
8484 @kindex A t (Summary)
8485 @findex gnus-article-babel
8486 Translate the article from one language to another
8487 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8493 @section @sc{mime} Commands
8494 @cindex MIME decoding
8496 @cindex viewing attachments
8498 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8499 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8505 @kindex K v (Summary)
8506 View the @sc{mime} part.
8509 @kindex K o (Summary)
8510 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8513 @kindex K c (Summary)
8514 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8517 @kindex K e (Summary)
8518 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8521 @kindex K i (Summary)
8522 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8525 @kindex K | (Summary)
8526 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8529 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8534 @kindex K b (Summary)
8535 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8536 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8540 @kindex K m (Summary)
8541 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8542 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8543 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8544 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8545 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8548 @kindex X m (Summary)
8549 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8550 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8551 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8552 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8555 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8556 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8557 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8558 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8561 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8562 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8563 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8566 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8567 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8568 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8570 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8571 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8572 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8573 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
8574 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
8575 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8578 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8579 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8580 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8587 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8588 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8589 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8590 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8593 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8596 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8600 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8601 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8602 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8603 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8604 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8605 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8608 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8609 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8610 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8611 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8612 displayed. This variable overrides
8613 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8615 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8616 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8617 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8619 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8620 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8621 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8622 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8623 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8624 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8625 save all jpegs into some directory).
8627 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8630 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8631 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8633 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8634 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8635 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8636 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8637 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8640 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8641 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8642 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8644 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8645 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8646 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8647 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8649 Ready-made functions include@*
8650 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8651 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8652 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8653 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8654 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8655 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8656 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8657 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8658 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8659 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8660 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8661 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8663 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8664 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8666 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8667 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8668 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8671 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8672 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8673 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8674 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8678 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8687 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8688 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8689 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8690 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8691 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8692 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8693 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8695 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8696 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8697 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8698 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8700 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8701 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
8702 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8703 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8704 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
8705 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8706 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
8707 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
8709 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8710 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8711 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8712 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8713 quoted-printable header encoding.
8715 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8716 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8717 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8721 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8724 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8725 means encode all charsets),
8727 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8728 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8729 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8736 @cindex coding system aliases
8737 @cindex preferred charset
8739 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8741 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8742 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8745 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8746 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8749 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8750 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8752 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8755 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8758 This will almost do the right thing.
8760 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8764 (codepage-setup 1251)
8765 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8769 @node Article Commands
8770 @section Article Commands
8777 @kindex A P (Summary)
8778 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8779 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8780 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8781 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
8782 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
8783 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
8788 @node Summary Sorting
8789 @section Summary Sorting
8790 @cindex summary sorting
8792 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8793 can't really see why you'd want that.
8798 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8799 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8800 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8803 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8804 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8805 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8808 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8809 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8810 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8813 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8814 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8815 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8818 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8819 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8820 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8823 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8824 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8825 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8828 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8829 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8830 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8833 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8834 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8835 Sort using the default sorting method
8836 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8839 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8840 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8841 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8842 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8843 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8847 @node Finding the Parent
8848 @section Finding the Parent
8849 @cindex parent articles
8850 @cindex referring articles
8855 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8856 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8857 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8858 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8859 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8860 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8861 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8862 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8863 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8865 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8866 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8867 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
8868 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8869 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8873 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8874 @kindex A R (Summary)
8875 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8876 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8879 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8880 @kindex A T (Summary)
8881 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8882 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8883 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8884 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8885 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8886 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8887 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8889 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8890 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8891 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8892 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8893 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8894 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8897 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8898 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8900 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8901 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8902 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8903 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8904 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8905 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8906 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8909 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8910 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8911 by giving this command a prefix.
8913 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8914 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
8915 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8916 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8917 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8918 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8921 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8922 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8923 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8926 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8927 then ask Deja if that fails:
8930 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8932 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8935 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
8936 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox}
8937 and @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8938 @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder} and @code{nnimap}1 are only able to locate
8939 articles that have been posted to the current group. (Anything else
8940 would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at
8944 @node Alternative Approaches
8945 @section Alternative Approaches
8947 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8948 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8951 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8952 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8957 @subsection Pick and Read
8958 @cindex pick and read
8960 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8961 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8962 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8963 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8965 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8966 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8967 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8968 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8969 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8970 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8972 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8977 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8978 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8979 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8980 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8981 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8982 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8983 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8984 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8987 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8988 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8989 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8990 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8994 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8995 Unpick the thread or article
8996 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8997 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8998 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8999 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9000 the thread or article at that line.
9004 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9005 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9006 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9007 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9008 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9009 will still be visible when you are reading.
9013 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9014 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9015 which is mapped to the same function
9016 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9018 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9021 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9024 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9025 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9027 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9028 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9029 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9031 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9032 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9033 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9034 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9035 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9036 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9037 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9041 @subsection Binary Groups
9042 @cindex binary groups
9044 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9045 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9046 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9047 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9048 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9049 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9050 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9053 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9054 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9055 command, when you have turned on this mode
9056 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9058 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9059 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9063 @section Tree Display
9066 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9067 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9068 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9069 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9072 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9075 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9076 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9077 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9079 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9080 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9081 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9082 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9083 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9085 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9086 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9087 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9088 default is @code{modeline}.
9090 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9091 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9092 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9093 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9094 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9095 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9096 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9102 The name of the poster.
9104 The @code{From} header.
9106 The number of the article.
9108 The opening bracket.
9110 The closing bracket.
9115 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9117 Variables related to the display are:
9120 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9121 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9122 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9123 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9124 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9125 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9127 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9128 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9129 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9130 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9134 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9135 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9136 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9137 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9138 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9139 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9140 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9141 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9142 other windows displayed next to it.
9144 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9148 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9149 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9152 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9153 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9154 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9155 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9156 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9157 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9158 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9162 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9165 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9175 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9179 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9180 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9182 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9184 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9189 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9190 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9191 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9194 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9195 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9196 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9197 (gnus-add-configuration
9201 (summary 0.75 point)
9206 @xref{Window Layout}.
9209 @node Mail Group Commands
9210 @section Mail Group Commands
9211 @cindex mail group commands
9213 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9214 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9216 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9217 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9222 @kindex B e (Summary)
9223 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9224 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9225 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9226 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9227 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9230 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9231 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9232 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9233 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9234 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9235 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9238 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9239 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9240 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9241 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9242 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9243 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9246 @kindex B m (Summary)
9248 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9249 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9250 Move the article from one mail group to another
9251 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9252 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9255 @kindex B c (Summary)
9257 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9258 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9259 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9260 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9261 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9264 @kindex B B (Summary)
9265 @cindex crosspost mail
9266 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9267 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9268 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9269 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9270 be properly updated.
9273 @kindex B i (Summary)
9274 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9275 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9276 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9277 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9280 @kindex B r (Summary)
9281 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9282 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9283 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9284 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9285 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9286 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9287 (which is the default).
9291 @kindex B w (Summary)
9293 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9294 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9295 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9296 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9297 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9298 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9301 @kindex B q (Summary)
9302 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9303 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9304 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9305 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9308 @kindex B t (Summary)
9309 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9310 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9311 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9314 @kindex B p (Summary)
9315 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9316 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9317 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9318 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9319 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9320 article from your news server (or rather, from
9321 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9322 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9323 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9324 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9325 just not have arrived yet.
9329 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9330 @cindex moving articles
9331 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
9332 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9333 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9334 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9335 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9336 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9337 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9340 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9341 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9342 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9343 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9347 @node Various Summary Stuff
9348 @section Various Summary Stuff
9351 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9352 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9353 * Summary Generation Commands::
9354 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9358 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9359 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9360 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9362 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9363 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9364 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9365 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9366 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9367 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9370 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9371 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9372 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9373 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9374 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9376 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9377 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9378 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9381 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9382 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9383 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9384 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9385 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9386 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9387 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
9388 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9389 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9390 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9392 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9393 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9394 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9395 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9396 list of articles to be selected.
9398 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9399 the list in one particular group:
9402 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9403 (if (string= group "some.group")
9404 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9408 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9409 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9410 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9411 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9412 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9413 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9414 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9415 buffers. For example:
9418 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9419 '(message-use-followup-to
9420 (gnus-visible-headers .
9421 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9427 @node Summary Group Information
9428 @subsection Summary Group Information
9433 @kindex H f (Summary)
9434 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9435 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9436 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9437 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9438 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9439 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9440 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9441 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9442 be used for fetching the file.
9445 @kindex H d (Summary)
9446 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9447 Give a brief description of the current group
9448 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9449 rereading the description from the server.
9452 @kindex H h (Summary)
9453 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9454 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9455 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9458 @kindex H i (Summary)
9459 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9460 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9464 @node Searching for Articles
9465 @subsection Searching for Articles
9470 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9471 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9472 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9473 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9476 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9477 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9478 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9479 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9483 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9484 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9485 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9486 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9487 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9488 search backward instead.
9490 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9491 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9494 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9495 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9496 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9497 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9500 @node Summary Generation Commands
9501 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9506 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9507 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9508 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9511 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9512 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9513 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9514 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9519 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9520 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9526 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9527 @kindex A D (Summary)
9528 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9529 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9530 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9531 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9532 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9533 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9534 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9535 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9539 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9540 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9541 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9542 several documents into one biiig group
9543 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9544 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9545 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9546 command understands the process/prefix convention
9547 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9550 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9551 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9552 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9553 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9554 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9555 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9559 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9560 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9561 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9564 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9565 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9566 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9567 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9570 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9571 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9572 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9573 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9578 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9579 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9580 @cindex summary exit
9581 @cindex exiting groups
9583 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9584 group and return you to the group buffer.
9590 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9592 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9593 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9594 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9595 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9596 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9597 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9598 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9599 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9600 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9601 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9602 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9606 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9608 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9609 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9610 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9614 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9616 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9617 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9618 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9619 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9622 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9623 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9624 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9625 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9628 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9629 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9630 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9631 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9634 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9635 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9636 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9637 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9638 all articles, both read and unread.
9642 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9643 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9644 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9645 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9646 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9647 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9648 articles, both read and unread.
9651 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9652 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9653 Exit the group and go to the next group
9654 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9657 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9658 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9659 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9660 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9663 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9664 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9665 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9666 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9667 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9668 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9671 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9672 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9673 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9674 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9676 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9677 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9678 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9679 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9680 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9681 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9682 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9683 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9684 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9685 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9686 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9687 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9689 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9691 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9692 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9693 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9694 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9695 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9696 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9697 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9698 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9699 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9702 @node Crosspost Handling
9703 @section Crosspost Handling
9707 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9708 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9709 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9710 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9711 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9712 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9715 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9716 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9717 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9718 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9719 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9721 @cindex cross-posting
9724 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9725 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9726 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9727 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9728 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9729 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9730 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9731 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9732 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9733 the cross reference mechanism.
9735 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9736 @cindex overview.fmt
9737 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9738 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9739 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9740 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9741 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9742 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9745 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9746 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9747 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9752 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9755 @node Duplicate Suppression
9756 @section Duplicate Suppression
9758 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9759 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9760 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9761 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9766 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9767 is evil and not very common.
9770 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9771 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9774 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9775 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9778 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9781 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9782 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9784 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9785 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9786 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9787 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9788 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9789 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9790 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9793 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9794 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9795 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9796 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9797 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9801 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9802 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9803 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9805 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9806 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9807 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9808 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9809 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
9810 session are suppressed.
9812 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9813 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9814 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9815 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9817 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9818 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9819 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9820 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9823 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
9824 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9825 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9826 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9827 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
9828 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9829 to you to figure out, I think.
9834 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
9835 The formats that are supported are PGP (plain text, RFC 1991 format),
9836 PGP/MIME (RFC 2015/3156) and S/MIME, however you need some external
9837 programs to get things to work:
9841 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9842 gpg.el as well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG). @xref{Using GPG}.
9845 To verify or decrypt S/MIME message, you need to install OpenSSL.
9846 OpenSSL 0.9.6 or newer is recommended.
9850 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
9851 manual. @xref{Security, ,Security, message, The Message Manual}.
9854 @item mm-verify-option
9855 @vindex mm-verify-option
9856 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9857 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9858 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9860 @item mm-decrypt-option
9861 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9862 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9863 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9864 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9869 @section Mailing List
9871 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
9872 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
9873 possibly using @kbd{A M} in the summary buffer, or say:
9876 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
9879 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
9884 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
9885 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
9886 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
9889 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
9890 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
9891 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
9894 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
9895 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
9896 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
9900 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
9901 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
9902 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
9905 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
9906 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9907 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
9910 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
9911 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9912 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
9916 @node Article Buffer
9917 @chapter Article Buffer
9918 @cindex article buffer
9920 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9921 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9922 tell Gnus otherwise.
9925 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9926 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9927 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9928 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9929 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9933 @node Hiding Headers
9934 @section Hiding Headers
9935 @cindex hiding headers
9936 @cindex deleting headers
9938 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9939 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9941 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9942 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9943 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9944 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9945 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9946 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9947 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9948 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9949 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9951 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9955 @item gnus-visible-headers
9956 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9957 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9958 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9959 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9961 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9962 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9965 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9968 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9971 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9972 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9973 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9974 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9975 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9976 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9978 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
9979 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
9982 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9985 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9988 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9989 variable will have no effect.
9993 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9994 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9995 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9996 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9997 the headers are to be displayed.
9999 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10000 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10003 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10006 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10007 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10009 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10010 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10011 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10012 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10013 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10014 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10015 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10018 These conditions are:
10021 Remove all empty headers.
10023 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10024 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10026 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10027 @code{From} header.
10029 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10032 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10033 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10035 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10038 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10040 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10043 To include these three elements, you could say something like;
10046 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10047 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10050 This is also the default value for this variable.
10054 @section Using MIME
10057 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10058 while people stand around yawning.
10060 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10061 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10063 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10064 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10065 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10067 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10068 @findex gnus-display-mime
10069 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10070 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10071 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10072 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
10074 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10078 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10079 @item RET (Article)
10080 @kindex RET (Article)
10081 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10082 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
10083 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
10085 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
10086 @item M-RET (Article)
10087 @kindex M-RET (Article)
10089 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10090 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
10092 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
10094 @kindex t (Article)
10095 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
10096 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
10098 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
10100 @kindex C (Article)
10101 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10102 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
10104 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
10106 @kindex o (Article)
10107 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
10108 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
10110 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
10111 @item C-o (Article)
10112 @kindex C-o (Article)
10113 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
10114 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
10115 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
10116 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
10117 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
10118 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
10120 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
10122 @kindex c (Article)
10123 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
10124 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
10126 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
10128 @kindex p (Article)
10129 Print the @sc{mime} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
10130 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
10131 @file{.mailcap} file.
10133 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
10135 @kindex i (Article)
10136 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
10137 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
10138 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
10139 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
10140 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
10143 @findex gnus-mime-internalize-part
10145 @kindex E (Article)
10146 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
10147 viewer is available, use an external viewer
10148 (@code{gnus-mime-internalize-part}).
10150 @findex gnus-mime-externalize-part
10152 @kindex e (Article)
10153 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
10154 (@code{gnus-mime-externalize-part}).
10156 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
10158 @kindex | (Article)
10159 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
10161 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
10163 @kindex . (Article)
10164 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
10165 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
10169 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
10170 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
10173 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
10174 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
10175 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
10176 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
10177 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
10178 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
10179 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
10180 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
10181 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
10183 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10185 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10188 @node Customizing Articles
10189 @section Customizing Articles
10190 @cindex article customization
10192 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10193 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10194 called automatically when you select the articles.
10196 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10197 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10198 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10199 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10201 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10202 for sensible values.
10206 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10209 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10212 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10215 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10218 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10222 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10223 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10224 regexps in the list.
10227 A list where the first element is not a string:
10229 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10230 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10231 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10235 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10240 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10241 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10242 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10243 considered to contain just a single part.
10245 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10246 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10247 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10248 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10249 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10250 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10251 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10253 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10254 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10255 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10256 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10259 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10260 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10262 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10264 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10265 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10266 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10267 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10268 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10269 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10270 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10271 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10272 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10274 @xref{Article Washing}.
10276 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10277 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10278 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10279 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10280 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10281 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10282 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10284 @xref{Article Date}.
10286 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10287 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10288 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10292 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10294 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10296 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10297 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10298 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10302 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10306 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10307 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10308 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10309 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10310 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10311 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10312 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10313 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10315 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10317 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10318 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10319 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10321 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10323 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10324 @item gnus-treat-translate
10325 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10327 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10328 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10329 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10335 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10336 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10337 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10338 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10339 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10343 @node Article Keymap
10344 @section Article Keymap
10346 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10347 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10348 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10349 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10352 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10357 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10358 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10359 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10362 @kindex DEL (Article)
10363 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10364 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10367 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10368 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10369 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10370 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10371 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10374 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10375 @findex gnus-article-mail
10376 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10377 given a prefix, include the mail.
10380 @kindex s (Article)
10381 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10382 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10383 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10386 @kindex ? (Article)
10387 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10388 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10389 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10392 @kindex TAB (Article)
10393 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10394 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10395 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10398 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10399 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10400 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10406 @section Misc Article
10410 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10411 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10412 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10413 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10416 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10417 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10419 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10420 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10422 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10423 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10424 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10425 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10426 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10427 the contents of the article buffer.
10429 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10430 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10431 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10433 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10434 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10435 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10436 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10438 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10439 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10440 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10441 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10442 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10448 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10449 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10450 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10455 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10458 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10461 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10462 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10463 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10466 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10469 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10472 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10477 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10481 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10483 @item gnus-break-pages
10484 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10485 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10486 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10487 paging will not be done.
10489 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10490 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10491 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10496 @node Composing Messages
10497 @chapter Composing Messages
10498 @cindex composing messages
10501 @cindex sending mail
10507 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10508 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10509 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10510 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
10511 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10512 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10515 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10516 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
10517 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10518 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10519 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10520 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10521 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10522 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
10525 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10526 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10532 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10535 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10536 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10537 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10538 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10540 @item gnus-add-to-list
10541 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10542 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10543 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10548 @node Posting Server
10549 @section Posting Server
10551 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10552 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10554 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10556 @vindex gnus-post-method
10558 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will post using the same
10559 select method as you're reading from (which might be convenient if
10560 you're reading lots of groups from different private servers).
10561 However. If the server you're reading from doesn't allow posting,
10562 just reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
10563 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
10564 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10567 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10570 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10571 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10572 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10573 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10575 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10576 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10578 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10579 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10582 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10583 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10586 @node Mail and Post
10587 @section Mail and Post
10589 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10593 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10594 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10595 @cindex mailing lists
10597 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10598 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10599 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10600 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10601 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10602 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10603 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10604 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10605 still a pain, though.
10609 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10610 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10611 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10614 @findex ispell-message
10616 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10619 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10620 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10623 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10627 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10628 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10630 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10633 Modify to suit your needs.
10636 @node Archived Messages
10637 @section Archived Messages
10638 @cindex archived messages
10639 @cindex sent messages
10641 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10642 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10643 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10644 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10647 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10648 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
10649 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10652 (nnfolder "archive"
10653 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10654 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10655 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10656 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10659 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10660 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10661 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10662 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10665 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10666 '(nnfolder "archive"
10667 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10668 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10669 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10672 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10674 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10675 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10676 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10678 This variable can be used to do the following:
10683 Messages will be saved in that group.
10685 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10686 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10687 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10688 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10689 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10690 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10691 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10692 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10696 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10698 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10699 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10702 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10707 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10709 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10712 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10714 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10717 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10719 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10720 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10721 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10722 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10725 More complex stuff:
10727 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10728 '((if (message-news-p)
10733 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10734 messages in one file per month:
10737 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10738 '((if (message-news-p)
10740 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10743 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10744 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10746 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10747 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10748 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10749 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10750 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10751 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10752 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10753 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10754 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10755 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10757 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10758 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10759 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10760 this will disable archiving.
10763 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10764 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10765 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10766 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10767 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10770 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10771 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10772 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10775 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10776 but the latter is the preferred method.
10778 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10779 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10780 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10785 @node Posting Styles
10786 @section Posting Styles
10787 @cindex posting styles
10790 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10792 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10793 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10794 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10797 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10798 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10799 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10800 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10801 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10806 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10807 (organization "What me?"))
10809 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10810 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10811 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10814 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10815 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10816 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10817 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10818 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10819 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10820 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10821 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10823 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10824 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10825 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header (the
10826 next element in the match) in the original article , and compare that to
10827 the last regexp in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function
10828 will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the
10829 variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be
10830 @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value,
10831 then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10833 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10834 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10835 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10836 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
10837 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
10838 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
10839 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
10840 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
10841 result is thrown away.
10843 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
10844 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
10845 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
10846 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
10847 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
10848 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
10850 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
10851 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
10852 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
10854 @findex message-mail-p
10855 @findex message-news-p
10857 So here's a new example:
10860 (setq gnus-posting-styles
10862 (signature-file "~/.signature")
10864 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
10865 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
10867 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
10868 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
10869 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
10871 (signature my-news-signature))
10872 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
10873 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
10874 ((posting-from-work-p)
10875 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
10876 (address "user@@bar.foo")
10877 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
10878 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
10880 (From (save-excursion
10881 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
10882 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
10884 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
10887 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
10888 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
10889 if you fill many roles.
10896 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
10897 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
10898 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
10899 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
10900 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
10902 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
10903 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
10904 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
10905 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
10906 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
10910 @vindex nndraft-directory
10911 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
10912 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
10913 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
10914 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
10915 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
10916 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
10918 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
10919 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
10922 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
10923 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
10924 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
10925 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
10926 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
10927 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
10928 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10929 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10930 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10931 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10932 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10933 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10934 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
10935 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
10937 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
10938 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
10939 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
10941 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
10942 @kindex D e (Draft)
10943 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
10944 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
10945 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
10947 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10950 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10951 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10952 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10953 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10954 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10955 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10956 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10959 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10960 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10961 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10964 @node Rejected Articles
10965 @section Rejected Articles
10966 @cindex rejected articles
10968 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10969 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10970 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10971 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10973 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
10974 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10975 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10976 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
10977 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10979 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10980 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10981 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10987 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el}. See
10988 @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} to enable Gnus to
10989 verify or decrypt messages accordingly.
10991 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10992 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10996 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10997 (setq mml1991-use 'gpg)
10998 (setq gpg-temp-directory (expand-file-name "~/.gnupg/tmp"))
11001 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
11002 to 700, for your own safety.
11004 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security
11005 menu or @kbd{C-c C-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME,
11006 @kbd{C-c C-m s s} to sign your message using S/MIME. There's also
11007 @kbd{C-c C-m c p} to encrypt your message with PGP/MIME and @kbd{C-c
11008 C-m c s} to encrypt using S/MIME. @xref{Security, ,Security, message,
11009 The Message Manual}.
11011 Gnus will ask for your passphrase and then it will send your message, if
11012 you've typed it correctly.
11014 @node Select Methods
11015 @chapter Select Methods
11016 @cindex foreign groups
11017 @cindex select methods
11019 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11020 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11021 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11022 personal mail group.
11024 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11025 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11026 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11027 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11028 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11029 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11031 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11032 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11034 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11037 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11038 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11039 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11040 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11041 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11043 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11046 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11047 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11048 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11049 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11050 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11051 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11052 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11053 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11057 @node Server Buffer
11058 @section Server Buffer
11060 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11061 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11062 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11063 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11064 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11065 back end represents a virtual server.
11067 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11068 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11069 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11070 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11072 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11073 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11074 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11075 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11076 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11077 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11078 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11080 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11081 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11084 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11085 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11086 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11087 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11088 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11089 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11090 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11093 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11094 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11097 @node Server Buffer Format
11098 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11099 @cindex server buffer format
11101 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11102 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11103 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11104 variable, with some simple extensions:
11109 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11112 The name of this server.
11115 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11118 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11121 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11122 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11123 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11124 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11134 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11137 @node Server Commands
11138 @subsection Server Commands
11139 @cindex server commands
11145 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11146 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11150 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11151 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11154 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11155 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11156 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11160 @findex gnus-server-exit
11161 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11165 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11166 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11170 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11171 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11175 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11176 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11180 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11181 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11185 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11186 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11187 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11192 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11193 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11194 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11195 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11200 @node Example Methods
11201 @subsection Example Methods
11203 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11206 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11209 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11215 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11216 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11219 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11220 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11222 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11223 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11227 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11230 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11231 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11233 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11234 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11235 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11239 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11242 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11245 Here's the method for a public spool:
11249 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11250 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11256 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11257 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11258 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11259 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11260 should probably look something like this:
11264 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11265 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11266 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11267 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11270 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11271 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11272 configuration to the example above:
11275 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11278 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11279 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11280 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11284 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11285 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11286 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11287 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11290 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11291 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11292 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11293 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11296 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11297 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11299 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11300 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11302 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11303 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11304 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11306 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11308 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11309 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11310 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11311 will contain the following:
11321 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11322 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11323 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11326 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11327 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11328 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11331 @node Server Variables
11332 @subsection Server Variables
11334 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11335 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11336 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11337 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11338 won't change the "derived" variables.
11340 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11341 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11342 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11343 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11344 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11345 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11346 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11347 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11348 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11352 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11353 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11354 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11358 @node Servers and Methods
11359 @subsection Servers and Methods
11361 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11362 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11363 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11364 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11368 @node Unavailable Servers
11369 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11371 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11372 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11373 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11374 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11375 actually the case or not.
11377 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11378 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11379 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11380 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11381 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11382 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11383 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11384 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11386 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11387 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11389 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11390 with the following commands:
11396 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11397 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11398 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11402 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11403 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11404 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11408 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11409 Mark the current server as unreachable
11410 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11413 @kindex M-o (Server)
11414 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11415 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11416 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11419 @kindex M-c (Server)
11420 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11421 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11422 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11426 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11427 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11428 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11434 @section Getting News
11435 @cindex reading news
11436 @cindex news back ends
11438 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11439 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11440 or it can read from a local spool.
11443 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11444 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11449 @subsection @sc{nntp}
11452 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11453 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11454 server as the, uhm, address.
11456 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11457 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11458 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11459 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11461 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11462 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11463 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11465 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11470 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11471 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11472 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11474 @cindex authentification
11475 @cindex nntp authentification
11476 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11477 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11478 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11479 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11480 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11481 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11482 present in this hook.
11484 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11485 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11486 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11487 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11488 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11489 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11490 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11491 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11492 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11493 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11494 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11495 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11499 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11502 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11504 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11505 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11506 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11507 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11508 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11509 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11510 @samp{force} is explained below.
11514 Here's an example file:
11517 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11518 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11521 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11522 have to be first, for instance.
11524 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11525 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11526 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11527 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11528 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11529 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11530 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11532 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11533 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11539 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11540 previously mentioned.
11542 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11544 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11545 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11546 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11547 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11548 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11551 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11552 '(("innd" (ding))))
11555 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11557 The default value is
11560 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11561 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11562 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11565 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11566 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11568 @item nntp-maximum-request
11569 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11570 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
11571 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11572 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
11573 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11574 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11575 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11577 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11578 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11579 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11580 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11581 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11582 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11583 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11584 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
11585 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11586 no timeouts are done.
11588 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11589 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11590 @c @cindex PPP connections
11591 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11592 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11593 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11594 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11595 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11596 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11597 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11598 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11599 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11600 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11602 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11603 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11604 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11605 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11606 @c described above.
11608 @item nntp-server-hook
11609 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11610 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11613 @item nntp-buggy-select
11614 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11615 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11617 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11618 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11619 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11620 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11623 @item nntp-xover-commands
11624 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11627 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11628 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11632 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11633 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11634 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11635 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11636 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11637 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11638 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11639 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11640 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11641 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11642 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11644 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11645 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11646 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11648 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11649 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11650 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11651 server closes connection.
11653 @item nntp-record-commands
11654 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11655 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11656 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11657 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11658 that doesn't seem to work.
11660 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11661 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11662 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11663 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11664 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11665 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11666 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11667 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11669 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
11670 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
11671 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
11672 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
11673 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
11674 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
11675 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
11678 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
11681 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
11682 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
11686 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11687 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11688 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11692 @node Direct Functions
11693 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11694 @cindex direct connection functions
11696 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11697 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11698 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11699 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11702 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11703 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11704 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11707 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11708 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11709 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
11710 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
11711 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
11712 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11713 define a server as follows:
11716 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11718 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11720 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11721 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11722 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11723 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11726 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11727 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11728 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11729 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11730 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11731 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11732 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11733 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11737 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11738 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11739 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
11742 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
11743 session, which is not a good idea.
11747 @node Indirect Functions
11748 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
11749 @cindex indirect connection functions
11751 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
11752 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
11753 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
11754 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
11755 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
11756 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11759 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11760 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11761 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
11762 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
11763 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
11765 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11768 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
11769 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
11770 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
11771 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
11774 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11775 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11776 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
11777 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
11779 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11782 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
11783 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
11784 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
11787 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
11788 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
11789 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
11790 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
11792 @item nntp-via-user-password
11793 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
11794 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
11796 @item nntp-via-envuser
11797 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
11798 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
11799 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
11800 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
11802 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
11803 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
11804 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
11805 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
11812 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
11817 @item nntp-via-user-name
11818 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
11819 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
11821 @item nntp-via-address
11822 @vindex nntp-via-address
11823 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
11828 @node Common Variables
11829 @subsubsection Common Variables
11831 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
11832 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
11837 @item nntp-pre-command
11838 @vindex nntp-pre-command
11839 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
11840 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
11841 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
11842 wrapper for instance.
11845 @vindex nntp-address
11846 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
11848 @item nntp-port-number
11849 @vindex nntp-port-number
11850 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
11852 @item nntp-end-of-line
11853 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
11854 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
11855 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
11856 using a non native connection function.
11858 @item nntp-telnet-command
11859 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
11860 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
11861 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
11862 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
11864 @item nntp-telnet-switches
11865 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
11866 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
11873 @subsection News Spool
11877 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
11878 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
11879 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
11882 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
11883 anything else) as the address.
11885 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
11886 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
11887 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
11888 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
11892 @item nnspool-inews-program
11893 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
11894 Program used to post an article.
11896 @item nnspool-inews-switches
11897 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
11898 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
11900 @item nnspool-spool-directory
11901 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
11902 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
11903 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
11905 @item nnspool-nov-directory
11906 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
11907 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
11908 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
11910 @item nnspool-lib-dir
11911 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
11912 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
11914 @item nnspool-active-file
11915 @vindex nnspool-active-file
11916 The path to the active file.
11918 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
11919 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
11920 The path to the group descriptions file.
11922 @item nnspool-history-file
11923 @vindex nnspool-history-file
11924 The path to the news history file.
11926 @item nnspool-active-times-file
11927 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
11928 The path to the active date file.
11930 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
11931 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
11932 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
11935 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11936 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11938 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
11939 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
11940 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
11946 @section Getting Mail
11947 @cindex reading mail
11950 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
11954 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
11955 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
11956 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
11957 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
11958 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
11959 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
11960 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
11961 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
11962 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
11963 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
11964 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
11965 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
11966 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
11970 @node Mail in a Newsreader
11971 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
11973 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
11974 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
11975 of a culture shock.
11977 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
11978 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
11980 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
11981 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
11982 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
11983 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
11985 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
11987 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
11988 deleted? How awful!
11990 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
11991 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
11992 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
11993 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
11996 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
11997 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
11998 they want to treat a message.
12000 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12001 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12002 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12003 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12004 archived somewhere else.
12006 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12007 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12008 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12009 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12010 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12012 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12013 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12014 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12016 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12017 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12020 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12021 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12022 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12023 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12024 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12026 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12027 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12028 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12029 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12030 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12031 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12035 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12036 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12038 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12039 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12040 and things will happen automatically.
12042 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12043 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
12046 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12049 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12050 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12051 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12052 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12053 like any other group.
12055 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12058 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12059 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12060 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12064 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12065 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12066 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12069 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12070 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12071 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12074 @node Splitting Mail
12075 @subsection Splitting Mail
12076 @cindex splitting mail
12077 @cindex mail splitting
12079 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12080 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12081 to be split into groups.
12084 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12085 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12086 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12087 ("mail.other" "")))
12090 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12091 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12092 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12093 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12094 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12095 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12096 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12099 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12102 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12103 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12104 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12105 mail belongs in that group.
12107 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12108 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12109 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12110 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12111 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12112 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12114 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12115 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12116 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12117 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12118 thinks should carry this mail message.
12120 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12121 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12122 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12123 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12125 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12126 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12127 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12128 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12129 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12131 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12134 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12135 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12136 links. If that's the case for you, set
12137 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12138 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12140 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12141 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12142 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12143 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12144 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12145 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12148 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12149 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12150 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12151 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12152 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12153 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12154 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12155 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12156 month's rent money.
12160 @subsection Mail Sources
12162 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12163 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12167 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12168 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12169 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12173 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12174 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12176 @cindex mail server
12179 @cindex mail source
12181 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12182 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12187 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12190 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12191 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12192 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12195 The following mail source types are available:
12199 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12205 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12206 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
12209 An example file mail source:
12212 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12215 Or using the default path:
12221 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12222 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12223 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12226 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12230 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12233 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12237 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12240 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12242 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12245 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12249 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
12250 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
12251 That is, mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in the
12252 group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12253 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12254 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus
12255 to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you
12256 want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12262 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12266 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12270 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12271 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12272 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12273 predicate are considered.
12277 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12281 An example directory mail source:
12284 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12289 Get mail from a POP server.
12295 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12296 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12299 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12300 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12301 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12302 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12303 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12306 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12310 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12314 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12315 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12318 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12321 The valid format specifier characters are:
12325 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12326 included in this string.
12329 The name of the server.
12332 The port number of the server.
12335 The user name to use.
12338 The password to use.
12341 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12342 corresponding keywords.
12345 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12346 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12349 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12350 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12353 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12354 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12357 @item :authentication
12358 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12359 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12364 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12365 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12367 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12368 default user name, and default fetcher:
12374 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12377 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12378 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12381 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12384 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12388 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12389 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12390 contains exactly one mail.
12396 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12397 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12400 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12401 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12403 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12404 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12405 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12408 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12409 from locking problems).
12413 Two example maildir mail sources:
12416 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12417 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12421 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12426 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12427 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12428 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12429 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12432 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12433 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12439 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12440 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12443 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12444 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12447 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12451 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12455 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12456 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12457 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12458 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12460 @item :authentication
12461 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12462 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12463 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12464 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12467 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12468 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12469 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12475 The valid format specifier characters are:
12479 The name of the server.
12482 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12485 The port number of the server.
12488 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12489 corresponding keywords.
12492 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12493 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12496 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12497 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12498 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12499 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
12500 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12501 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
12504 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12505 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
12506 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
12507 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
12510 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
12511 after finishing the fetch.
12515 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
12518 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12520 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12524 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
12525 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
12527 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
12530 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12531 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12533 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
12539 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12540 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12543 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12547 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12551 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12552 folder after finishing the fetch.
12556 An example webmail source:
12559 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12561 :password "secret")
12566 @item Common Keywords
12567 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12573 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12574 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12578 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12583 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12584 useful when you use local mail and news.
12589 @subsubsection Function Interface
12591 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12592 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12593 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12594 consider the following mail-source setting:
12597 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12598 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12601 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12602 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12603 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12604 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12605 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12607 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12610 @node Mail Source Customization
12611 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12613 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12614 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12618 @item mail-source-crash-box
12619 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12620 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12621 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12623 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12624 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12625 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12627 @item mail-source-directory
12628 @vindex mail-source-directory
12629 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12630 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12631 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12634 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12635 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12636 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12637 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12638 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12639 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12641 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12642 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12643 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12645 @item mail-source-movemail-program
12646 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
12647 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
12648 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
12653 @node Fetching Mail
12654 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12656 @vindex mail-sources
12657 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12658 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12659 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12660 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12662 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12663 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12666 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12667 mail server, you'd say something like:
12672 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12673 :password "secret")))
12676 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12680 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12681 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12684 :password "secret")))
12688 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
12689 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
12690 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
12691 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
12692 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
12693 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
12697 @node Mail Back End Variables
12698 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
12700 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12704 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12705 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12706 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12707 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12709 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12710 @item nnmail-split-hook
12711 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12712 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12713 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12714 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12715 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12716 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12717 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12718 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12719 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12722 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12723 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12724 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12725 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12726 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12727 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12728 starting to handle the new mail) and
12729 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12730 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12731 default file modes the new mail files get:
12734 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12735 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
12737 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12738 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
12741 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
12742 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
12743 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
12744 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
12745 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
12746 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
12747 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
12749 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
12750 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
12751 @findex delete-file
12752 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
12754 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12755 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12756 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
12757 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
12758 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
12763 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
12764 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
12765 @cindex mail splitting
12766 @cindex fancy mail splitting
12768 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
12769 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
12770 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
12771 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
12772 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
12773 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
12775 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
12778 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
12779 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
12780 ;; from real errors.
12781 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
12783 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
12784 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
12785 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
12786 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
12787 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
12788 ;; Other mailing lists...
12789 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
12790 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
12791 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
12792 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
12793 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
12794 ;; message was really cross-posted.
12795 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
12796 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
12798 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
12799 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
12803 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
12804 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
12805 the five possible split syntaxes:
12810 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
12811 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
12815 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
12816 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
12817 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
12818 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
12819 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
12820 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
12821 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
12822 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
12825 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12826 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
12827 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
12828 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
12831 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12832 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
12835 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
12836 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
12839 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
12840 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
12841 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
12842 function should return a @var{split}.
12845 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
12846 body of the messages:
12849 (defun split-on-body ()
12851 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
12852 (goto-char (point-min))
12853 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
12857 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
12858 when the @code{:} function is run.
12861 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12862 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
12863 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
12867 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
12871 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
12872 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
12873 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
12874 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
12875 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
12877 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
12878 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
12879 are expanded as specified by the variable
12880 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
12881 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
12884 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
12885 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
12886 when all this splitting is performed.
12888 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
12889 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
12890 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
12893 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
12896 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
12897 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
12899 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
12900 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
12901 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
12902 groupings 1 through 9.
12904 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
12905 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
12906 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
12907 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
12908 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
12909 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
12910 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
12911 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
12912 it once per thread.
12914 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
12915 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
12916 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
12919 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12920 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
12921 ;; other splits go here
12925 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
12926 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
12927 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
12928 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
12929 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
12930 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
12931 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
12932 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
12933 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
12934 unless the group name matches the regexp
12935 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
12936 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
12937 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
12938 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
12939 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12940 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
12941 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
12942 messages goes into the new group.
12945 @node Group Mail Splitting
12946 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
12947 @cindex mail splitting
12948 @cindex group mail splitting
12950 @findex gnus-group-split
12951 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
12952 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
12953 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
12954 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
12955 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
12956 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
12957 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
12958 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
12960 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
12961 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
12962 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
12963 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
12965 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
12966 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
12967 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
12968 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
12969 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
12970 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
12971 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
12973 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
12974 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
12975 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
12976 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
12977 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
12978 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
12979 @code{gnus-group-split}.
12981 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
12982 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
12983 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
12984 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
12985 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
12986 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
12987 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
12988 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
12989 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
12990 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
12991 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
12992 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
12993 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
12995 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13000 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13001 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13003 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13004 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13005 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13006 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13008 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13011 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13012 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13013 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13016 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13017 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13018 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13022 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13023 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13024 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13028 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13031 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13032 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13033 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13034 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13035 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13036 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13037 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13038 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13039 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13041 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13042 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13043 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13044 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13045 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13046 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13047 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13048 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13049 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13051 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13052 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13053 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13054 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13055 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13056 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
13059 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13062 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13063 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13064 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13065 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13066 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13069 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13070 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13071 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13072 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13074 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13075 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13076 @cindex incorporating old mail
13077 @cindex import old mail
13079 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13080 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13081 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13084 Doing so can be quite easy.
13086 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13087 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13088 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13089 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13090 your @code{nnml} groups.
13096 Go to the group buffer.
13099 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13100 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13103 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
13106 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13107 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13110 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13111 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13114 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13115 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13116 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13117 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13118 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13120 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13121 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13122 using the new mail back end.
13125 @node Expiring Mail
13126 @subsection Expiring Mail
13127 @cindex article expiry
13129 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13130 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13131 different approach to mail reading.
13133 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13134 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13135 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13136 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13137 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13138 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13141 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13142 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
13143 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13144 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13145 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13146 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13147 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13148 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13150 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13151 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
13152 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
13153 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
13154 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
13155 column in the summary buffer.
13157 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13158 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13159 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13160 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13163 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13165 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13166 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13167 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13170 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13171 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13172 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13173 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13174 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13176 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13177 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13180 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13181 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13184 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13185 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13187 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13188 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13189 don't really mix very well.
13191 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13192 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13193 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13194 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13197 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13198 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13199 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13200 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13203 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13205 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13207 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13209 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13211 ((string= group "important")
13217 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13218 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13220 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13221 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13222 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13225 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13226 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13228 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13229 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13230 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13231 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13232 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13233 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13234 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13235 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13236 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13237 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13238 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13239 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13240 name or @code{delete}.
13242 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13244 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13247 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13248 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13249 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13250 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13251 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13254 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13255 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13256 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13257 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13258 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13261 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13262 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13263 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13264 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13265 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13266 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13268 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13269 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13270 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13271 easier for procmail users.
13273 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13274 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13275 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13276 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13277 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13278 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13279 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13280 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13281 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13282 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13283 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13284 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13285 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13288 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13290 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13291 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13292 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13293 auto-expire turned on.
13297 @subsection Washing Mail
13298 @cindex mail washing
13299 @cindex list server brain damage
13300 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13302 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13303 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13304 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13305 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13306 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13307 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13309 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13310 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13311 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13314 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13315 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13316 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13317 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13320 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13321 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13322 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13323 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13324 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13327 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13328 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13329 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13330 Emacs running on MS machines.
13334 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13335 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13336 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13337 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13340 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13341 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13342 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13343 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13345 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13346 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13347 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13348 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13349 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13350 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13351 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13354 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13355 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13358 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13359 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13362 This can also be done non-destructively with
13363 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13365 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13366 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13367 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13369 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13370 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13372 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13373 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13374 @code{References} headers.
13378 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13379 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13380 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13384 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13385 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13386 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13393 @subsection Duplicates
13395 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13396 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13397 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13398 @cindex duplicate mails
13399 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13400 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13401 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13402 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13403 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13404 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13405 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13406 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13407 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13408 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13409 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13410 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13411 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13413 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13414 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13415 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13416 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13418 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13421 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13422 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13426 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13427 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13428 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13429 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13430 (any mail "mail.misc")
13437 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13438 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13443 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13444 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13445 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13446 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13447 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13450 @node Not Reading Mail
13451 @subsection Not Reading Mail
13453 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
13454 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
13455 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
13457 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
13458 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
13459 mail, which should help.
13461 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13462 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13463 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13464 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13465 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13466 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
13467 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
13468 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
13469 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
13470 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
13471 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
13473 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
13474 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
13478 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
13479 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
13481 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
13482 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
13483 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
13485 There are five different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
13486 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
13487 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
13488 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
13491 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
13492 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
13493 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
13494 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
13495 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
13496 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
13500 @node Unix Mail Box
13501 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
13503 @cindex unix mail box
13505 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13506 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13507 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
13508 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
13509 which group it belongs in.
13511 Virtual server settings:
13514 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
13515 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13516 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
13519 @item nnmbox-active-file
13520 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13521 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
13522 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
13524 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
13525 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13526 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
13527 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
13532 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
13536 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13537 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13538 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
13539 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
13540 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
13542 Virtual server settings:
13545 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13546 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13547 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13549 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13550 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13551 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13552 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13554 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13555 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13556 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13562 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13564 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13566 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13567 format. It should be used with some caution.
13569 @vindex nnml-directory
13570 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13571 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13572 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13573 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13575 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13578 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13579 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
13580 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13581 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13582 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13583 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13584 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13585 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13587 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
13588 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13589 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
13590 back end when it comes to reading mail.
13592 @cindex self contained nnml servers
13593 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
13594 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13595 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13596 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
13597 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
13598 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
13599 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
13600 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
13603 Virtual server settings:
13606 @item nnml-directory
13607 @vindex nnml-directory
13608 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13609 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13612 @item nnml-active-file
13613 @vindex nnml-active-file
13614 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13615 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13617 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13618 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13619 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13620 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13622 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13623 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13624 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13627 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13628 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13629 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13630 default is @code{nil}.
13632 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13633 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13634 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13636 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13637 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13638 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13640 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
13641 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
13642 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13643 default is @code{nil}.
13645 @item nnml-marks-file-name
13646 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
13647 The name of the @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
13651 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
13652 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
13653 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
13654 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
13655 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
13656 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
13657 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
13662 @subsubsection MH Spool
13664 @cindex mh-e mail spool
13666 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
13667 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
13668 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
13669 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
13671 Virtual server settings:
13674 @item nnmh-directory
13675 @vindex nnmh-directory
13676 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
13677 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13680 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
13681 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13682 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
13686 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
13687 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
13688 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
13689 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
13690 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
13691 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
13692 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
13697 @subsubsection Mail Folders
13699 @cindex mbox folders
13700 @cindex mail folders
13702 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
13703 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
13704 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
13707 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
13708 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
13709 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13710 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13711 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
13712 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
13713 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
13714 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
13715 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
13716 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
13717 @code{nnfolder} directory).
13719 Virtual server settings:
13722 @item nnfolder-directory
13723 @vindex nnfolder-directory
13724 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
13725 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13728 @item nnfolder-active-file
13729 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
13730 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
13732 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13733 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13734 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13735 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
13737 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
13738 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13739 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
13742 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13743 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13744 @cindex backup files
13745 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
13746 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
13747 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
13748 your @file{.emacs} file:
13751 (defun turn-off-backup ()
13752 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
13754 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
13757 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13758 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13759 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
13760 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
13761 extract some information from it before removing it.
13763 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13764 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13765 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13766 default is @code{nil}.
13768 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13769 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13770 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
13772 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
13773 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
13774 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
13775 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13777 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13778 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13779 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13780 default is @code{nil}.
13782 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13783 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13784 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
13786 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
13787 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
13788 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
13789 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13794 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
13795 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
13796 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
13797 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
13798 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
13799 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
13802 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
13803 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
13805 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
13806 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
13807 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
13808 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
13809 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
13811 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
13812 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
13813 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
13814 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
13815 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
13816 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
13817 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
13818 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
13821 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
13822 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
13823 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
13824 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
13829 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
13830 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
13831 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
13832 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
13833 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
13834 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
13835 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
13836 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
13837 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
13838 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
13839 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
13840 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
13841 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
13846 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
13847 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
13848 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
13849 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
13850 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
13851 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
13852 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
13853 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
13854 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
13855 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
13856 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
13857 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
13858 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
13859 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
13861 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
13862 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
13867 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
13868 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
13869 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
13870 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
13871 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
13872 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
13873 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
13874 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
13875 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
13876 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
13877 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
13878 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
13879 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
13880 provided by the active file and overviews.
13882 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
13883 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
13884 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
13885 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
13886 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
13889 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
13890 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
13895 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
13896 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
13897 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
13898 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
13899 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
13900 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
13901 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
13905 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
13906 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
13907 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
13908 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
13909 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
13910 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
13911 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
13912 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
13913 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
13915 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
13916 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
13917 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
13918 friendly mail back end all over.
13923 @node Browsing the Web
13924 @section Browsing the Web
13926 @cindex browsing the web
13930 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
13931 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
13932 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
13933 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
13934 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
13935 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
13936 even know what a news group is.
13938 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
13939 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
13940 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
13941 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
13942 you mad in the end.
13944 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
13947 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
13948 interfaces to these sources.
13952 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
13953 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
13954 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
13955 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
13956 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
13957 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
13960 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
13962 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
13963 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
13964 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
13965 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
13966 though, you should be ok.
13968 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
13969 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
13970 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
13971 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
13972 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
13974 @node Archiving Mail
13975 @subsection Archiving Mail
13976 @cindex archiving mail
13977 @cindex backup of mail
13979 Some of the back ends, notably nnml and nnfolder, now actually store
13980 the article marks with each group. For these servers, archiving and
13981 restoring a group while preserving marks is fairly simple.
13983 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
13984 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @code{.newsrc.eld} deity
13987 To archive an entire @code{nnml} or @code{nnfolder} server, take a
13988 recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need to shut down
13989 Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or similar. You
13990 restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and adding a server
13991 definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The @ref{Article
13992 Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things might interfer
13993 with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus before you
13996 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml} or
13997 @code{nnfolder} groups, while preserving marks. For @code{nnml}, you
13998 copy all files in the group's directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need
13999 to copy both the base folder file itself (@code{FOO}, say), and the
14000 marks file (@code{FOO.mrk} in this example). Restoring the group is
14001 done with @kbd{G m} from the Group buffer. The last step makes Gnus
14002 notice the new directory.
14005 @subsection Web Searches
14009 @cindex InReference
14010 @cindex Usenet searches
14011 @cindex searching the Usenet
14013 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14014 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14015 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14016 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14017 searches without having to use a browser.
14019 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14020 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14021 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14022 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14023 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14025 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14026 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14027 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14028 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14029 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14030 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14031 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14032 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14033 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14034 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14037 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14038 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14039 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14040 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14041 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14042 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14044 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14045 to use @code{nnweb}.
14047 Virtual server variables:
14052 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14053 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
14057 @vindex nnweb-search
14058 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14060 @item nnweb-max-hits
14061 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14062 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14065 @item nnweb-type-definition
14066 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14067 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14068 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14073 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14077 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14080 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14083 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14087 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14094 @subsection Slashdot
14098 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14099 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14100 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14102 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14103 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14106 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14107 '((nnslashdot "")))
14110 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14111 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14112 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14113 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14114 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14117 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14118 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14120 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14121 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14122 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14123 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14124 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14125 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14128 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14131 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14132 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14133 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14134 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14135 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14136 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14137 but much, much slower than untreaded.
14139 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14140 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14141 The login name to use when posting.
14143 @item nnslashdot-password
14144 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14145 The password to use when posting.
14147 @item nnslashdot-directory
14148 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14149 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14150 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14152 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14153 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14154 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14155 news articles and comments. The default is
14156 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14158 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14159 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14160 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14162 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14164 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14165 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14166 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14168 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14170 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14171 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14172 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14174 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14175 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14176 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14177 updated. The default is 0.
14184 @subsection Ultimate
14186 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14188 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14189 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14190 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14191 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14193 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14194 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14195 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14196 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14197 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14198 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14199 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14201 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14204 @item nnultimate-directory
14205 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14206 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14207 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14212 @subsection Web Archive
14214 @cindex Web Archive
14216 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14217 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14218 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14219 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14222 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14223 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14224 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14225 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14226 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14227 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14228 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14230 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14233 @item nnwarchive-directory
14234 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14235 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14236 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14238 @item nnwarchive-login
14239 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14240 The account name on the web server.
14242 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14243 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14244 The password for your account on the web server.
14252 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14253 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14254 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14257 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14258 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14261 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14264 @item nnrss-directory
14265 @vindex nnrss-directory
14266 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14267 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14271 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14272 the summary buffer.
14275 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14276 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14278 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14280 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14281 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14284 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14287 (require 'browse-url)
14289 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14291 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14294 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14295 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14297 (browse-url (cdr url))
14298 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14300 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14301 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14302 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14303 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14306 @node Customizing w3
14307 @subsection Customizing w3
14313 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14314 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14315 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14317 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14318 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14319 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14322 (eval-after-load "w3"
14324 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14325 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
14326 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
14327 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
14329 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
14332 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
14333 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
14342 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14343 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14344 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14345 specify the network address of the server.
14347 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14348 POP can, it can hence be viewed as POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14349 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14350 protocol. (@sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp} because news
14351 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.)
14353 If you want to use @sc{imap} as POP++, use an imap entry in
14354 mail-sources. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the @sc{imap}
14355 server and store them on the local disk. This is not the usage
14356 described in this section. @xref{Mail Sources}.
14358 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14359 entry in gnus-secondary-select-methods. With this, Gnus will
14360 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14361 usage explained in this section.
14363 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14364 might look something like this:
14367 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14368 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14369 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14371 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14372 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14373 ; a UW server running on localhost
14375 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14376 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14377 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14378 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14379 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14380 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14381 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14382 (nnimap-stream network))
14383 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14385 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14386 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14387 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14390 (Note that for SSL/TLS to work, you need the external library
14391 @samp{ssl.el}, see below.)
14393 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14398 @item nnimap-address
14399 @vindex nnimap-address
14401 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14402 server name if not specified.
14404 @item nnimap-server-port
14405 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14406 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14408 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
14411 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14412 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14415 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14416 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14417 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14418 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14419 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14420 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14421 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14423 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14424 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14425 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14428 Example server specification:
14431 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14432 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14433 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14436 @item nnimap-stream
14437 @vindex nnimap-stream
14438 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14439 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14440 of SSL/TLS. (IMAP over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
14441 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
14443 Example server specification:
14446 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14447 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14450 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14454 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Requires the
14455 @samp{imtest} program.
14457 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14459 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14460 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14463 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
14464 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
14465 library @samp{ssl.el}.
14467 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14469 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14472 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14473 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14474 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14475 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14476 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14477 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14478 restrictions on IMAP commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14479 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14480 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14483 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14484 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14485 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14486 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14487 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14488 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14489 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14490 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
14491 distribution, for instance).
14493 @vindex imap-shell-program
14494 @vindex imap-shell-host
14495 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14496 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14498 @item nnimap-authenticator
14499 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14501 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14502 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14504 Example server specification:
14507 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14508 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14511 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14515 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
14516 external program @code{imtest}.
14518 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
14521 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
14522 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14524 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14526 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14528 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14531 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14533 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14534 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14535 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14536 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14537 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14538 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14541 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14542 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14543 running in circles yet?
14545 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14546 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14549 The possible options are:
14554 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14557 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14558 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14559 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14560 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14562 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14567 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14568 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14570 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other IMAP
14571 clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still (only) be
14572 marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand out, just
14573 like ticked articles, in other IMAP clients. (In other words, Gnus has
14574 two ``Tick'' marks and IMAP has only one.)
14576 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14577 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14580 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14581 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14582 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14583 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14586 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14587 as ticked for other users.
14589 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14591 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14593 This variable contain the IMAP search command sent to server when
14594 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14595 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14596 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14598 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14599 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14600 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14601 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14603 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14604 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14606 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14607 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14608 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14614 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14615 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14616 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14621 @node Splitting in IMAP
14622 @subsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14623 @cindex splitting imap mail
14625 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14626 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14627 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14628 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14629 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14633 Here are the variables of interest:
14637 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14638 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14640 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14642 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14643 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14645 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14647 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14648 @cindex splitting, inbox
14650 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14652 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14653 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14657 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14658 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14661 No nnmail equivalent.
14663 @item nnimap-split-rule
14664 @cindex Splitting, rules
14665 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14667 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14670 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14671 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14672 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14673 Neither did I, we need examples.
14676 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14678 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14679 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14680 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14683 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14684 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14685 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14687 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14688 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14692 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14695 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14696 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14697 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14698 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14700 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14701 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14702 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14703 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
14704 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14705 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14707 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14708 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14709 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14711 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14712 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14713 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14715 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
14717 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14718 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14719 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14722 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14723 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14724 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14725 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14726 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14727 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14730 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14731 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14732 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14733 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14734 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14735 group/function elements.
14737 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14739 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14741 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14743 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14744 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14746 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14747 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14748 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14751 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14752 @cindex splitting, fancy
14753 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14754 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14756 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14757 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14758 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14760 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14761 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14762 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14763 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14768 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14769 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14772 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14776 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14777 @subsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14778 @cindex editing imap acls
14779 @cindex Access Control Lists
14780 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14782 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14784 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14785 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14786 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14789 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14790 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14791 editing window with detailed instructions.
14793 Some possible uses:
14797 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14798 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14799 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14801 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14802 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14803 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14807 @node Expunging mailboxes
14808 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
14812 @cindex Manual expunging
14814 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14816 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
14817 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14818 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14820 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14825 @node Other Sources
14826 @section Other Sources
14828 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
14829 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
14833 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
14834 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
14835 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
14836 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
14837 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
14841 @node Directory Groups
14842 @subsection Directory Groups
14844 @cindex directory groups
14846 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
14847 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
14850 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
14851 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
14852 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
14853 back end to read directories. Big deal.
14855 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
14856 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
14857 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
14858 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
14859 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
14861 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
14863 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
14864 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
14865 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
14866 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
14869 @node Anything Groups
14870 @subsection Anything Groups
14873 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
14874 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
14875 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
14878 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
14879 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
14880 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
14881 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
14882 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
14883 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
14884 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
14885 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
14886 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
14887 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
14890 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
14891 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
14892 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
14893 in the article buffer, just as usual.
14895 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
14896 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
14897 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
14898 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
14900 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
14901 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
14902 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
14903 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
14904 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
14905 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
14906 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
14907 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
14912 @item nneething-map-file-directory
14913 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
14914 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
14915 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
14917 @item nneething-exclude-files
14918 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
14919 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
14920 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
14922 @item nneething-include-files
14923 @vindex nneething-include-files
14924 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
14925 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
14927 @item nneething-map-file
14928 @vindex nneething-map-file
14929 Name of the map files.
14933 @node Document Groups
14934 @subsection Document Groups
14936 @cindex documentation group
14939 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
14940 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
14947 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
14952 The standard Unix mbox file.
14954 @cindex MMDF mail box
14956 The MMDF mail box format.
14959 Several news articles appended into a file.
14962 @cindex rnews batch files
14963 The rnews batch transport format.
14964 @cindex forwarded messages
14967 Forwarded articles.
14970 Netscape mail boxes.
14973 MIME multipart messages.
14975 @item standard-digest
14976 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
14979 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
14982 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
14983 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
14984 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
14987 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
14988 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
14989 group. And that's it.
14991 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
14992 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
14993 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
14994 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
14995 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
14996 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
14997 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
14998 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
14999 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15000 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15002 Virtual server variables:
15005 @item nndoc-article-type
15006 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15007 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15008 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15009 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15010 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail},
15011 @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman} or @code{guess}.
15013 @item nndoc-post-type
15014 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15015 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15016 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15021 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
15025 @node Document Server Internals
15026 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
15028 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
15029 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
15030 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
15031 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
15033 First, here's an example document type definition:
15037 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
15038 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
15041 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
15042 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
15043 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
15044 types can be defined with very few settings:
15047 @item first-article
15048 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
15049 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
15052 @item article-begin
15053 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
15054 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
15056 @item head-begin-function
15057 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
15060 @item nndoc-head-begin
15061 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
15064 @item nndoc-head-end
15065 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
15066 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
15068 @item body-begin-function
15069 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
15073 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
15076 @item body-end-function
15077 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
15081 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
15084 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
15085 regexp will be totally ignored.
15089 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
15090 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
15091 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
15092 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
15093 something that's palatable for Gnus:
15096 @item prepare-body-function
15097 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
15098 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
15099 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
15101 @item article-transform-function
15102 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
15103 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
15104 body of the article.
15106 @item generate-head-function
15107 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
15108 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
15109 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
15110 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
15114 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
15119 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15120 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15121 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
15122 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
15123 (head-end . "^ ?$")
15124 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
15125 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
15126 (subtype digest guess))
15129 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
15130 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
15131 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
15132 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
15133 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
15135 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
15136 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
15137 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
15138 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
15139 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
15140 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
15141 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
15142 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
15143 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15144 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15152 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15153 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15154 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15156 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15157 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15158 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15161 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15162 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15163 that interested in doing things properly.
15165 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15166 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15169 First some terminology:
15174 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15175 get news and/or mail from.
15178 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15179 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15182 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15186 @item message packets
15187 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15188 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15189 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15191 @item response packets
15192 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15193 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15194 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15204 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15205 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15206 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15207 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15210 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
15213 You put the packet in your home directory.
15216 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
15217 the native or secondary server.
15220 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
15221 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
15224 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
15228 You transfer this packet to the server.
15231 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
15234 You then repeat until you die.
15238 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
15239 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
15242 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
15243 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
15244 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
15248 @node SOUP Commands
15249 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
15251 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
15255 @kindex G s b (Group)
15256 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
15257 Pack all unread articles in the current group
15258 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
15259 process/prefix convention.
15262 @kindex G s w (Group)
15263 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
15264 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
15267 @kindex G s s (Group)
15268 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
15269 Send all replies from the replies packet
15270 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
15273 @kindex G s p (Group)
15274 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
15275 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
15278 @kindex G s r (Group)
15279 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
15280 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
15283 @kindex O s (Summary)
15284 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
15285 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
15286 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
15287 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15292 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
15297 @item gnus-soup-directory
15298 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
15299 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
15300 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
15302 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
15303 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
15304 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
15305 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
15307 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
15308 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
15309 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
15310 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
15312 @item gnus-soup-packer
15313 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
15314 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15315 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
15317 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
15318 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
15319 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15320 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15322 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
15323 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
15324 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
15326 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15327 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15328 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
15329 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
15335 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
15338 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
15339 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
15340 you can read them at leisure.
15342 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
15346 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
15347 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
15348 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
15349 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
15351 @item nnsoup-directory
15352 @vindex nnsoup-directory
15353 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
15354 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
15356 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
15357 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
15358 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
15359 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
15361 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
15362 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
15363 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
15364 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
15365 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
15367 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
15368 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
15369 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
15370 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
15372 @item nnsoup-active-file
15373 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
15374 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
15375 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
15376 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
15377 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
15379 @item nnsoup-packer
15380 @vindex nnsoup-packer
15381 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
15382 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
15384 @item nnsoup-unpacker
15385 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
15386 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
15387 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15389 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
15390 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
15391 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
15394 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
15395 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
15396 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
15399 @item nnsoup-always-save
15400 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
15401 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
15407 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
15409 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
15410 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
15411 more for that to happen.
15413 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
15414 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
15415 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
15418 In specific, this is what it does:
15421 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
15422 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
15425 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
15426 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
15427 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
15430 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
15431 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
15432 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
15435 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
15436 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
15437 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
15439 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
15445 @item nngateway-address
15446 @vindex nngateway-address
15447 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
15449 @item nngateway-header-transformation
15450 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
15451 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
15452 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
15453 transformation should be called, and defaults to
15454 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
15455 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
15458 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
15459 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
15460 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
15463 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
15466 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
15469 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
15472 The following pre-defined functions exist:
15474 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15477 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15478 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15479 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
15481 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15483 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15484 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15485 @code{nngateway-address}.
15490 (setq gnus-post-method
15492 "mail2news@@replay.com"
15493 (nngateway-header-transformation
15494 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
15502 So, to use this, simply say something like:
15505 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
15510 @node Combined Groups
15511 @section Combined Groups
15513 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
15517 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
15518 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
15522 @node Virtual Groups
15523 @subsection Virtual Groups
15525 @cindex virtual groups
15526 @cindex merging groups
15528 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
15531 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
15532 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
15533 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
15535 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
15536 regexp to match component groups.
15538 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
15539 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
15540 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
15541 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
15542 the virtual group.)
15544 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
15545 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
15548 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
15551 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
15552 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
15554 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
15555 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
15556 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
15557 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
15560 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
15563 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
15564 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
15565 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
15567 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
15568 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
15569 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
15570 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
15571 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
15573 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
15574 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
15575 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
15577 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
15578 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
15579 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
15580 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15581 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
15582 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
15583 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
15584 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
15585 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
15586 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
15587 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
15589 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
15590 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
15591 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
15592 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
15593 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
15594 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
15595 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
15597 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
15598 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
15602 @node Kibozed Groups
15603 @subsection Kibozed Groups
15607 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
15608 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
15609 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
15610 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
15612 @kindex G k (Group)
15613 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
15616 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
15617 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
15618 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
15619 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
15621 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
15622 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
15623 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
15625 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
15626 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
15627 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
15628 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
15629 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
15630 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
15631 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
15632 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
15634 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
15635 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
15636 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
15637 Stranger things have happened.
15639 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
15640 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
15642 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
15643 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
15644 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
15645 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
15646 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
15647 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
15649 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
15650 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
15653 @node Gnus Unplugged
15654 @section Gnus Unplugged
15659 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
15661 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
15662 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
15663 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
15664 read news. Believe it or not.
15666 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
15667 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
15668 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
15669 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
15670 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
15672 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
15673 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
15674 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
15675 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
15676 reading news on a machine.
15678 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
15682 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
15683 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
15687 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
15688 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15695 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
15697 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
15700 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
15701 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
15702 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
15703 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
15704 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
15705 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
15706 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
15707 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
15708 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
15709 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
15714 @subsection Agent Basics
15716 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
15718 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
15719 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
15720 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
15721 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
15723 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
15724 connected to the net continuously.
15726 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
15727 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
15729 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
15734 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
15735 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
15736 already fetched while in this mode.
15739 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
15740 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
15741 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
15742 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
15743 Source Specifiers}).
15746 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
15747 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
15748 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
15749 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
15750 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
15753 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
15754 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
15755 then you read the news offline.
15758 And then you go to step 2.
15761 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
15767 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
15768 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
15769 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
15770 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
15771 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
15772 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
15775 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
15782 @node Agent Categories
15783 @subsection Agent Categories
15785 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
15786 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
15787 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
15788 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
15789 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
15790 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
15791 you're interested in the articles anyway.
15793 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
15794 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
15795 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
15796 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
15797 managing categories.
15800 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
15801 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
15802 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
15806 @node Category Syntax
15807 @subsubsection Category Syntax
15809 A category consists of two things.
15813 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
15814 are eligible for downloading; and
15817 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
15818 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
15819 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
15822 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
15823 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
15824 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
15825 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
15827 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
15828 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
15829 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
15831 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
15832 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
15833 operators sprinkled in between.
15835 Perhaps some examples are in order.
15837 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
15838 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
15844 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
15845 short (for some value of ``short'').
15847 Here's a more complex predicate:
15856 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
15857 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
15860 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
15861 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
15862 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
15864 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
15865 you want to do, you can write your own.
15869 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
15870 lines; default 100.
15873 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
15874 lines; default 200.
15877 True iff the article has a download score less than
15878 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
15881 True iff the article has a download score greater than
15882 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
15885 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
15886 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
15887 checksum and sees whether articles match.
15896 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
15897 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
15898 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
15901 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
15902 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
15903 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
15904 something along the lines of the following:
15907 (defun my-article-old-p ()
15908 "Say whether an article is old."
15909 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
15910 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
15913 with the predicate then defined as:
15916 (not my-article-old-p)
15919 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
15920 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
15921 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
15922 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
15925 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
15926 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
15927 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
15930 and simply specify your predicate as:
15936 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
15937 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
15938 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
15939 just don't give a damn.
15941 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
15942 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
15943 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
15944 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
15945 parameters like so:
15948 (agent-predicate . short)
15951 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
15952 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
15953 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
15955 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
15958 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
15961 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
15962 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
15963 predicate is assumed to be a list.
15966 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
15967 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
15968 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
15969 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
15970 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
15971 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
15973 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
15974 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
15975 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
15976 if it's to be specific to that group.
15978 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
15985 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
15986 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
15992 Category specification
15996 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16002 Group Parameter specification
16005 (agent-score ("from"
16006 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16011 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16017 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
16024 Category specification
16027 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
16033 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
16037 Group Parameter specification
16040 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
16043 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
16048 Use @code{normal} score files
16050 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
16051 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
16052 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
16053 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
16055 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
16056 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
16057 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
16058 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
16062 Category Specification
16069 Group Parameter specification
16072 (agent-score . file)
16077 @node Category Buffer
16078 @subsubsection Category Buffer
16080 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
16081 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
16082 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
16084 The following commands are available in this buffer:
16088 @kindex q (Category)
16089 @findex gnus-category-exit
16090 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
16093 @kindex k (Category)
16094 @findex gnus-category-kill
16095 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
16098 @kindex c (Category)
16099 @findex gnus-category-copy
16100 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
16103 @kindex a (Category)
16104 @findex gnus-category-add
16105 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
16108 @kindex p (Category)
16109 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
16110 Edit the predicate of the current category
16111 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
16114 @kindex g (Category)
16115 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
16116 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
16117 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
16120 @kindex s (Category)
16121 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
16122 Edit the download score rule of the current category
16123 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
16126 @kindex l (Category)
16127 @findex gnus-category-list
16128 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
16132 @node Category Variables
16133 @subsubsection Category Variables
16136 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
16137 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
16138 Hook run in category buffers.
16140 @item gnus-category-line-format
16141 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
16142 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
16143 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16147 The name of the category.
16150 The number of groups in the category.
16153 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16154 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16155 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16157 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16158 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16159 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16161 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16162 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16163 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16165 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16166 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16167 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16170 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16171 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16172 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16178 @node Agent Commands
16179 @subsection Agent Commands
16181 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16182 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16183 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16187 * Group Agent Commands::
16188 * Summary Agent Commands::
16189 * Server Agent Commands::
16192 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
16193 following incantation:
16195 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
16197 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
16202 @node Group Agent Commands
16203 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16207 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16208 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16209 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16210 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16213 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16214 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16215 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
16218 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
16219 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
16220 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
16221 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
16224 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
16225 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
16226 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
16227 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
16230 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
16231 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
16232 Add the current group to an Agent category
16233 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
16234 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16237 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
16238 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
16239 Remove the current group from its category, if any
16240 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
16241 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16244 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
16245 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16246 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
16252 @node Summary Agent Commands
16253 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
16257 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
16258 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
16259 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
16262 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
16263 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
16264 Remove the downloading mark from the article
16265 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
16268 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
16269 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
16270 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
16273 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
16274 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
16275 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
16278 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
16279 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
16280 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
16281 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
16286 @node Server Agent Commands
16287 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
16291 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
16292 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
16293 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
16294 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
16297 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
16298 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
16299 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
16300 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
16306 @subsection Agent Expiry
16308 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
16309 @findex gnus-agent-expire
16310 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
16311 @cindex Agent expiry
16312 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
16315 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
16316 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
16317 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
16318 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
16319 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
16320 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
16322 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
16323 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
16324 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
16325 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
16326 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
16329 @node Agent and IMAP
16330 @subsection Agent and IMAP
16332 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
16333 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
16334 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
16335 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
16337 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
16338 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
16339 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
16340 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
16342 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
16343 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
16344 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
16345 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
16346 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
16348 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16349 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
16350 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
16351 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
16352 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
16353 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
16355 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
16356 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
16357 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
16358 in the group buffer by default.
16360 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
16361 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
16366 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
16369 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
16373 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
16374 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
16375 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
16376 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
16377 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
16378 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
16379 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
16380 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
16383 @node Outgoing Messages
16384 @subsection Outgoing Messages
16386 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
16387 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
16388 after posting, and edit them at will.
16390 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
16391 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
16392 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
16393 messages in the draft group.
16397 @node Agent Variables
16398 @subsection Agent Variables
16401 @item gnus-agent-directory
16402 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
16403 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
16404 @file{~/News/agent/}.
16406 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
16407 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
16408 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
16409 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
16410 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
16413 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16414 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16415 Hook run when connecting to the network.
16417 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16418 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16419 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
16424 @node Example Setup
16425 @subsection Example Setup
16427 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
16428 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
16429 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
16432 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
16433 ;;; from your ISP's server.
16434 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
16436 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
16437 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
16438 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
16440 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
16441 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
16443 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
16447 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
16448 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
16451 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
16452 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
16453 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
16454 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
16455 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
16458 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
16459 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
16460 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
16461 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
16462 back all the killed groups.)
16464 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
16465 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
16466 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
16469 @node Batching Agents
16470 @subsection Batching Agents
16472 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
16473 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
16474 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
16478 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
16482 @node Agent Caveats
16483 @subsection Agent Caveats
16485 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
16486 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
16490 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
16495 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
16496 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
16502 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
16503 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
16510 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
16511 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
16512 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
16515 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
16516 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
16517 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
16518 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
16519 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
16521 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
16522 before generating the summary buffer.
16524 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
16525 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
16526 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
16528 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
16529 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
16530 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
16531 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
16534 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
16535 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
16536 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
16537 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
16538 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
16539 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
16540 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
16541 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
16542 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
16543 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
16544 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
16545 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
16546 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
16547 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
16548 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
16549 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
16550 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
16554 @node Summary Score Commands
16555 @section Summary Score Commands
16556 @cindex score commands
16558 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
16559 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
16560 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
16561 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
16562 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
16564 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
16565 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
16566 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
16567 score file the current one.
16569 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
16574 @kindex V s (Summary)
16575 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
16576 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
16579 @kindex V S (Summary)
16580 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
16581 Display the score of the current article
16582 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
16585 @kindex V t (Summary)
16586 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
16587 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
16588 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
16591 @kindex V R (Summary)
16592 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
16593 Run the current summary through the scoring process
16594 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
16595 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
16596 effect you're having.
16599 @kindex V c (Summary)
16600 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
16601 Make a different score file the current
16602 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
16605 @kindex V e (Summary)
16606 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
16607 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
16608 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
16612 @kindex V f (Summary)
16613 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
16614 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
16615 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
16618 @kindex V F (Summary)
16619 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16620 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
16621 after editing score files.
16624 @kindex V C (Summary)
16625 @findex gnus-score-customize
16626 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
16627 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
16631 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
16636 @kindex V m (Summary)
16637 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
16638 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
16639 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
16642 @kindex V x (Summary)
16643 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
16644 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
16645 expunge all articles below this score
16646 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
16649 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
16650 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
16653 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
16654 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
16658 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
16659 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
16661 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
16662 keys are available:
16666 Score on the author name.
16669 Score on the subject line.
16672 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
16675 Score on the @code{References} line.
16681 Score on the number of lines.
16684 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
16687 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
16688 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
16689 @file{ADAPT} files.)
16698 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
16704 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
16705 what headers you are scoring on.
16717 Substring matching.
16720 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
16749 Greater than number.
16754 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
16755 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
16756 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
16760 Temporary score entry.
16763 Permanent score entry.
16766 Immediately scoring.
16771 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
16772 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
16773 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
16774 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
16776 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
16777 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
16778 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
16779 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
16780 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
16782 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
16783 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
16784 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
16785 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
16786 current score file.
16788 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
16789 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
16790 pretend they are keymaps or not.
16793 @node Group Score Commands
16794 @section Group Score Commands
16795 @cindex group score commands
16797 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
16802 @kindex W f (Group)
16803 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16804 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
16805 all the time. This command will flush the cache
16806 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
16810 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
16812 @findex gnus-batch-score
16813 @cindex batch scoring
16815 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
16819 @node Score Variables
16820 @section Score Variables
16821 @cindex score variables
16825 @item gnus-use-scoring
16826 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
16827 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
16828 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
16830 @item gnus-kill-killed
16831 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
16832 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
16833 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
16834 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
16835 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
16836 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
16837 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
16839 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
16840 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
16841 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
16842 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
16843 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
16845 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
16846 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
16847 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
16848 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
16850 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16851 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16852 @cindex score cache
16853 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
16854 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
16855 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
16856 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
16857 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
16858 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
16861 @item gnus-save-score
16862 @vindex gnus-save-score
16863 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
16864 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
16865 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
16867 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
16868 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
16869 across group visits.
16871 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16872 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16873 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
16874 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
16875 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
16876 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
16877 manually entered data.
16879 @item gnus-summary-default-score
16880 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
16881 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
16883 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
16884 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
16885 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
16886 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
16887 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
16888 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
16890 @item gnus-score-over-mark
16891 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
16892 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
16893 default. Default is @samp{+}.
16895 @item gnus-score-below-mark
16896 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
16897 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
16898 default. Default is @samp{-}.
16900 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16901 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16902 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
16903 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
16905 Predefined functions available are:
16908 @item gnus-score-find-single
16909 @findex gnus-score-find-single
16910 Only apply the group's own score file.
16912 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
16913 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
16914 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
16915 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
16916 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
16917 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
16918 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
16919 then a regexp match is done.
16921 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
16922 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
16924 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
16925 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
16926 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
16927 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
16929 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16930 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16931 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
16932 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
16933 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
16937 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
16938 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
16939 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
16940 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
16941 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
16942 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
16943 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
16946 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
16947 overall score file, you could use the value
16949 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
16950 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
16953 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
16954 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
16955 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
16956 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
16957 are expired. It's 7 by default.
16959 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16960 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16961 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
16962 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
16963 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
16964 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
16965 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
16968 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16969 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16970 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
16972 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
16973 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
16974 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
16975 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
16976 threading---according to the current value of
16977 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
16978 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
16979 simplified in this manner.
16984 @node Score File Format
16985 @section Score File Format
16986 @cindex score file format
16988 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
16989 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
16990 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
16992 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
16996 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
16998 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
17000 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
17002 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
17007 (mark-and-expunge -10)
17011 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
17012 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
17013 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
17014 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
17018 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
17019 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
17021 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
17022 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
17023 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
17025 Six keys are supported by this alist:
17030 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
17031 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
17032 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
17033 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
17034 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
17035 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
17036 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
17037 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
17038 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
17039 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
17040 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
17041 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
17042 to articles that matches these score entries.
17044 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
17045 score entry has one to four elements.
17049 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
17050 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
17054 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
17055 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
17056 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
17057 is successful. If this element is not present, the
17058 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
17059 instead. This is 1000 by default.
17062 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
17063 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
17064 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
17065 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
17066 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
17069 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
17070 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
17071 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
17072 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
17075 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
17076 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
17077 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
17078 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
17079 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
17080 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
17081 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
17082 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
17083 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
17084 instead, if you feel like.
17087 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
17088 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
17090 These predicates are true if
17093 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
17096 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
17097 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
17104 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
17105 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
17106 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
17107 it's not. I think.)
17109 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
17110 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
17111 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
17112 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
17115 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
17116 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
17117 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
17118 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
17119 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
17120 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
17121 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
17125 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
17126 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
17127 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
17128 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
17129 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
17130 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
17131 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
17132 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
17135 @item Head, Body, All
17136 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
17140 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
17141 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
17142 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
17143 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
17144 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
17145 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
17146 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
17150 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
17151 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
17152 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
17153 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
17154 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
17155 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
17156 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
17157 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
17158 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
17159 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
17160 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
17164 @cindex Score File Atoms
17166 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17167 lower than this number will be marked as read.
17170 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17171 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
17173 @item mark-and-expunge
17174 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17175 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
17178 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
17179 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
17180 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
17181 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
17182 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
17185 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
17186 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
17189 @item exclude-files
17190 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
17191 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
17195 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
17196 ignored when handling global score files.
17199 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
17200 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
17201 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
17202 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
17205 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
17206 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
17207 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
17208 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
17210 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
17214 (mark-and-expunge -100)
17217 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
17218 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
17219 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
17220 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
17221 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
17223 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
17224 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
17225 scoring rules exist.
17228 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
17229 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
17230 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
17231 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
17232 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
17233 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
17234 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17235 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
17236 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
17237 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
17238 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
17242 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
17243 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
17244 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
17245 file for a number of groups.
17248 @cindex local variables
17249 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
17250 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
17251 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
17252 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
17253 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
17257 @node Score File Editing
17258 @section Score File Editing
17260 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
17261 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
17262 with a mode for that.
17264 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
17265 additional commands:
17270 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
17271 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
17272 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
17273 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
17276 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
17277 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
17278 Insert the current date in numerical format
17279 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
17280 you were wondering.
17283 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
17284 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
17285 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
17286 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
17287 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
17292 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
17294 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
17295 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
17297 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
17298 e} to begin editing score files.
17301 @node Adaptive Scoring
17302 @section Adaptive Scoring
17303 @cindex adaptive scoring
17305 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
17306 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
17307 stupidity, to be precise.
17309 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
17310 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
17311 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
17312 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
17313 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17314 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
17315 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
17316 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
17317 variable to @code{(word line)}.
17319 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17320 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
17321 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
17322 might look something like this:
17325 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17326 '((gnus-unread-mark)
17327 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
17328 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
17329 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
17330 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
17331 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
17332 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
17333 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
17334 (gnus-ancient-mark)
17335 (gnus-low-score-mark)
17336 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
17339 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
17340 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
17341 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
17342 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
17343 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
17344 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
17347 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
17348 will be applied to each article.
17350 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
17351 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
17352 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
17353 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
17355 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
17356 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
17357 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
17358 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
17360 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
17361 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
17362 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
17363 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
17365 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
17366 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
17367 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
17368 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
17369 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
17370 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
17372 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
17373 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
17374 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
17375 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
17376 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
17377 aspirins afterwards.)
17379 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
17380 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
17381 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
17383 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
17384 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
17385 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
17387 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
17388 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
17389 let you use different rules in different groups.
17391 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
17392 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
17393 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
17396 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
17397 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
17398 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
17399 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
17400 the length of the match is less than
17401 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
17402 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
17405 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17406 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
17407 headers. If you adapt on words, the
17408 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
17409 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
17412 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17413 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
17414 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
17415 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
17416 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
17419 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
17420 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
17421 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
17422 score with 30 points.
17424 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
17425 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
17426 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
17427 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
17428 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
17430 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
17431 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
17432 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
17433 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
17434 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
17436 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
17437 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
17438 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
17439 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
17441 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
17442 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
17443 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
17444 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
17446 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
17447 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
17448 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
17449 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
17450 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
17452 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
17453 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
17454 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
17456 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
17457 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
17458 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
17459 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
17462 @node Home Score File
17463 @section Home Score File
17465 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
17466 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
17467 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
17468 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
17470 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
17471 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
17472 could perhaps use the same home score file.
17474 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
17475 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
17480 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
17484 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
17485 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
17489 A list. The elements in this list can be:
17493 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
17494 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
17497 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
17498 the home score file.
17501 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
17504 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
17509 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
17512 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17513 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
17516 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
17517 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
17519 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
17521 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17522 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
17525 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
17526 Other functions include
17529 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
17530 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
17531 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
17532 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
17536 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
17537 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
17538 their own home score files:
17541 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17542 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
17543 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
17544 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
17545 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
17548 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
17549 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
17550 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
17551 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
17552 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
17554 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
17555 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
17556 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
17557 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
17558 precedence over this variable.
17561 @node Followups To Yourself
17562 @section Followups To Yourself
17564 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
17565 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
17566 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
17567 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
17568 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
17569 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
17573 @item gnus-score-followup-article
17574 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
17575 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
17578 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
17579 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
17580 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
17584 @vindex message-sent-hook
17585 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
17586 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
17588 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
17592 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
17593 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
17597 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17598 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17601 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
17602 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
17607 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
17611 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
17612 is system-dependent.
17615 @node Scoring On Other Headers
17616 @section Scoring On Other Headers
17617 @cindex scoring on other headers
17619 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
17620 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
17621 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
17622 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
17623 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
17625 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
17626 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
17627 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
17628 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
17629 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
17631 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17634 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
17635 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
17638 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
17639 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
17640 time if you have much mail.
17642 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
17643 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
17649 @section Scoring Tips
17650 @cindex scoring tips
17656 @cindex scoring crossposts
17657 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
17658 the @code{Xref} header.
17660 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
17663 @item Multiple crossposts
17664 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
17665 more than, say, 3 groups:
17668 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
17672 @item Matching on the body
17673 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
17674 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
17675 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
17676 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
17677 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
17678 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
17679 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
17682 @item Marking as read
17683 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
17684 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
17685 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
17689 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
17691 @item Negated character classes
17692 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
17693 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
17694 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
17698 @node Reverse Scoring
17699 @section Reverse Scoring
17700 @cindex reverse scoring
17702 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
17703 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
17704 like this in your score file:
17708 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
17713 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
17714 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
17717 @node Global Score Files
17718 @section Global Score Files
17719 @cindex global score files
17721 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
17722 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
17723 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
17725 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
17726 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
17727 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
17729 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
17730 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
17731 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
17732 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
17733 files are applicable to which group.
17735 To use the score file
17736 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
17737 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
17741 (setq gnus-global-score-files
17742 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
17743 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
17746 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
17748 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
17749 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
17750 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
17751 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
17753 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
17754 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
17756 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
17757 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
17758 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
17759 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
17760 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
17761 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
17763 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
17769 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
17771 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
17773 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
17775 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
17776 lowered out of existence.
17778 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
17779 articles completely.
17782 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
17783 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
17784 old articles for a long time.
17787 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
17788 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
17789 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
17790 holding our breath yet?
17794 @section Kill Files
17797 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
17798 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
17799 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
17801 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
17802 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
17803 files into score files.
17805 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
17806 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
17807 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
17808 that isn't a very good idea.
17810 Normal kill files look like this:
17813 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17814 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
17818 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
17819 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
17821 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
17822 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
17825 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
17830 @kindex M-k (Summary)
17831 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
17832 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
17835 @kindex M-K (Summary)
17836 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
17837 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
17840 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
17845 @kindex M-k (Group)
17846 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
17847 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
17850 @kindex M-K (Group)
17851 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
17852 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
17855 Kill file variables:
17858 @item gnus-kill-file-name
17859 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
17860 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
17861 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
17862 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
17863 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
17864 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
17866 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17867 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17868 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
17869 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
17872 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
17873 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
17874 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
17875 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
17876 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
17877 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
17878 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
17879 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
17880 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
17882 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17883 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17884 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
17889 @node Converting Kill Files
17890 @section Converting Kill Files
17892 @cindex converting kill files
17894 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
17895 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
17896 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
17899 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
17900 You can fetch it from
17901 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
17903 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
17904 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
17905 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
17913 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
17914 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
17915 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
17916 news articles generated every day.
17918 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
17919 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
17920 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
17921 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
17922 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
17923 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
17924 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
17925 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
17928 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
17929 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
17932 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
17933 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
17934 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
17935 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
17939 @node Using GroupLens
17940 @subsection Using GroupLens
17942 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
17944 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
17945 better bit in town at the moment.
17947 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
17951 @item gnus-use-grouplens
17952 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
17953 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
17954 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
17956 @item grouplens-pseudonym
17957 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
17958 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
17959 with the Better Bit Bureau.
17961 @item grouplens-newsgroups
17962 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
17963 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
17967 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
17968 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
17969 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
17970 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
17971 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
17972 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
17975 @node Rating Articles
17976 @subsection Rating Articles
17978 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
17979 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
17980 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
17981 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
17984 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
17989 @kindex r (GroupLens)
17990 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
17991 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
17994 @kindex k (GroupLens)
17995 @findex grouplens-score-thread
17996 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
17997 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
17998 threads in rec.humor.
18002 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
18003 the score of the article you're reading.
18008 @kindex n (GroupLens)
18009 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
18010 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
18013 @kindex , (GroupLens)
18014 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
18015 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
18019 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
18020 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
18023 @node Displaying Predictions
18024 @subsection Displaying Predictions
18026 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
18027 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
18028 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
18029 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
18030 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
18032 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
18033 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
18034 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
18035 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
18036 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
18037 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
18038 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
18039 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
18040 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
18041 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
18042 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
18043 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
18044 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
18046 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
18047 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
18048 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
18049 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
18051 The following are valid values for that variable.
18054 @item prediction-spot
18055 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
18058 @item confidence-interval
18059 A numeric confidence interval.
18061 @item prediction-bar
18062 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
18064 @item confidence-bar
18065 Numerical confidence.
18067 @item confidence-spot
18068 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
18070 @item prediction-num
18071 Plain-old numeric value.
18073 @item confidence-plus-minus
18074 Prediction +/- confidence.
18079 @node GroupLens Variables
18080 @subsection GroupLens Variables
18084 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
18085 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
18086 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
18087 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
18090 @item grouplens-bbb-host
18091 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
18094 @item grouplens-bbb-port
18095 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
18097 @item grouplens-score-offset
18098 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
18099 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
18102 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
18103 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
18104 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
18109 @node Advanced Scoring
18110 @section Advanced Scoring
18112 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
18113 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
18114 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
18115 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
18116 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
18118 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
18122 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
18123 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
18124 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
18128 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
18129 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
18131 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
18132 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
18133 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
18134 non-@code{nil} value.
18136 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
18137 operator, and various match operators.
18144 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18145 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
18146 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
18151 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18152 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
18153 then this operator will return @code{false}.
18158 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
18159 logical negation of the value of its argument.
18163 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
18164 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
18165 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
18166 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
18167 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
18168 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
18169 the ancestry you want to go.
18171 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
18172 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
18173 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
18174 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
18175 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
18178 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
18179 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
18181 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
18182 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
18185 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
18186 when he's talking about Gnus:
18190 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18191 ("subject" "Gnus"))
18197 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
18201 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18208 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
18209 really don't want to read what he's written:
18213 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18214 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
18218 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
18219 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
18220 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
18227 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
18228 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
18229 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
18230 ("body" "white.*socks"))
18234 The possibilities are endless.
18237 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
18238 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
18240 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
18241 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
18242 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
18243 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
18244 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
18245 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
18246 @samp{subject}) first.
18248 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
18249 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
18260 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
18261 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
18267 ("subject" "Gnus")))
18274 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
18275 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
18280 @section Score Decays
18281 @cindex score decays
18284 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
18285 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
18286 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
18287 use them in any sensible way.
18289 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
18290 @findex gnus-decay-score
18291 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
18292 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
18293 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
18294 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
18295 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
18296 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
18297 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
18298 definition of that function:
18301 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
18303 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
18304 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
18307 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
18309 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
18311 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
18314 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
18315 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
18316 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
18317 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
18321 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
18324 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
18327 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
18331 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
18332 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
18333 the new score, which should be an integer.
18335 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
18336 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
18341 @include message.texi
18342 @chapter Emacs MIME
18343 @include emacs-mime.texi
18345 @include sieve.texi
18353 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
18354 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
18355 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
18356 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
18357 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
18358 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
18359 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
18360 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
18361 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
18362 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
18363 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
18364 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
18365 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
18366 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
18367 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
18368 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
18369 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
18370 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
18371 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
18375 @node Process/Prefix
18376 @section Process/Prefix
18377 @cindex process/prefix convention
18379 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
18380 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
18382 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
18383 command to be performed on.
18387 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
18388 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
18389 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
18390 with the current one.
18392 @vindex transient-mark-mode
18393 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
18394 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
18396 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
18397 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
18400 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
18401 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
18403 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
18406 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
18407 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
18408 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
18409 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
18411 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
18412 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
18413 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
18414 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
18415 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
18416 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
18417 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
18418 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
18420 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
18421 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
18422 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
18423 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
18424 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
18428 @section Interactive
18429 @cindex interaction
18433 @item gnus-novice-user
18434 @vindex gnus-novice-user
18435 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
18436 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
18437 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
18438 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
18441 @item gnus-expert-user
18442 @vindex gnus-expert-user
18443 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
18444 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
18445 matter how strange.
18447 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
18448 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
18449 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
18450 is @code{t} by default.
18452 @item gnus-interactive-exit
18453 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
18454 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18459 @node Symbolic Prefixes
18460 @section Symbolic Prefixes
18461 @cindex symbolic prefixes
18463 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
18464 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
18465 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
18466 rule of 900 to the current article.
18468 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
18469 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
18470 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
18471 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
18472 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
18473 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
18474 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
18476 @kindex M-i (Summary)
18477 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
18478 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
18479 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
18480 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
18481 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
18482 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
18483 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
18484 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
18486 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
18487 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
18488 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
18490 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
18494 @node Formatting Variables
18495 @section Formatting Variables
18496 @cindex formatting variables
18498 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
18499 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
18500 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
18501 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
18502 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
18505 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
18506 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
18507 lots of percentages everywhere.
18510 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
18511 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
18512 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
18513 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
18514 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
18515 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
18516 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
18517 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
18520 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
18521 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
18522 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
18523 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
18524 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
18525 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
18526 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
18527 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
18529 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
18530 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
18532 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
18533 @findex gnus-update-format
18534 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
18535 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
18536 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
18537 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
18541 @node Formatting Basics
18542 @subsection Formatting Basics
18544 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
18545 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
18546 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
18548 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
18549 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
18550 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
18551 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
18552 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
18555 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
18556 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
18557 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
18558 less than 4 characters wide.
18560 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
18561 @samp{%&user-date;}.
18564 @node Mode Line Formatting
18565 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
18567 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
18568 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
18569 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
18570 with the following two differences:
18575 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
18578 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
18579 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
18580 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
18581 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
18582 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
18583 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
18584 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
18589 @node Advanced Formatting
18590 @subsection Advanced Formatting
18592 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
18593 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
18594 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
18595 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
18597 These are the valid modifiers:
18602 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
18606 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
18611 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
18614 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
18619 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
18622 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
18625 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
18628 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
18632 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
18633 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
18634 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
18635 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
18636 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
18637 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
18638 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
18640 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
18641 last operation, padding.
18643 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
18644 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
18645 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
18646 @xref{Compilation}.
18649 @node User-Defined Specs
18650 @subsection User-Defined Specs
18652 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
18653 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
18654 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
18655 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
18656 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
18657 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
18658 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
18659 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
18660 should protect against that.
18662 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
18663 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
18665 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
18666 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
18667 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
18668 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
18672 @node Formatting Fonts
18673 @subsection Formatting Fonts
18675 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
18676 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
18677 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
18678 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
18681 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
18682 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
18683 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
18684 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
18685 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
18686 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
18688 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
18689 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
18690 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
18691 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
18692 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
18693 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
18694 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
18695 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
18697 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
18700 ;; Create three face types.
18701 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
18702 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
18704 ;; We want the article count to be in
18705 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
18706 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
18707 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
18709 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
18710 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
18712 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
18713 (setq gnus-group-line-format
18714 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
18717 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
18718 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
18720 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
18721 mode-line variables.
18723 @node Positioning Point
18724 @subsection Positioning Point
18726 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
18727 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
18728 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
18730 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
18732 @findex gnus-goto-colon
18733 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
18734 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
18736 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
18737 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
18738 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
18743 @subsection Tabulation
18745 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
18746 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
18747 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
18748 about lining up the following text afterwards.
18750 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
18751 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
18753 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18754 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
18755 This is the soft tabulator.
18757 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18758 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
18759 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
18762 @node Wide Characters
18763 @subsection Wide Characters
18765 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
18766 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
18767 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
18769 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
18770 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
18771 these coutries, that's not true.
18773 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
18774 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
18775 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
18776 prettieer. The default value is @code{t}.
18780 @node Window Layout
18781 @section Window Layout
18782 @cindex window layout
18784 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
18786 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
18787 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
18788 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
18789 @code{t} by default.
18791 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
18792 glitches. Use at your own peril.
18794 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
18795 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
18796 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
18799 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
18800 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
18801 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18805 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
18806 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
18807 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
18808 possible names is listed below.
18810 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
18811 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
18814 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18818 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
18819 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
18820 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
18821 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
18822 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
18823 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
18824 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
18825 size spec per split.
18827 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
18828 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
18829 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
18830 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
18831 present) gets focus.
18833 Here's a more complicated example:
18836 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
18837 (summary 0.25 point)
18838 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
18842 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
18843 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
18844 occupy, not a percentage.
18846 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
18847 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
18848 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
18849 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
18850 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
18853 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
18856 (article (horizontal 1.0
18861 (summary 0.25 point)
18866 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
18867 @code{horizontal} thingie?
18869 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
18870 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
18871 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
18872 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
18873 the screen is to be given to this strip.
18875 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
18876 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
18877 lines from the splits.
18879 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
18883 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
18884 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
18885 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
18886 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
18887 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
18888 size = number | frame-params
18889 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
18892 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
18893 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
18894 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
18895 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
18897 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
18898 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
18899 @cindex window height
18900 @cindex window width
18901 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
18902 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
18903 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
18904 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
18905 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
18906 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
18908 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
18909 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
18910 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
18911 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
18913 @findex gnus-configure-frame
18914 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
18915 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
18916 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
18917 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
18918 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
18919 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
18920 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
18921 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
18922 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
18923 configuration list.
18926 (gnus-configure-frame
18930 (article 0.3 point))
18938 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
18939 @code{frame} split:
18942 (gnus-configure-frame
18945 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
18947 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
18948 (user-position . t)
18949 (left . -1) (top . 1))
18954 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
18955 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
18956 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
18957 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
18958 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
18959 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
18960 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
18961 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
18963 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
18964 be found in its default value.
18966 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
18967 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
18968 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
18972 (message (horizontal 1.0
18973 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
18975 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
18980 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
18981 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
18982 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
18987 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
18988 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
18989 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
18990 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
18991 (name . "Message"))
18992 (message 1.0 point))))
18995 @findex gnus-add-configuration
18996 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
18997 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
18998 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
18999 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
19002 (gnus-add-configuration
19003 '(article (vertical 1.0
19005 (summary .25 point)
19009 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
19010 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
19011 Gnus has been loaded.
19013 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
19014 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
19015 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
19016 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
19017 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
19019 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
19020 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
19021 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
19024 @subsection Example Window Configurations
19028 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
19029 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
19044 (gnus-add-configuration
19047 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19049 (summary 0.16 point)
19052 (gnus-add-configuration
19055 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19056 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
19062 @node Faces and Fonts
19063 @section Faces and Fonts
19068 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
19069 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
19070 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
19075 @section Compilation
19076 @cindex compilation
19077 @cindex byte-compilation
19079 @findex gnus-compile
19081 Remember all those line format specification variables?
19082 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
19083 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
19084 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
19085 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
19086 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
19089 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
19090 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
19091 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
19092 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
19093 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
19094 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
19095 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
19099 @section Mode Lines
19102 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
19103 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
19104 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
19105 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
19106 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
19107 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
19108 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
19111 @cindex display-time
19113 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
19114 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
19115 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
19116 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
19117 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
19118 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
19119 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
19120 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
19123 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
19125 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
19126 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
19128 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
19129 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
19130 (length display-time-string)))))
19133 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
19134 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
19135 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
19136 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
19137 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
19140 @node Highlighting and Menus
19141 @section Highlighting and Menus
19143 @cindex highlighting
19146 @vindex gnus-visual
19147 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
19148 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
19149 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
19152 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
19153 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
19156 @item group-highlight
19157 Do highlights in the group buffer.
19158 @item summary-highlight
19159 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
19160 @item article-highlight
19161 Do highlights in the article buffer.
19163 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
19165 Create menus in the group buffer.
19167 Create menus in the summary buffers.
19169 Create menus in the article buffer.
19171 Create menus in the browse buffer.
19173 Create menus in the server buffer.
19175 Create menus in the score buffers.
19177 Create menus in all buffers.
19180 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
19181 buffers, you could say something like:
19184 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
19187 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
19190 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
19193 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
19194 in all Gnus buffers.
19196 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
19199 @item gnus-mouse-face
19200 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
19201 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
19202 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
19206 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
19210 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
19211 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
19212 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
19214 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
19215 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
19216 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
19218 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
19219 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
19220 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
19222 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
19223 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
19224 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
19226 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
19227 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
19228 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
19230 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
19231 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
19232 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
19243 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
19244 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
19245 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
19246 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
19247 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
19251 @vindex gnus-carpal
19252 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
19253 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
19254 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
19259 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19260 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19261 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
19263 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
19264 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
19265 Face used on buttons.
19267 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
19268 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
19269 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
19271 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19272 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19273 Buttons in the group buffer.
19275 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19276 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19277 Buttons in the summary buffer.
19279 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19280 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19281 Buttons in the server buffer.
19283 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19284 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19285 Buttons in the browse buffer.
19288 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
19289 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
19290 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
19298 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
19299 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
19300 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
19301 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
19302 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
19304 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
19305 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
19306 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
19308 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
19309 been idle for thirty minutes:
19312 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
19315 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
19319 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
19322 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
19323 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
19324 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19326 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
19327 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
19328 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
19329 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19331 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
19332 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
19333 @var{idle} minutes.
19335 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
19336 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
19339 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
19340 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
19341 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
19343 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
19344 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
19345 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
19346 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
19348 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
19349 your @file{.gnus} file:
19351 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
19353 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
19356 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
19357 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
19358 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
19359 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
19360 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
19361 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
19362 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
19363 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
19364 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
19365 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
19366 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
19368 @findex gnus-demon-init
19369 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
19370 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
19371 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
19372 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
19373 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
19375 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
19376 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
19377 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
19386 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
19387 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
19389 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
19390 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
19391 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
19392 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
19395 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
19396 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
19397 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
19398 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
19400 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
19401 this will make spam disappear.
19403 There are some variables to customize, of course:
19406 @item gnus-use-nocem
19407 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
19408 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
19411 @item gnus-nocem-groups
19412 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
19413 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
19414 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
19415 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
19417 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
19418 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
19419 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
19420 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
19421 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
19422 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
19424 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
19425 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
19427 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
19428 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
19429 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
19430 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
19431 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
19432 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
19433 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
19434 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
19435 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
19436 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
19438 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
19439 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
19442 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
19445 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
19446 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
19449 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
19452 The specs are applied left-to-right.
19455 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
19456 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
19458 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
19459 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
19460 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
19461 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
19463 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
19464 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
19467 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
19469 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
19477 This might be dangerous, though.
19479 @item gnus-nocem-directory
19480 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
19481 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
19482 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
19484 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19485 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19486 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
19487 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
19488 might then see old spam.
19490 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
19491 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
19492 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
19493 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
19494 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
19497 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19498 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19499 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
19500 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
19504 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
19505 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
19506 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
19507 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
19514 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
19515 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
19516 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
19518 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
19519 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
19520 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
19521 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
19522 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
19523 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
19524 @code{undo} function.
19526 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
19527 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
19528 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
19529 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
19530 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
19531 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
19532 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
19533 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
19534 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
19535 never be totally undoable.
19537 @findex gnus-undo-mode
19538 @vindex gnus-use-undo
19540 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
19541 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
19542 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
19543 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
19547 @node Predicate Specifiers
19548 @section Predicate Specifiers
19549 @cindex predicate specifiers
19551 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
19552 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
19553 to type all that much.
19555 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
19560 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
19561 gnus-article-unread-p)
19564 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
19565 functions all take one parameter.
19567 @findex gnus-make-predicate
19568 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
19569 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
19570 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
19575 @section Moderation
19578 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
19579 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
19580 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
19583 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
19587 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
19590 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
19592 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
19597 You split your incoming mail by matching on
19598 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
19599 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
19602 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
19603 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
19606 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
19607 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
19611 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
19614 (setq gnus-moderated-list
19615 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
19619 @node Image Enhancements
19620 @section Image Enhancements
19622 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
19623 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
19626 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
19627 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
19628 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
19629 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
19630 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
19643 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
19644 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
19645 over your shoulder as you read news.
19648 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
19649 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
19650 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
19651 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
19652 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
19657 @subsubsection Picon Basics
19659 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
19668 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
19669 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
19670 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
19671 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
19672 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
19673 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
19674 @code{GIF} formats.
19677 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19678 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
19679 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
19680 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
19681 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
19683 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19684 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
19685 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
19686 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
19687 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
19688 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19690 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
19691 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
19694 @node Picon Requirements
19695 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
19697 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
19698 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
19699 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
19700 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
19702 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19703 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
19704 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
19705 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
19706 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
19707 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
19710 @subsubsection Easy Picons
19712 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
19713 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
19716 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
19717 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
19720 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
19721 containing the Picons databases.
19723 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
19726 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19727 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
19732 @subsubsection Hard Picons
19740 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
19741 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
19742 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
19743 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
19744 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
19749 @item gnus-picons-database
19750 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19751 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
19752 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
19753 subdirectories. This is only useful if
19754 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
19755 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
19757 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19758 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19759 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
19760 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
19761 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
19762 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
19763 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19765 @item gnus-picons-display-where
19766 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19767 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
19768 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
19769 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
19770 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
19771 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
19772 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
19774 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19775 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19776 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
19781 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
19782 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
19784 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
19785 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
19788 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19790 @item gnus-article-display-picons
19791 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
19792 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
19793 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
19795 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19796 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19797 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
19798 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
19804 @node Picon Useless Configuration
19805 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
19813 The following variables offer further control over how things are
19814 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
19815 don't need to worry about.
19819 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
19820 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
19821 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19822 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
19824 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
19825 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
19826 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
19827 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
19829 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
19830 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
19831 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19832 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
19833 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
19835 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19836 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19837 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
19838 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
19839 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
19840 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
19841 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
19842 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
19844 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19845 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19846 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
19847 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
19848 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
19850 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19851 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19852 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
19853 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
19854 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
19855 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
19856 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
19858 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19859 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19860 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
19861 Defaults to @code{nil}.
19863 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
19864 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
19865 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
19866 Defaults to @code{t}.
19868 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19869 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19870 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
19871 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
19873 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
19874 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
19875 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
19877 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19878 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19879 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
19880 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
19882 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
19883 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
19885 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19886 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19887 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
19888 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
19889 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
19890 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
19891 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
19892 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
19903 @subsection Smileys
19908 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
19913 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
19914 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
19916 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
19917 @file{.gnus.el} file:
19920 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
19923 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
19924 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
19925 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
19926 text and maps that to file names.
19928 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
19929 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
19930 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
19931 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
19932 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
19933 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
19935 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
19936 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
19938 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
19939 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
19940 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
19942 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
19943 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
19947 @item smiley-data-directory
19948 @vindex smiley-data-directory
19949 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
19951 @item smiley-flesh-color
19952 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
19953 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
19955 @item smiley-features-color
19956 @vindex smiley-features-color
19957 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19959 @item smiley-tongue-color
19960 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
19961 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
19963 @item smiley-circle-color
19964 @vindex smiley-circle-color
19965 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19967 @item smiley-mouse-face
19968 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
19969 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
19978 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white image
19979 that's supposed to represent the author of the message. It seems to
19980 be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news readers.
19983 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
19984 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
19985 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
19986 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
19994 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
19995 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
19996 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
19997 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
19999 The variable that controls this is the
20000 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20001 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20002 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20003 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20004 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20006 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20007 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20008 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20009 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20012 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20013 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20014 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20015 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20016 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20017 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20018 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20019 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20021 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20026 @subsection Toolbar
20036 @item gnus-use-toolbar
20037 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
20038 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
20039 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
20040 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
20042 @item gnus-group-toolbar
20043 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
20044 The toolbar in the group buffer.
20046 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
20047 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
20048 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
20050 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20051 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20052 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
20058 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
20061 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20062 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20063 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
20064 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
20065 unusual directory structure.
20067 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20068 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20069 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
20070 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
20072 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20073 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20074 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
20075 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
20076 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
20077 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
20079 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20080 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20081 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
20095 @node Fuzzy Matching
20096 @section Fuzzy Matching
20097 @cindex fuzzy matching
20099 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
20100 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
20102 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
20103 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
20104 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
20106 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
20107 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
20108 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
20109 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
20110 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
20113 @node Thwarting Email Spam
20114 @section Thwarting Email Spam
20118 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
20120 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
20121 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
20122 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
20123 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
20124 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
20125 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
20126 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
20127 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
20130 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
20131 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
20132 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
20133 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
20134 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
20135 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
20139 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
20140 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
20142 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
20143 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
20144 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
20145 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
20146 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
20147 part of the mail address.)
20150 (setq message-default-news-headers
20151 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
20154 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
20155 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
20160 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
20161 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
20162 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
20168 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
20169 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
20170 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
20171 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
20173 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
20174 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
20175 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
20176 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
20177 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
20178 your fancy split rule in this way:
20183 (to "larsi" "misc")
20187 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
20188 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
20189 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
20190 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
20191 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
20193 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
20194 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
20195 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
20196 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
20197 cosmic balance somewhat.
20199 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
20200 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
20201 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
20202 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
20205 @node Various Various
20206 @section Various Various
20212 @item gnus-home-directory
20213 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
20214 defaults to @file{~/}.
20216 @item gnus-directory
20217 @vindex gnus-directory
20218 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
20219 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
20220 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
20222 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
20223 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
20224 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
20225 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
20227 @item gnus-default-directory
20228 @vindex gnus-default-directory
20229 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
20230 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
20231 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
20232 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
20233 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
20234 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
20237 @vindex gnus-verbose
20238 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
20239 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
20240 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
20241 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
20242 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
20244 @item gnus-verbose-backends
20245 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
20246 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
20247 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
20249 @item nnheader-max-head-length
20250 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
20251 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
20252 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
20253 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
20254 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
20255 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
20256 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
20257 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
20258 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
20260 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
20261 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
20262 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
20263 read when doing the operation described above.
20265 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20266 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20268 @cindex invalid characters in file names
20269 @cindex characters in file names
20270 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
20271 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
20272 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
20275 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20279 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
20280 Windows (phooey) systems.
20282 @item gnus-hidden-properties
20283 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
20284 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
20285 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
20286 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
20288 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
20289 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
20290 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
20291 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
20292 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
20294 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
20295 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
20296 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
20298 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20299 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20301 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
20302 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
20303 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
20304 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
20307 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
20315 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
20316 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
20318 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
20320 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
20326 Not because of victories @*
20329 but for the common sunshine,@*
20331 the largess of the spring.
20335 but for the day's work done@*
20336 as well as I was able;@*
20337 not for a seat upon the dais@*
20338 but at the common table.@*
20343 @chapter Appendices
20346 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
20347 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
20348 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
20349 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
20350 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
20351 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
20352 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
20353 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
20354 * Frequently Asked Questions::
20361 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
20363 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
20364 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
20365 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
20366 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
20367 @samp{xemacs-base}, and @samp{fsf-compat}.
20374 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
20375 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
20377 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
20378 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
20379 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
20380 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
20381 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
20383 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
20384 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
20385 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
20386 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
20387 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
20388 appropriate name, don't you think?)
20390 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
20391 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
20392 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
20393 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
20396 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
20397 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
20398 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
20399 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
20400 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
20401 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
20402 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
20403 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
20404 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
20408 @node Gnus Versions
20409 @subsection Gnus Versions
20411 @cindex September Gnus
20413 @cindex Quassia Gnus
20414 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
20418 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
20419 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
20420 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
20422 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
20423 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
20425 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
20426 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
20428 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
20429 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
20431 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
20432 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
20435 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
20437 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
20438 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
20439 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
20440 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
20441 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
20442 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
20445 @node Other Gnus Versions
20446 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
20449 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
20450 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
20451 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
20452 @sc{mime} capabilities.
20454 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
20455 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
20456 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
20457 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
20464 What's the point of Gnus?
20466 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
20467 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
20468 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
20469 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
20470 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
20471 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
20472 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
20473 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
20474 keep track of millions of people who post?
20476 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
20477 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
20478 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
20479 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
20480 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
20481 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
20482 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
20483 every one of you to explore and invent.
20485 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
20486 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
20489 @node Compatibility
20490 @subsection Compatibility
20492 @cindex compatibility
20493 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
20494 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
20495 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
20500 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
20504 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
20507 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
20510 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
20511 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
20512 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
20513 important variables have their values copied into their global
20514 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
20515 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
20517 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
20518 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
20519 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
20520 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
20521 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
20525 @cindex highlighting
20526 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
20527 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
20528 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
20529 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
20530 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
20531 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
20534 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
20535 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
20536 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
20537 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
20539 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
20540 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
20541 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
20542 to stop doing it the old way.
20544 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
20546 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
20548 @cindex reporting bugs
20550 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
20551 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
20552 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
20554 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
20555 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
20556 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
20557 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
20562 @subsection Conformity
20564 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
20565 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
20572 There are no known breaches of this standard.
20576 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
20578 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
20579 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
20580 We do have some breaches to this one.
20586 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
20587 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
20588 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
20589 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
20590 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
20595 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
20596 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
20597 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
20598 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
20602 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
20603 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
20608 @subsection Emacsen
20614 Gnus should work on :
20622 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
20626 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
20627 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
20630 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
20631 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
20632 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
20636 @node Gnus Development
20637 @subsection Gnus Development
20639 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
20640 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
20641 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
20642 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
20643 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
20644 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
20645 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
20646 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
20648 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
20649 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
20650 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
20651 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
20652 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
20655 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
20656 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
20657 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
20658 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
20659 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
20661 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
20662 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
20663 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
20664 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
20665 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
20666 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
20667 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
20668 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
20669 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
20670 can't be assumed to do so.
20675 @subsection Contributors
20676 @cindex contributors
20678 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
20679 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
20680 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
20681 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
20682 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
20683 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
20684 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
20685 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
20686 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
20687 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
20689 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
20695 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
20698 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
20699 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
20700 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
20701 functionality and stuff.
20704 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
20705 well as numerous other things).
20708 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
20711 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
20714 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
20717 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
20720 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
20721 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
20724 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
20727 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
20728 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20731 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
20734 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
20737 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
20740 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
20743 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
20744 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
20747 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
20750 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
20753 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
20756 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
20760 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
20763 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
20766 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
20769 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
20770 well as autoconf support.
20774 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
20775 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
20777 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
20786 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
20790 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
20800 Alexei V. Barantsev,
20815 Massimo Campostrini,
20820 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
20821 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
20825 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
20828 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
20834 Michael Welsh Duggan,
20839 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
20843 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
20851 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
20853 Michelangelo Grigni,
20857 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
20859 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
20861 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
20868 François Felix Ingrand,
20869 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
20870 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
20872 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
20883 Peter Skov Knudsen,
20884 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
20886 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
20887 Thor Kristoffersen,
20890 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
20908 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
20909 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
20916 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
20921 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
20925 John McClary Prevost,
20931 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
20936 Christian von Roques,
20939 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
20946 Philippe Schnoebelen,
20948 Randal L. Schwartz,
20962 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
20967 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
20983 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
20988 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
20989 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
20990 (550kB and counting).
20992 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
20995 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
20996 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
21000 @subsection New Features
21001 @cindex new features
21004 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
21005 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
21006 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
21007 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
21008 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
21011 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
21012 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
21013 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
21016 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
21018 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
21023 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
21024 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
21027 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
21028 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
21031 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
21034 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
21035 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
21036 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
21039 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
21040 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
21041 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
21042 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21045 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
21046 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21049 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
21050 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
21051 (@pxref{The Active File}).
21054 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
21055 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
21058 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
21059 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
21060 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21063 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
21064 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
21065 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
21068 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
21069 the @file{.emacs} file.
21072 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
21073 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
21076 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
21077 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
21080 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
21081 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21084 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
21085 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
21088 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
21089 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21092 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
21095 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
21096 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
21099 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
21100 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
21103 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
21104 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
21107 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
21110 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
21111 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21114 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
21118 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
21122 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
21123 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
21126 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
21132 @node September Gnus
21133 @subsubsection September Gnus
21137 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
21141 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
21146 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
21147 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
21151 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
21152 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
21156 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
21160 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
21161 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
21164 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
21168 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
21171 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
21174 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
21177 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
21181 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
21182 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
21185 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
21189 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
21193 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
21197 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
21201 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
21204 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
21205 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
21208 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
21212 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
21213 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
21216 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
21219 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
21220 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
21221 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21224 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
21228 The Gnus cache is much faster.
21231 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
21235 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
21236 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
21239 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
21240 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
21243 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
21244 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21247 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
21248 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
21249 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
21252 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
21253 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
21256 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
21259 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21262 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
21265 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
21268 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
21269 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
21272 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
21276 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
21279 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
21284 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
21287 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
21291 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21294 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
21298 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
21301 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
21304 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
21305 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21308 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
21309 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
21313 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
21314 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
21317 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
21321 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
21322 buffer to allow easier treatment.
21325 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
21328 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
21332 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
21336 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
21337 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
21340 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
21344 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
21345 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21348 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
21349 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21352 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
21356 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21359 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
21362 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
21368 @subsubsection Red Gnus
21370 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
21374 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
21381 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
21384 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
21385 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21388 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
21389 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
21393 Article washing status can be displayed in the
21394 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
21397 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
21400 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
21401 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
21404 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
21408 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
21409 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
21413 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
21414 Server Internals}).
21417 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
21421 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
21424 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
21425 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
21428 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
21429 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
21430 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
21433 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
21434 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21437 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
21438 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
21441 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
21445 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
21446 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21449 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
21450 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21453 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
21457 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
21460 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
21464 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
21465 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21468 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
21469 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21472 A new command for reading collections of documents
21473 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
21474 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
21477 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
21481 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
21482 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
21485 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
21486 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
21487 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
21490 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
21491 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
21495 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
21499 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
21503 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
21508 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
21512 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
21516 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
21517 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
21520 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
21526 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
21528 New features in Gnus 5.6:
21533 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
21534 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
21535 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
21538 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
21539 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
21540 group, which is created automatically.
21543 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
21547 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
21550 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
21551 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
21554 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
21558 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
21561 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
21562 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
21565 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
21568 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
21569 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
21572 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
21573 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
21576 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
21577 control over simplification.
21580 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
21583 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
21587 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
21590 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
21593 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
21594 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
21595 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
21598 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
21599 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
21602 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
21606 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
21607 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
21610 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
21611 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
21614 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
21618 A history of where mails have been split is available.
21621 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
21624 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
21625 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
21628 A new function for citing in Message has been
21629 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
21632 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
21635 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
21639 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
21640 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
21643 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
21644 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
21647 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
21650 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
21654 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
21655 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
21657 New features in Gnus 5.8:
21662 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
21663 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
21665 If you used procmail like in
21668 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
21669 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
21670 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
21671 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
21674 this now has changed to
21678 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
21682 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
21683 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
21686 Gnus is now a MIME-capable reader. This affects many parts of
21687 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
21690 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
21691 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
21694 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
21695 called to position point.
21698 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
21699 summary buffers and NOV files.
21702 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
21703 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
21706 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
21707 subtly different manner.
21710 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
21711 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
21712 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
21715 Gnus can now read IMAP mail via @code{nnimap}.
21723 @section The Manual
21727 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
21728 either @code{texi2dvi}
21730 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
21731 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
21733 to get what you hold in your hands now.
21735 The following conventions have been used:
21740 This is a @samp{string}
21743 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
21746 This is a @file{file}
21749 This is a @code{symbol}
21753 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
21757 (setq flargnoze "yes")
21760 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
21763 (setq flumphel 'yes)
21766 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
21767 ever get them confused.
21771 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
21772 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
21773 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
21774 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
21775 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
21776 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
21777 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
21783 @node On Writing Manuals
21784 @section On Writing Manuals
21786 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
21787 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
21788 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
21789 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
21790 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
21791 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
21794 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
21795 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
21796 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
21799 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
21800 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
21805 @section Terminology
21807 @cindex terminology
21812 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
21813 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
21814 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
21815 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
21816 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
21820 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
21821 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
21822 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
21823 not posting, and replying is not following up.
21827 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
21831 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
21836 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of back ends, both news and mail
21837 back ends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
21838 is all done by the back ends.
21842 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
21843 default, way of getting news.
21847 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
21848 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
21853 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
21854 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
21858 A message that has been posted as news.
21861 @cindex mail message
21862 A message that has been mailed.
21866 A mail message or news article
21870 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
21875 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
21880 A line from the head of an article.
21884 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
21885 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
21889 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
21890 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
21891 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
21892 normal @sc{head} format.
21896 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
21897 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
21898 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
21899 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
21900 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
21901 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
21903 @item killed groups
21904 @cindex killed groups
21905 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
21906 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
21908 @item zombie groups
21909 @cindex zombie groups
21910 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
21913 @cindex active file
21914 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
21915 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
21916 is rather large, as you might surmise.
21919 @cindex bogus groups
21920 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
21921 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
21922 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
21925 @cindex activating groups
21926 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
21927 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
21928 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
21932 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21934 @item select method
21935 @cindex select method
21936 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
21939 @item virtual server
21940 @cindex virtual server
21941 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21942 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21943 whole is a virtual server.
21947 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21948 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21951 @item ephemeral groups
21952 @cindex ephemeral groups
21953 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21954 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21955 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21958 @cindex solid groups
21959 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21960 group buffer are solid groups.
21962 @item sparse articles
21963 @cindex sparse articles
21964 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21965 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21969 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21970 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21974 @cindex thread root
21975 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21976 articles in the thread.
21980 An article that has responses.
21984 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21988 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21989 specified by RFC 1153.
21995 @node Customization
21996 @section Customization
21997 @cindex general customization
21999 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
22000 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
22001 for some quite common situations.
22004 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
22005 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
22006 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
22007 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
22011 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
22012 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
22014 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
22015 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
22016 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
22020 @item gnus-read-active-file
22021 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
22022 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
22023 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22024 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
22025 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
22027 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
22028 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
22029 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
22030 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
22034 @node Slow Terminal Connection
22035 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
22037 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
22038 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
22039 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
22043 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
22044 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
22045 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
22046 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
22047 horizontal and vertical recentering.
22049 @item gnus-visible-headers
22050 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
22051 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
22052 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
22053 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
22055 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
22057 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
22058 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
22059 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
22062 @item gnus-use-full-window
22063 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
22064 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
22065 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
22066 want to read them anyway.
22068 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
22069 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
22072 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
22073 Avaliable predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
22074 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
22079 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
22080 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
22081 gnus-article-unseen-p))
22084 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
22085 unread, but you get my drift.)
22088 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
22089 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
22090 lines, which might save some time.
22094 @node Little Disk Space
22095 @subsection Little Disk Space
22098 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
22099 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
22103 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
22104 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
22105 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22106 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22109 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
22110 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
22111 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22112 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22115 @item gnus-save-killed-list
22116 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
22117 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
22118 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
22119 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
22125 @subsection Slow Machine
22126 @cindex slow machine
22128 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
22129 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
22131 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22132 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
22134 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
22135 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
22136 summary buffer faster.
22140 @node Troubleshooting
22141 @section Troubleshooting
22142 @cindex troubleshooting
22144 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
22152 Make sure your computer is switched on.
22155 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
22156 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
22160 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
22161 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
22162 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
22163 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
22166 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
22170 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
22171 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
22172 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
22173 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
22174 something like that.
22177 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
22180 @cindex reporting bugs
22182 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22184 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
22185 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
22186 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
22187 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
22189 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
22190 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
22191 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
22192 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
22195 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
22196 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
22197 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
22198 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
22199 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
22200 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
22202 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
22203 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
22204 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
22208 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
22209 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
22211 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
22212 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
22214 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
22215 @cindex ding mailing list
22216 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
22217 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
22221 @node Gnus Reference Guide
22222 @section Gnus Reference Guide
22224 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
22225 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
22226 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
22227 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
22230 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
22231 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
22232 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
22233 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
22234 and general methods of operation.
22237 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
22238 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
22239 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
22240 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
22241 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
22242 * Group Info:: The group info format.
22243 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
22244 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
22245 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
22249 @node Gnus Utility Functions
22250 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
22251 @cindex Gnus utility functions
22252 @cindex utility functions
22254 @cindex internal variables
22256 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
22257 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
22258 Below is a list of the most common ones.
22262 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
22263 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
22264 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
22266 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
22267 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
22268 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
22270 @item gnus-group-real-name
22271 @findex gnus-group-real-name
22272 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
22275 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
22276 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
22277 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
22278 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
22280 @item gnus-get-info
22281 @findex gnus-get-info
22282 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
22284 @item gnus-group-unread
22285 @findex gnus-group-unread
22286 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
22290 @findex gnus-active
22291 The active entry for @var{group}.
22293 @item gnus-set-active
22294 @findex gnus-set-active
22295 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
22297 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22298 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22299 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
22302 @item gnus-continuum-version
22303 @findex gnus-continuum-version
22304 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
22305 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
22308 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
22309 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
22310 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
22312 @item gnus-news-group-p
22313 @findex gnus-news-group-p
22314 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
22316 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22317 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22318 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
22320 @item gnus-server-to-method
22321 @findex gnus-server-to-method
22322 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
22324 @item gnus-server-equal
22325 @findex gnus-server-equal
22326 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
22328 @item gnus-group-native-p
22329 @findex gnus-group-native-p
22330 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
22332 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
22333 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
22334 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
22336 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
22337 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
22338 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
22340 @item group-group-find-parameter
22341 @findex group-group-find-parameter
22342 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
22343 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
22345 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
22346 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
22347 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
22349 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
22350 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
22351 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
22353 @item gnus-check-backend-function
22354 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
22355 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
22356 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
22359 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
22363 @item gnus-read-method
22364 @findex gnus-read-method
22365 Prompts the user for a select method.
22370 @node Back End Interface
22371 @subsection Back End Interface
22373 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
22374 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
22375 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
22376 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
22377 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
22378 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
22380 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
22381 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
22382 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
22383 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
22384 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
22385 been opened, the function should fail.
22387 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
22388 name. Take this example:
22392 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
22393 (nntp-port-number 4324))
22396 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
22397 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
22399 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
22400 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
22401 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
22403 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
22404 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
22405 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
22407 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
22408 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
22409 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
22410 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
22411 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
22412 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
22415 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
22416 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
22417 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
22418 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
22421 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
22422 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
22423 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
22424 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
22425 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
22426 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
22427 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
22428 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
22429 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
22430 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
22432 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
22433 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
22434 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
22435 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
22436 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
22437 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
22438 of numbers as long as possible.
22440 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
22443 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
22446 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
22447 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
22448 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
22449 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
22450 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
22451 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
22455 @node Required Back End Functions
22456 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
22460 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
22462 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
22463 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
22464 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
22465 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
22467 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
22468 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
22469 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
22470 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
22472 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
22473 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
22474 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
22475 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
22476 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
22477 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
22478 number, do maximum fetches.
22480 Here's an example HEAD:
22483 221 1056 Article retrieved.
22484 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
22485 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
22486 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
22487 Subject: Re: Something very droll
22488 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
22489 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
22491 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
22492 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
22493 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
22497 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
22498 these in the data buffer.
22500 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
22504 head = error / valid-head
22505 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
22506 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
22507 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
22508 header = <text> eol
22511 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
22512 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
22516 nov-buffer = *nov-line
22517 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
22518 field = <text except TAB>
22521 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
22525 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
22527 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
22528 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
22530 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
22531 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
22532 server. In fact, it should do so.
22534 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
22535 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
22538 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
22540 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
22541 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
22544 There should be no data returned.
22547 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
22549 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
22550 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
22551 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
22552 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
22554 There should be no data returned.
22557 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
22559 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
22560 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
22561 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
22562 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
22564 There should be no data returned.
22567 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
22569 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
22571 There should be no data returned.
22574 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
22576 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
22577 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
22578 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
22579 it would be nice if that were possible.
22581 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
22582 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
22583 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
22584 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
22585 into its article buffer.
22587 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
22588 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
22589 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
22590 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
22591 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
22592 on successful article retrieval.
22595 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
22597 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
22598 making @var{group} the current group.
22600 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
22603 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
22606 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
22609 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
22610 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
22611 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
22612 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
22613 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
22614 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
22615 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
22616 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
22619 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
22620 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
22621 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
22625 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22627 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
22628 a no-op on most back ends.
22630 There should be no data returned.
22633 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
22635 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
22638 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
22641 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
22642 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
22645 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
22646 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
22649 active-file = *active-line
22650 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
22652 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
22655 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
22656 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
22657 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
22660 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
22662 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
22663 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
22664 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
22665 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
22666 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
22667 clear if the posting could not be completed.
22669 There should be no result data from this function.
22674 @node Optional Back End Functions
22675 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
22679 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
22681 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
22682 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
22683 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
22685 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
22686 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
22687 former is in the same format as the data from
22688 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
22689 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
22692 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
22696 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
22698 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
22699 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
22700 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
22701 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
22702 should return the (altered) group info.
22704 There should be no result data from this function.
22707 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
22709 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
22710 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
22711 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
22712 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
22713 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
22714 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
22715 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
22716 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
22718 There should be no result data from this function.
22721 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
22723 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
22724 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
22725 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
22726 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
22727 propagate the mark information to the server.
22729 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
22732 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
22735 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
22736 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
22737 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
22738 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
22739 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
22740 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
22741 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
22742 possible, not limit itself to these.
22744 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
22745 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
22746 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
22747 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
22749 An example action list:
22752 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
22753 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
22754 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
22757 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
22758 mark on (currently not used for anything).
22760 There should be no result data from this function.
22762 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
22764 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
22765 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
22766 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
22767 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
22768 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
22770 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
22771 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
22772 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
22775 There should be no result data from this function.
22778 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
22780 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
22781 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
22782 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
22783 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
22784 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
22785 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
22786 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
22788 There should be no result data from this function.
22791 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
22793 The result data from this function should be a description of
22797 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
22799 description = <text>
22802 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
22804 The result data from this function should be the description of all
22805 groups available on the server.
22808 description-buffer = *description-line
22812 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
22814 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
22815 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
22816 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
22817 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
22818 in the active buffer format.
22820 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
22821 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
22822 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
22823 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
22824 many groups, so nnml and the like are probably safe. But for back ends
22825 like nntp, where the groups have been created by the server, it is quite
22826 likely that there can be many groups.
22829 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22831 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
22833 There should be no return data.
22836 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
22838 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
22839 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
22840 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
22841 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
22842 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
22845 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
22848 There should be no result data returned.
22851 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
22854 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
22855 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
22857 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
22858 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
22859 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
22860 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
22861 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
22862 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
22864 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
22865 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
22868 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22869 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22871 There should be no data returned.
22874 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
22876 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
22877 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
22878 this function in short order.
22880 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22881 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22883 There should be no data returned.
22886 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
22888 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
22889 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
22891 There should be no data returned.
22894 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
22896 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
22897 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
22898 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
22900 There should be no data returned.
22903 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
22905 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
22906 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
22908 There should be no data returned.
22913 @node Error Messaging
22914 @subsubsection Error Messaging
22916 @findex nnheader-report
22917 @findex nnheader-get-report
22918 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
22919 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
22920 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
22921 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
22922 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
22923 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
22926 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
22928 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
22931 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
22932 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
22933 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
22934 takes one argument---the server symbol.
22936 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
22937 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
22938 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
22941 @node Writing New Back Ends
22942 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
22944 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
22945 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
22946 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
22947 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
22948 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
22951 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
22952 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
22953 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
22955 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
22956 package called @code{nnoo}.
22958 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
22959 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
22965 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
22966 parameters. For instance:
22969 (nnoo-declare nndir
22973 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22974 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22977 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22978 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22979 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22981 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22982 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
22983 a function in those back ends.
22986 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22987 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22988 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22991 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22992 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22993 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22995 @item nnoo-define-basics
22996 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
23000 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23004 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
23005 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
23006 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
23008 @item nnoo-map-functions
23009 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
23010 functions from the parent back ends.
23013 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23014 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23015 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
23018 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
23019 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
23020 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
23021 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
23024 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
23025 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
23026 haven't already been defined.
23032 nnmh-request-newgroups)
23036 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
23037 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
23038 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
23043 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
23046 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
23047 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
23051 (require 'nnheader)
23055 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
23057 (nnoo-declare nndir
23060 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
23061 "Where nndir will look for groups."
23062 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
23064 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
23065 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
23068 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
23070 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
23071 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
23072 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
23074 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
23075 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
23077 ;;; Interface functions.
23079 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23081 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
23082 (setq nndir-directory
23083 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
23085 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
23086 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
23087 (push `(nndir-current-group
23088 ,(file-name-nondirectory
23089 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23091 (push `(nndir-top-directory
23092 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23094 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
23096 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23097 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23098 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23099 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
23100 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
23104 nnmh-status-message
23106 nnmh-request-newgroups))
23112 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23113 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23115 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
23116 @findex gnus-declare-backend
23117 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
23118 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
23119 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
23121 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
23122 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
23127 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
23130 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
23132 The abilities can be:
23136 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
23138 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
23140 This back end supports both mail and news.
23142 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
23145 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
23146 articles and groups.
23148 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
23149 true for almost all back ends.
23150 @item prompt-address
23151 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
23152 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
23153 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
23157 @node Mail-like Back Ends
23158 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
23160 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
23161 back ends is the heavy dependence by the mail back ends on common
23162 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
23163 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
23166 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
23167 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
23168 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
23171 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
23172 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
23175 This function takes four parameters.
23179 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
23182 @item exit-function
23183 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
23185 @item temp-directory
23186 Where the temporary files should be stored.
23189 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
23190 performed for one group only.
23193 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
23194 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
23195 find the article number assigned to this article.
23197 The function also uses the following variables:
23198 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
23199 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
23200 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
23201 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
23205 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
23206 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
23210 @node Score File Syntax
23211 @subsection Score File Syntax
23213 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
23214 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
23215 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
23217 Here's a typical score file:
23221 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
23228 BNF definition of a score file:
23231 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
23232 element = rule / atom
23233 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
23234 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
23235 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
23236 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
23238 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
23239 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
23240 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
23241 date-header = "date"
23242 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23243 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23244 score = "nil" / <integer>
23245 date = "nil" / <natural number>
23246 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
23247 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
23248 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
23249 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
23250 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23251 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23252 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
23253 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23254 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
23255 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
23256 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
23257 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
23258 exclude-files / read-only / touched
23259 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
23260 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
23261 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
23262 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
23263 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
23264 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
23265 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
23266 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
23267 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
23268 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
23269 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
23270 eval = "eval" space <form>
23271 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
23274 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
23277 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
23278 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
23279 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
23280 one looong line, then that's ok.
23282 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
23283 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23287 @subsection Headers
23289 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
23290 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
23291 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
23292 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
23294 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
23295 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
23296 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
23297 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
23298 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
23299 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
23300 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
23302 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
23303 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
23304 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
23305 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
23306 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
23308 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
23309 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
23315 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
23316 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
23318 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
23319 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
23320 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
23321 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
23323 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
23327 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
23330 is transformed into
23333 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
23336 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
23337 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
23340 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
23343 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
23344 is slightly tricky:
23347 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
23353 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
23356 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
23362 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
23369 and is equal to the previous range.
23371 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
23372 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
23373 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
23377 range = simple-range / normal-range
23378 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
23379 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
23380 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
23381 number *[ " " contents ]
23384 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
23385 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
23386 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
23387 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
23388 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
23393 @subsection Group Info
23395 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
23396 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
23397 describes the group.
23399 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
23400 second is a more complex one:
23403 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
23405 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
23406 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
23408 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
23411 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
23412 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
23413 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
23414 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
23415 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
23416 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
23417 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
23418 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
23419 this section is about.
23421 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
23422 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
23423 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
23425 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
23428 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
23429 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
23430 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23431 group = quote <string> quote
23432 ralevel = rank / level
23433 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23434 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
23435 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23437 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
23438 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
23439 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
23440 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
23443 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
23444 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
23447 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
23448 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
23451 @item gnus-info-group
23452 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
23453 @findex gnus-info-group
23454 @findex gnus-info-set-group
23455 Get/set the group name.
23457 @item gnus-info-rank
23458 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
23459 @findex gnus-info-rank
23460 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
23461 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
23463 @item gnus-info-level
23464 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
23465 @findex gnus-info-level
23466 @findex gnus-info-set-level
23467 Get/set the group level.
23469 @item gnus-info-score
23470 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
23471 @findex gnus-info-score
23472 @findex gnus-info-set-score
23473 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
23475 @item gnus-info-read
23476 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
23477 @findex gnus-info-read
23478 @findex gnus-info-set-read
23479 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
23481 @item gnus-info-marks
23482 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
23483 @findex gnus-info-marks
23484 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
23485 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
23487 @item gnus-info-method
23488 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
23489 @findex gnus-info-method
23490 @findex gnus-info-set-method
23491 Get/set the group select method.
23493 @item gnus-info-params
23494 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
23495 @findex gnus-info-params
23496 @findex gnus-info-set-params
23497 Get/set the group parameters.
23500 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
23501 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
23503 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
23504 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
23505 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
23506 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
23509 @node Extended Interactive
23510 @subsection Extended Interactive
23511 @cindex interactive
23512 @findex gnus-interactive
23514 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
23515 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
23516 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
23519 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
23520 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
23525 The best thing to do would have been to implement
23526 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
23527 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
23528 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
23529 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
23530 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
23531 @code{interactive}.
23533 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
23538 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
23539 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
23543 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
23544 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
23545 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
23548 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
23552 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
23556 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
23562 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
23563 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
23567 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
23568 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
23569 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
23571 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
23572 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
23573 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
23574 Gnus, that's very useful.
23576 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
23577 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
23578 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
23579 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
23580 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
23581 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
23582 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
23583 following function:
23586 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
23590 (,function ,@@args))
23594 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
23595 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
23596 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
23599 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
23600 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
23601 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
23603 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
23604 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
23605 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
23608 @node Various File Formats
23609 @subsection Various File Formats
23612 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
23613 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
23617 @node Active File Format
23618 @subsubsection Active File Format
23620 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
23621 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
23624 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
23627 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
23628 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
23629 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
23630 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
23631 no.general 1000 900 y
23634 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
23637 active = *group-line
23638 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
23639 group = <non-white-space string>
23641 high-number = <non-negative integer>
23642 low-number = <positive integer>
23643 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
23646 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
23647 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
23650 @node Newsgroups File Format
23651 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
23653 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
23654 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
23655 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
23658 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
23659 Here's the definition:
23663 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
23664 group = <non-white-space string>
23666 description = <string>
23671 @node Emacs for Heathens
23672 @section Emacs for Heathens
23674 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
23675 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
23676 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
23677 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
23678 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
23679 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
23680 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
23684 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
23685 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
23690 @subsection Keystrokes
23694 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
23697 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
23700 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
23701 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
23702 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
23703 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
23704 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
23705 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
23707 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
23708 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
23709 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
23710 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
23711 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
23712 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
23713 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
23715 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
23716 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
23717 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
23718 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
23719 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
23720 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
23721 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
23723 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
23724 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
23725 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
23726 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
23727 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
23733 @subsection Emacs Lisp
23735 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
23736 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
23737 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
23738 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
23740 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
23741 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
23742 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
23743 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
23744 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
23745 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
23746 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
23749 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
23750 write the following:
23753 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
23756 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
23757 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
23758 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
23761 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
23762 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
23763 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
23764 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
23765 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
23767 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
23768 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
23769 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
23773 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
23777 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
23780 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
23781 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
23784 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
23787 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
23788 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
23791 @include gnus-faq.texi
23811 @c Local Variables:
23813 @c coding: iso-8859-1
23815 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
23816 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
23817 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
23818 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
23819 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref